Geograph - photograph every grid square

Looking westwards to Cawfield car park and Milecastle 42.

Apart from Milecastles at regular intervals the wall had turrets or lookouts to cover all the wall and its northern outlook. It is calculated that over 15,000 men built it, and over 10,000 men manned it. They might well have been a special force formed for this specific role; they didn't get embroiled in other events, duties or crises to the south, but were dedicated specialists in frontier soldiering. Experts in the tactics of observation, monitoring, managing the area and ensuring that they performed well in this difficult task.

They may have also had to clear a 10 mile zone to the north of the wall, literally moving inhabitants out of their settlements, farms and villages and ensuring that they stayed out.

They must have been much resented, hated and feared.

The wall was defensive but would not stop a massive armed force of tens of thousands of Picts or Scots, just warned of its approach, slowed it down and harried its passing, maybe following its progress and reporting it to the military men responsible in Britannia for delivery of the defence of Rome.