Ancient Frontiers
Exploring the Geology and Landscape of the Hadrian's Wall Area
This book is about the rocks and landscape of the countryside around Hadrian's Wall. It includes a description of the dramatic scenery in the southern part of the Northumberland National Park. It explores beneath the surface to understand a little of why the countryside looks as it does, what makes it so distinctive, and how it has developed over millions of years. Archaeologists use surviving remains to interpret historical events. Geologists investigate the evidence in the rocks to determine the processes that were taking place long before people inhabited the Earth, and which continue to shape our world today.
By reading the countryside and the rocks within it, we will unravel some of the events which created the landscape we see today, and will see how that landscape has influenced both its wildlife and the people who have lived and worked here. It is a long, but fascinating, journey through millions of years of Earth history.
Hadrian's Wall was an important political frontier zone almost 2000 years ago. Our exploration of the landscape will show that this was a major frontier zone almost 500 million years before Hadrian built his Wall.
Available from the Hadrian's Wall Country Online Shop.