It is an exciting time for archaeology in the UK, with a massive find being uncovered of a hidden section of Hadrian’s Wall near Carlisle. And sure, that’s not exactly London – but it’s just a few hours away. And we couldn’t possibly ignore such momentous, historic news!
Located in Drumburgh, around 10 miles from Carlisle, the buried part of Hadrian’s Wall was discovered after a three-week dig by volunteers.
The ancient Roman structure once marked the boundary between Caledonia (now Scotland) and the Roman province of Britannia, with its construction commencing in 122AD. The wall was ordered by Emperor Hadrian, hence the name, to keep wanderers from invading foreign land. As a result, the Western part of the wall was forgotten by time, and remained a secret for 2,000 years!
Archaeologist Mark Graham, of Grampus Heritage and Training, confirmed that the location of the hidden section of Hadrian’s Wall was consistent with the geophysical surveys conducted beforehand. He said: “Wall like this has not been seen here in our lifetime. When you put a trench in the ground, especially at a protected monument, you feel like you’ve got one shot at it, and that was our shot to find the wall.”
“We weren’t expecting to find stone in the ground because it was all later recycled, so to even find a course of the wall was enough, but then to find a stone wall four courses high is just incredible.”
To mark the exciting discovery, the non-profit organisation Grampus Heritage and Training held an open day, where 250 people attended to marvel at the hidden section.
Mark Graham continued: “We want local people to see it. Also, people in the village are often asked by walkers where the wall is. Of course, there was never anything to see. Now at least we can say it is there.”
