How Much Faster Would Hadrian's Wall Have Been Built Using Castors?

By Author: Mark Farrell
Total Articles: 56
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Hadrian's Wall is one of the most impressive Roman fortifications still in existence today. This is no mean feat in itself considering that it was completed in AD138 following a visit by the Emperor of Rome at that time, Hadrian. Any structure that stands for the amount of time should be considered to be a fantastic demonstration of heritage in its own right but the sheer size of the wall is bound to make your jaw drop. It runs for 117km and is 3m to 3.5m wide, depending on where you look at it. It was around 5m to 6m in height when it was built although time has eroded the top of the wall in many places. Just imagine the sheer scale of it back then, with no huge construction machines to help the labourers build it. It is no wonder that it took almost 20 years to build, although it would not have taken nearly as long had the Romans had castors at their disposal!

Hadrian's Wall is significant in a historical context for a number of reasons, not least because it demonstrated Roman power, but there were some problems that had to be overcome when constructing the wall during those two decades. First of all, given its length, ...
... it was impossible to build the wall of a uniform material because the Romans simply had no effective way of transporting stone, for example, from one end of the 117km wall to the next. Animals could not manage loads weighing hundreds of kilograms during the course of a day, which is why some sections were made of stone and others were made of turf. The Romans had to use whatever was nearby. They would not have done though had they had castors to help them.

So what are castors? Well, they are essentially small wheels that are measured in terms of millimetres in diameter and yet can withstand huge weights that run into hundreds of kilograms. They are fastened to shopping trolleys, medical trolleys, office chairs, roll cages and heavy duty containers to enable the transportation of goods from one place to another quickly, easily and smoothly. Some wheels are fixed, others can move to enable a change of direction, but they all make sure that you are able to move hugely heavy loads at your own convenience so imagine what they could have done for the Romans in the construction of Hadrian's Wall.

Animals would have found pulling containers on castors far easier than wooden carts with unsteady and easily broken wheels, especially considering industrial castors like the 2BZQX/XXH/SZ series support loads of between 2800kg and 11,500kg.

In addition to easily transporting various materials along the length of Hadrian's Wall, castors would have helped to speed up the process no end because it would have meant fewer trips delivering people and materials alike to the relevant areas. The ease of transport and weight of the loads could have easily cut the build in half, making Hadrian's Wall even more impressive!

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