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The Antonine Wall and Hadrian's Wall
The Antonine Wall and Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian's Wall was a stone and turf fortification across the width of Great Britain, built by the Roman Empire. It was built to prevent military raids from the north by the tribes of what is now Scotland, to improve economic stability and provide peaceful conditions in the Roman province of Britannia to the south, to physically mark the frontier of the Empire, and to separate the unruly Selgovae tribe in the north from the Brigantes in the south, and discourage them from uniting.

A significant portion of the wall still exists, particularly the mid-section, and for much of its length the wall can be followed on foot. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern England, and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. English Heritage, a government organization in charge of managing the historic environment of England, describes it as "the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain".