In history, there are often cases when famous historical sites or architectural monuments have analogs that are less known or unknown at all. One of these amazing structures of antiquity is the Adrianov Val. It is not known whether Emperor Hadrian knew anything about the Great Wall of China, but he gave the order to build such a fortification.
It should be said that the similarity between the Hadrian Wall and the Great Wall of China lies not in the name, but in the functional purpose. This military facility is about 120 km long and stretches across the territory of Northern England.
The construction of the defensive rampart began after 122, when the troops of the emperor Hadrian had to retreat under the onslaught of the enemy to the valley of the Tyne River, where they fortified and built a number of forts. The next step was the construction of a defensive rampart, which began to be erected a few kilometers from the Tyne River. The project involved the passage of the wall through the entire territory of Northern England. A huge number of people were involved in the construction. The wall was 4.5 meters high and up to 3 meters wide. Fortified forts were erected approximately every 1.5 km, with watchtowers located between them. A moat was dug parallel to the shaft and filled with water. The soldiers lived in camps on the southern side of the rampart, as well as in 14 fortresses built later. In general, the Adrianov shaft provided the deployment of many tens of thousands of soldiers. The construction lasted 8 years, 750 million m3 of stone was spent on the construction of this structure.
Despite such a grand scale, the building has not been completely preserved: a significant part of it was dismantled by local residents for the construction of various structures, a number of which still exist.
In the modern world, objects similar to the Hadrian Wall are no longer used, but its archaeological value is endless. In this regard, many research institutions are trying to reproduce such structures on a smaller scale. This technique is indispensable for solving a number of scientific and educational problems.