Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site, runs for 84 miles near the northern border of England with Scotland. Built by the Romans around 122 AD to keep out invading barbarians and marking the northern most extent of the Roman Empire, it opened on May 22rd, where, for the first time in 1600 years hikers will be able to walk the entire length along an unbroken path.
posted by stbalbach on May 22, 2003 - 17 comments

Before the Berlin Wall, there was Hadrian's Wall, one of the most successful attempts ever to keep noisy neighbours at bay. It's still an impressive sight, even though most of its stone has been recycled over the centuries. Nothing beats walking it in person, but thanks to the web you can see a 3D VRML model of one of its forts, read about the digital imaging of thousands of written documents unearthed at another, and even read a 2000-year-old request to "send me some cash as soon as possible".
posted by rory on Sep 19, 2002 - 9 comments