Hadrian’s Wall was a defensive fortification wall of 117,5 kms, built in the 2nd century CE that runs from the banks of the river Tyne to the Irish Sea in northern England. It deserves our scholarly attention as the northern limit of the Roman Empire. It is not only important as it shows the physical remains of impressive Roman defensive constructions, but also from the modern perspective of heritage management. We will take a closer look at the physical and symbolical remains of fortifications (castles, forts and watch towers), settlements and villa´s, as well as the settlements of indigenous people. But we will also pay attention to the Wall as a source of inspiration to modern popular culture, like the movies King Arthur (2004), or Dragonheart 3: the Sorcerers’ Curse (2015) and the popular tv series Game of Thrones.
Next to class meetings during period 3 in Nijmegen, a full week at the spot will be at the heart of our course. There will be no better class room for our discussion than the settlements themselves and their surrounding landscape. The visit to England will offer students the opportunity to literally piece together a great variety of primary written and material sources that tell the story of the Roman occupation of part of Great Britain.
Excursion to Hadrian´s Wall, April 29 – May 5 (2018).
Excursion will be organized by the staff and partly subsidized by the Faculty of Arts (€ 250,00) and probably also Student Life (€ 100,00), but participants have to pay part of the costs for flight, hotel, food and drinks, and other travel costs (ca. 600 euros).