Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain which was built in 122 AD from the banks of the River Tyne near the North Sea to Solway Firth on the Irish Sea, marking the northern limit of the Roman Empire. Named for Emperor Hadrian, it was built of stone, and it was conceived as a defensive structure which could protect Britannia from the Picts in the north. One of the forts along the wall, Pons Aelius, later evolved into the major city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Today, portions of the wall are still standing.
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