By the end of the 1st century, the Romans had brought most of the western province of Britannia into the imperial fold. But Britons in the north of the country were having none of it. These barbarians, among them the Picts and the Brigantes, continued to harass the occupying forces until Emperor Hadrian, in Britain on a whistlestop tour of the vast Roman Empire, came up with a bright idea to separate "civilized" Roman territories from the unconquered barbarian wilderness. He'd build a wall!
Today, Hadrian's Wall is one of Britain's major ancient tourist attractions. But did this monumental defensive fortification manage to repel the marauding masses?
Click through the following gallery and find out how much of an obstacle it presented.