Hadrian's Wall
many of the peoples were conquered by his predecessor Trajan, so he was keen to impose
order. However the construction of such an impressive wall was probably also a symbol of
Roman power, both in occupied Britain and in Rome.
Frontiers in the early empire were based more on natural features or fortified zones with a
heavy military presence. Military roads or limes often marked the border, with forts and signal
towers spread along them and it was not until the reign of Domitian that the first solid frontier
was constructed, in Germania Superior, using a simple fence. Hadrian expanded on this idea,
redesigning the German border by ordering a continuous timber palisade supported by forts
behind it. Although such defences would not have held back any concerted invasion effort,
they did physically mark the edge of Roman territory and went some way to providing a
degree of control over who crossed the border and where.
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