Hellenic Society & Roman Society Online Course
6.00pm - 7.30pm (UK time) + recordings will be available
by Dr Matt Symonds
Course Description
It can be easy to imagine Hadrian’s Wall as a distant frontier clinging to remote crags, and populated by rain-soaked Roman soldiers dreaming of Italy while gazing forlornly over bleak and deserted uplands. The reality was very different. Recent archaeological work has demonstrated that the region split apart by the Wall was home to sizable and sophisticated farming communities that had developed over centuries. The reason why Hadrian’s Wall was imposed on this landscape remains a source of scholarly debate, but there seems to be little doubt that it ushered in change.
We can be certain that as the Wall divided, so too it united. Few of the soldiers manning the frontier system were drawn from Rome or even Italy. Instead, the majority were recruited or conscripted from occupied territories, bringing together individuals from as far afield as Spain and Syria. This military presence formed the nucleus of wider communities of families, slaves, merchants, priests, and more, creating an extraordinary kaleidoscope of cultures as peoples from across the Empire were assembled in northern England. The juxtaposition of their traditions with mainstream Classical influences and the culture of the local Britons created distinctive frontier societies.
One consequence of the Wall changing the world around it was that new threats emerged, forcing the frontier to be adapted in turn. Following the collapse of imperial control, the Wall’s fame saw it exploited by powers seeking to cast themselves as Rome’s heirs, while the former frontier also helped forge notions of English and Scottish nationhood during the medieval period. Indeed, the Wall continues to crop up in national and international debates concerning a range of topics, emphasising its enduring relevance.
Session Topics:
Session 1: Wednesday 15 January: Rome’s frontiers
At their greatest extent, Rome’s frontiers stretched for over 13,000km. Building, manning, and supplying this network was one of the Empire’s most extraordinary achievements. The individual frontier systems creating this whole, though, were far from uniform, raising questions about what these differences signify. This talk will introduce Rome’s frontiers, the evidence that we use to study them, and the army that built them. It will also outline the methods that we use to understand these monuments.
Session 2: Wednesday 22 January: Building the Wall
The scale of Hadrian’s Wall marks it out as exceptional among Rome’s frontier systems. In this talk we will examine the circumstances facing the Roman army in Britain, and why their conquest of the island was never completed. The nature of life in what would become the frontier zone will be carefully assessed, and the unusual design of Hadrian’s Wall emphasised by comparing it with the near-contemporary frontier in Germany. Responses to the Wall during Hadrian’s reign allow us to gauge its initial impact.
Session 3: Wednesday 29 January: Frontier societies
The edge of the Roman Empire was not just populated by soldiers. Instead, families, servants, slaves, priests, traders, and more made their homes in the frontier zone. A wealth of evidence from Hadrian’s Wall reveals this extraordinary cultural mixing at work, with one scholar noting that ‘almost every corner of the empire can be seen represented’. We will examine these frontier societies, and see examples of the different ideas and traditions they brought.
Session 4: Wednesday 5 February: Winds of change
Establishing Hadrian’s Wall set change in motion. Not only did it bring shifts to preexisting power structures, modes of movement, and population distribution in its hinterland, but it also relied on distant production centres to meet military supply needs. Disrupting the rhythm of life in the region allowed new threats to emerge, which in turn forced adaptations to Wall. The effects of wider problems, as the Empire grappled with woes ranging from plague to economic calamity, were felt on Hadrian’s Wall. In this session, we will address how it evolved during the later Roman period.
Session 5: Wednesday 12 February: Long division
It can be easy to imagine that the frontiers only held significance during the Roman period, and swiftly ceased to matter once the Empire collapsed. Delving into the rich post-Roman afterlife of Hadrian’s Wall reveals a different story, with activity in former military bases continuing well after the end of imperial control. A range of powers and authorities went on to exploit the Wall as a vehicle to justify their own actions, assumptions, or ambitions, ensuring the Wall has a rich legacy.
Matthew Symonds is an internationally respected archaeologist who regularly lectures and guides for popular and specialist audiences, and is passionate about presenting the rich variety of the past in an engaging and accessible way. As the editor of Current World Archaeology magazine, Matthew has published widely on archaeological subjects around the world. He specialises in the frontiers of the Roman Empire, with his books including Hadrian’s Wall: creating division, published by Bloomsbury Academic, and Protecting the Roman Empire: fortlets, frontiers, and the quest for post-conquest security, published by Cambridge University Press.
Fees and Practical Information
- Members of the Hellenic Society and Roman Society may book at a heavily discounted rate.
- Hellenic Society and Roman Society Members: £60
- Hellenic Society and Roman Society Student Members: £30
- All Non-Members: £120
To join or renew your subscription to the Hellenic Society or Roman Society, please visit:
https://www.hellenicsociety.org.uk/membership/
https://www.romansociety.org/Membership
- Lectures will be recorded and will be available for one month after the course has ended.
- After booking, and before the course starts, you will receive an email with the Zoom link and any preparatory reading.
- The course will be held on our Zoom platform. You will be able to ask questions using the chat or Q&A functions. It is not necessary to have a microphone or camera.
- Additional reading / documents will be held on Google Drive and you will be sent the link.
- Please read the Webinar Guidance which can be downloaded from here:
https://www.hellenicandromanlibrary.org/Events before attending the course. - If you have any queries or problems, please email Fiona Haarer ([email protected]