Investigation and Research on the Defense System of the Hadrian's Wall in the UK
The frontiers of the Roman Empire span more than 20 modern countries,from the United Kingdom and Germany to the Black Sea and the Red Sea,reaching the Atlantic Ocean through North Africa,with a total length of more than 10,000 kilometers.The Hadrian's Wall in the UK is a prominent presence of the remaining heritage of the Roman Wall.The work concerning the Hadri-an's Wall has accumulated for a century in terms of full-scope archaeology,archival monitoring,and protective display,completing the informatization management of data and construction of the National Park.It can provide insight into the construction of the Great Wall National Cultural Park in China,playing an important role in promoting the cultural exchanges between China and the West.This paper studies the historical geography,military structure,defense system and components of the Hadrian's Wall by translat-ing English and German literature,investigating the whole site,and drawing on the holistic and hierarchical theory of the Great Wall of China proposed by Professor Zhang Yukun's research team of Tianjin University.Additionally,it discusses the reference of the display methods of the Hadrian's Wall to the construction of the Great Wall National Cultural Park in China.The Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty is a mega system that integrated the border barrier,fortification,postal transmission,signal fire transferring,garrison farming,and trade systems.Comparing the system of the Hadrian's Wall with the mega system of the Ming Great Wall,we have the following findings.(1)The construction of the Hadrian's Wall was similarly phased,concerning the relationship between ethnic groups within and outside the Wall,and was affected by military purpose and strategy.(2)The construction of the Hadrian's Wall was likely influenced by the Emperors'will,reflected in route and architectural form adjustments that changed the borders from open-ness to closure.(3)The Hadrian's Wall contained sub-systems such as border barrier,fortification,signal fire transferring,and postal transmission,showing certain hierarchy.Compared with the Ming Great Wall,the Hadrian's Wall was more oriented to military con-trol;its fortification types were related to the garrison,but their affiliation remains unclear.The fortifications had living and settlement attributes and separated from outside the Wall,showing functional buildings not yet discovered in the Great Wall of China.The towers had short distance,without auxiliary facilities such as auxiliary beacon,appearing in a hollow form earlier than towers in China.Compared with previous studies,this paper makes contributions in the following aspects.(1)For the first time,it establishes an understanding of the Hadrian's Wall system through the mega system of the Great Wall of China.(2)It attempts to correlate the military structure with fortification hierarchy,distinguishing three levels of the fortress,fort,and fortlet.(3)It sorts out towers on the Wall and independent towers,providing clues for restoring the signal fire transferring route.(4)At a macro level,it summarizes the architectural features of the border barrier,fortification(fort and fortlet),outpost,tower,stone passage,coastal defense,etc.;at a micro level,it summarizes the spatial layout of functional buildings in fortresses,laying the groundwork for a comparative analysis of the military architectural features between the defensive walls in China and the West.This paper introduces the Hadrian's Wall in the aspects of construction history,spatial distribution,defense system composition,architectural features,and display methods,providing a reference for the comparative study of defensive walls in China and the West,the protection and display and the construction of the National Cultural parks of the Great Wall of China.
Hadrian's Wallhistorical geographymilitary establishmentdefense systeminterpretation and display
万方数据
维普
