Climate change threatens Hadrian’s Wall treasures in England

Nineteen hundred years after it was built to keep out barbarian hordes, archaeologists at Hadrian’s Wall in northern England are facing a new enemy—climate change, which threatens its vast treasure trove of Roman artefacts.

Around the 73-mile (118 kilometre) line, thousands of soldiers and their families lived. Stone wallIt crosses England from West coastTo the east coast, marking Britain’s limit of the Roman Empire.

The wall was built in 122AD during the reign and rule of Hadrian. It marked the boundary of Roman Britannia, unconquered Caledonia and helped keep barbarian raiders away from the empire.

The Roman soldiers who lived there have left behind not only wooden structuresBut it is the fascinating detritus from everyday life that archaeologists can reconstruct how they lived in the north of the empire.

They include the fort at Vindolanda (33 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne), a Roman settlement at Pons Aelius’ original eastern end.

“A lot of the landscapes at Hadrian’s Wall are preserved under peat bog and marsh—very wet, very moist ground, which has protected the archaeology for almost two millennia,” Andrew Birley, director of excavations and chief executive of the Vindolanda Trust, told AFP.

“But as global heating takes place, Climate change“He added.

Ground heats up faster than air temperature, caking soil and letting oxygen through cracks.

Birley stated, “When oxygen gets in there things that are really fragile, that are made from leather, textile, or items of wood crack, decay, and are lost forever.”

Under threat

Over the years, the dramatic scenery surrounding the wall has shown stone and wooden structures as well as leather shoes and clothing. Weapons and tools have been discovered, and handwritten wooden tablets have been found. This information has helped us to understand the Roman lifestyle in Britain.

Vindolanda’s site has only been excavated around 25% of the time. The fort is just one of 14 on Hadrian’s Wall. This site has been designated UNESCO World Heritage since 1987 and is one Britain’s most well-known tourist attractions.

“All this, all that masonry, all the ground behind me was underneath the ground. Birley said that it was under a farmer’s field 50 years back.

“More than 1% of Hadrian’s Wall have been excavated archaeologically. A lot of that landscape is preserved in this wet peatland environment, and that’s a landscape that’s really at risk.”

He is surrounded by dozens upon dozens of Roman footwear from all ages, genders, and social strata. These are just a few of the 5,500 leather items found at the site.

Many artifacts have retained a remarkable level of detail due to their black, peaty soil.

“They are amazing because they’ve completely transformed our perception of Roman Empire the Roman Army, they’ve changed from being a male preserve it to lots of women running around,” he stated.

“And without these artifacts being preserved, we wouldn’t have that information and that’s the kind of stuff that’s under threat from climate change.”

Race is on

To mark 1,900 years since the construction of the wall began, events are being held throughout the year.

Birley believes the anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect about how to ensure the wall and its artifacts will be there in the next 1,900 years.

He said that the Roman army had embarked on one the largest construction projects in the empire’s history.

“In this wonderful rural landscape all about me, they transformed them, creating Hadrian’s Wall, a barrier right through the heartland of the country.”

Now, rather than defending Roman Britain from unconquered Caledonia in the north, the race between archaeologists & climate change is on.

“Can we find out what is happening to these sites?” Can we intervene when we can to protect sites And can we save material before it’s gone for good?

© 2022 AFP