Richard
Hingley
Contributions to edited collections or authored works
This chapter addresses the recent afterlife of Hadrian’s Wall, focusing on the use of this monument in debates about English and Scottish nationhood, and in particular the frequently recurring idea that modern political developments might lead to the re-building of this ancient frontier work. The use of this Roman Wall, which formed the boundary of a substantial ancient empire, as a marker of national identity is evidently problematic, although it draws on the dualistic concept of a division between barbarian northern Celts and civilized southern Britons that originated with Classical writers addressing the Roman conquest of Britain, and has been periodically revived at points of conflict and division throughout British history. The chapter ends by suggesting possible interpretive strategies that can accommodate both the Wall’s unavoidable history as a symbol of ethnic and national division, and its (perhaps underappreciated) significance as a transnational monument.
This chapter addresses the recent afterlife of Hadrian’s Wall, focusing on the use of this monument in debates about English and Scottish nationhood, and in particular the frequently recurring idea that modern political developments might lead to the re-building of this ancient frontier work. The use of this Roman Wall, which formed the boundary of a substantial ancient empire, as a marker of national identity is evidently problematic, although it draws on the dualistic concept of a division between barbarian northern Celts and civilized southern Britons that originated with Classical writers addressing the Roman conquest of Britain, and has been periodically revived at points of conflict and division throughout British history. The chapter ends by suggesting possible interpretive strategies that can accommodate both the Wall’s unavoidable history as a symbol of ethnic and national division, and its (perhaps underappreciated) significance as a transnational monument.
