Delivered by Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust have worked together with Heritage Consultant Nigel Mills to develop a series of talks which pose some of the most important and poignant questions related to Hadrian’s Wall. A host of experts on the wall come together over three sessions to share their thoughts on this hugely important monument, both in the past and the present. The talks include discussions about the meaning behind being a UNESCO World Heritage site from identity to the UNESCO cause for global peace. The identity, migration and movement of people, alongside the physical impact of frontiers, which are explored in the 2nd and 3rd talks of the series.
Dr. Chiara Bonacchi & Dr Kate Sharpe
Dr. Saskia Stevens
“Roman borders in the 21st century: from Ancient Rome to UNESCO World Heritage”
This talk is about borders in the Roman Empire, how they worked, and what their impact was on daily life. Based on archaeological evidence and ancient texts, the workings of borders in the Roman world will be discussed. Special attention will be paid to the so-called Lower German Limes, part of the frontier system that demarcated the Roman Empire and is currently located in the Netherlands and western Germany. The Lower German Limes was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in July 2021.
Nick Hodgson & Dr. James Bruhn
“Impact of the Wall on the indigenous populations”
Over the last 20 years radiocarbon dating and newly discovered site types (the products of developer funded archaeology, only occurring since 1990) have revolutionised knowledge of the indigenous peoples on whom Hadrian’s Wall was imposed. The former view of a continuity of the Iron Age rural settlement pattern during the life of the Wall can no longer be sustained. North of the Wall there was widespread site abandonment, while to the south there is growing evidence for the settlement of outsiders and the forcible reorganisation of local society to meet Roman economic needs.
Professor David Mattingly
“Colonial impact and legacy”
A monument like Hadrian’s Wall inevitably shapes our perceptions of an empire defining and protecting its limits. A Roman source described it as separating Romans from Barbarians and this has been echoed in much modern debate, which has tended to see the frontier situation very much from the perspective of Rome. This talk will raise some issues with our underlying assumptions about Roman frontiers and the Roman imperial project in Britain. It will also question our continuing relationship with this today.