"King" Arthur

THE ROUND TABLE?

STORIES OF

KING ARTHUR "THE BEAR"

"KING" ARTHUR

Merlyn here, and I have an idea that some of you might find

interesting. Many of you have your own thoughts about who I am,

and even what I look like from your experience with the tales of

King Arthur and his knights of the round table. I'd like to talk about

that for a few minutes to sort of set the record straight, as well as to

put the story in some sort of context that will make sense in your

time and place. There are some wonderful lessons to be learned

from legends like these, even though the "historical" records are not

always accurate. We'll speak more about the subject of history in

another one of our talks.

The first thing you should know about Arthur is that Arthur wasn't

really his name at all. It was more like what you might call a nick- name. His father came from a part of the island of Britain that is now

called Wales, and the "Welsh" people had their own language that was

quite different from the Latin that dominated much of the island, which

by then had been occupied by the Romans for about four centuries.

Children were usually named by designating what clan they came

from (Arthur's clan was Pendragon) and their father's name, or one

of them, anyway. Well-known men often had more than one name

depending on who was referring to them. One of Arthur's family

names was Ddantgwyn, which meant "white tooth" in English, and

the baby was christened Owain, a common name of those times.

Owain Ddantgwyn Pendragon grew (with my help) to be a fine,

intelligent, strong young man, and was a natural leader. He also grew

to be very large in stature - an important feature in a world full of

warriors. Just like in your times, and because he was so big and

strong, Owain was often called URSA, the Latin word for a bear.

Well, because the people of Wales pronounced everything with a

different dialect, URSA became ARTHA. As time went on and his

importance grew, more and more people came to know him as "The

Bear", and his given name of Owain was more or less forgotten

because everyone was calling him "Artha".

The legend, as you know, has persisted down through the centuries,

and the British, with their habit of putting an "R" on the end of words

that don't have one, turned him into "Arthur." I guess there's no

point in trying to change that now, so we'll just keep calling him that.

I'll have more to say about him later.

... Merlyn

ARTHUR AND STONEHENGE

LET US TRY NOW TO UNRAVEL SOME OF THE STORIES

AND MYTHS ABOUT CAMELOT

We have already explained how the young Owain came to be known as Artha -

the Bear. That is a fine example of how stories can be altered through years and

years of re-telling, and the myth of my own connection with the incredible megalithic

stone circle known in your time as "The Hanging Stones" or "Stonehenge" is another

distortion that needs to be cleared up so we can proceed with our tale.

When Sir Geoffrey re-introduced me to the world in the early years of the 12th

century of this Christian era (now referred to as C.E.), he gave the distinct impression

that somehow I had moved this mammoth structure from the isle now known as

Ireland, using only my magic powers. It's a fine story, but it's rubbish. If I have any

magic in me at all, it is because I have learned to make use of some of the abilities

that everyone has, but only a few will use.

At any rate, I know, and your modern science of carbon dating old construction

work has now confirmed, that the building of Stonehenge was begun on the site

where it now sits on the Salisbury plain in approximately 2,200 B.C.E. (before the

Christian era). It was such an enormous project that it really was not completed for

another 500 years, or about 1,700 B.C.E. It was used as an astronomical observatory and "religious" meeting site for another 300 years after that, and more or less aban-

doned around 1,400 B.C.E.

Since I made my entrance in the British Isles as a babe around 417 C.E., or more

than 2,000 years later, it is unlikely that I had anything to do with the construction

work. You must understand that where I am now there is no such thing as time,

so it is difficult for me to be certain of exact dates as you think of them. In general,

my estimates will be very close, and when I am not at all sure, I will say so. I did

become very familiar with the monument while I was here, however, so I will have

more to say about it.

in about my 45th year, little "Arthur" was born (I will hereafter use that name for

him), and we were together a great deal for the next 35 or so years after that. As

background information for that time, you should know that the Roman army withdrew

from Britain around the time of my birth, and were effectively gone while I was still

a boy. The situation became rather chaotic, to say the least.

Arthur was crowned as "High King", in your terms, around his 18th year, but as you

know, there was still a lot of work to be done if there was to be peace and prosperity

in that land. There were many other men who had smaller "kingdoms" within the

Islands, and there was much disagreement between them to be settled. Sometimes

it required warfare, but not always. A group of strong leaders was gradually assembled,

and met regularly to try to restore order.

One of our favorite and most powerful meeting sites, because of its central location

and magnetic power, was the circle of stones at Salisbury. Great conferences of all

the Kings were held there at this magical place, and it came to be known among us

as the "Round Table" because we sat there and talked instead of fighting. There is a

picture of the site below this text, but the stones have been vandalized a great deal

and deteriorated some more since we were there, so it looks somewhat different. It

is still a place of power, however, as anyone who has ever visited it will tell you.

More to come later ...... Merlyn

HOW TO BEGIN MAKING YOUR OWN CAMELOT

THREE KEYS TO CAMELOT

Merlyn again, with some more suggestions about how you might make your life come out

just the way you want it to. I sort of feel obligated to help if I can. I've been called a magician,

and if that were true, I suppose I could wave my magic wand to fix all my problems and yours,

too. That would be nice, but it doesn't seem to work that way, does it? Here is the good news,

though. I am sort of a magician, and better yet, so are you.

If there is anything in your life now that you'd like to fix, I can perhaps give you a clue that

will help to at least make things a little better. Actually, I'll do better than that. I'll give you three

keys, and they will work if you can apply them to anywhere that you're sort of locked up.

We were able to fix a few things in Britain a while back -- unfortunately, they didn't stay fixed

permanently, but that was because they lost the keys to Camelot. I know where they are, and

when we're done, so will you.

One little word of explanation first. In my world without the limits of time and space, these

keys will usually open doors and fix problems immediately. While you are focused in time

and space, you just might have to wait a little while or change your location to see improvement.

KEY #1 IMAGINATION

If an architect wants to design a new building for any purpose, the absolute first thing he/she

must do is to imagine or visualize what it's going to look like and how it's going to do the job.

It always has to be drawn up in their mind before any blueprints came even be made. The

concept has to be clearly imagined, and then turned into a physical plan. If you want to build

something in your life, this is how you will have to do it.

A. Your sub-conscious mind (the architect) has to come up with the design for whatever

you are planning.

B. Your conscious mind (the builder) has to work out all the details of construction.

C. Your physical brain and body (the construction crew) must gather the materials

or people necessary to complete the job.

If you skip any of those steps in the process, the project will probably not be completed.

If you can't imagine in some detail ahead of "time" what you want, you really can't count on

the results.

KEY #2 BELIEF

This is even more important. Without belief in results, imagination is likely to produce only daydreams. From my vantage point, I can see the almost immediate results of the belief

systems of all of us collectively and each of us individually. if you could see this too, you

would never allow yourself to believe in any situation you do not want to be in. Our core

beliefs (which are electro-magnetic energy), positive or negative, immediately begin to

rearrange the physical energy around us to create what we believe. If negative beliefs are

held onto (I'll never be able to do this, etc.), they will obstruct every dream we have, and

very often result in failure. To build our building or our dream, it is absolutely essential that

we believe it is possible.

KEY #3 INTENTION

You will notice if you look at Keys No. 1 and 2, that nothing physical has really happened

yet. We have imagined our changes and believed they are possible, but we have not really

done anything yet. Without getting up in the morning with a clear intention to get that dream

realized, that building built, or that business started, it still probably won't happen. For

anything to appear physically in the world of time and space, somebody has to really want

it to happen and do whatever they can to see that it does. We have been given the amazing,

limitless, and unstoppable ability by our Creator to make the world we want. If we hope to

live in Camelot, it's up to us to create it. The Universe, God, or whatever else you call it,

stands ready with unlimited resources to help us do anything that makes it better for all of us.

i will be talking with you in more detail in the near future about these "Three Keys". Let's

keep working together to make this world a better place.

... Merlyn

Merlyn's World

Consider the Possibilities

W O W

Notes from Outside of Time and Space

The Ballad of Arthur

PART ONE

A boy was born on a winter's day, a lonely boy, I've heard them say. His life was full, but his heart was not. It seemed to him that love forgot

To live with him when he was young, when poems are learned and songs are sung.

He loved to play, as children do, and always said that when he grew

He'd make a world where the young could grow, and every one would come to know

That Arthur cared for everyone, and if he ever had a son,

He would teach him songs along with war, and give him love, so long before

The boy had grown, he'd be a man in every way a human can.

Arthur did not his mother know. It was a teacher who helped him grow,

A wise old man who taught him things that must be known by future kings.

To be sure he'd have a home, and not become a captive of Rome.

His teacher Merlyn had him hid away. Where the boy was, he'd never say.

But Arthur grew to be fine and strong. His heart was good and his days were long,

Until one day the time was near to fulfill his fate - in his sixteenth year.

The king was dead - long live the king. The boy must lead, his armor bring.

He pulled the sword from the sacred stone, this none could do save him alone.

He gathered men from far and near and trained his knights to have no fear.

Any foe or dragon they would fight, because their hearts were in the right.

They built a kingdom like none before with skill and strength - a Holy war.

To make a peace where there was not: A brave new world called CAMELOT.

PART TWO

The noble knights of the table round made a world where there was found.

A time for peace and a time for joy for man and woman, for girl and boy.

They worked and played, and for a time the land they made was near sublime.

While Arthur reigned, the peace remained, and evil lost while good men gained

They showed us all what can be done when men will join and live as one;

The lesson's clear, we all must heed, for there may come an hour of need.

Though their cause was right and true and just, Arthur died, as all men must.

To make a space for us to learn - how to build in our own turn.

A world that suits our time and place; a world of peace and love and grace,

Where all may live and all may share with brothers and sisters everywhere.

Now men will talk and ladies sing about "The Once and Future King",

Who some may say will soon arrive. Though gone from sight, is he alive?

The Merlyn speaks so men may know, that though the ground is white with snow,

Beneath the blanket, spring is there to make new life with warmer air.

As seasons turn, so worlds revolve, that man might all his problems solve;

And know that in our darkest hour, Excaliber still has its power

To change the dark to brightest day, and turn December into MY;

To bring us peace where there is not, and help us build our Camelot -

- and help us build our CAMELOT

EVENTS CONCERNING THE ISLE OF BRITAIN

AND THE LEGEND OF KING ARTHUR

54 B.C.E. Julius Caesar attacks Britain with five legions and half his

cavalry. He is unable to subdue the tribes there, so they

enter into a "peaceful" agreement.

43 C.E. Emperor Claudius sends a force of 50,000 men and

conquers Britain. The Romans rule, but with many

rebellions and uprisings on many fronts.

117-122 C.E. Emperor Hadrian's Wall is constructed to help repel

the fierce northern tribes.

143 C.E. The Antonine wall is constructed by the Romans, who

manage to keep Britain as part of their empire for nearly

400 years.

400-410 C.E. The last Roman troops are withdrawn because Rome is

being attacked. The city is sacked in 410.

430-440 C.E. Southern Britain is permanently occupied by the Angles and

Saxons. For the next 30 years, the island is fought over

by various "Kings" and Chieftains. Many Britons escape

southward to Armorica in Gaul.

447 C.E. Ambrosius, the foremost Briton war leader, is exiled to Armorica (now called Britanny) and begins rebuilding his army.

455 C.E. Vortigern, a Saxon, is the most powerful local King.

460 C.E. Ambrosius returns with his army and defeats Vortigern. 471 C.E. Uther Pendragon, a Welsh general, is sent to Ireland where he

defeats King Gilloman and takes control of the Western coast. 475 C.E. Ambrosius becomes "high king" of Britain. Trains others to

become successful defenders of Britain. Owain Ddantgwyn

(later called "Artha" - the bear) is born in Cambria (now Wales)

479 C.E. Angles and Saxons are confine to east and southeast of Britain.

485 C.E. Renewed Anglo-Saxon advance in the southeast.

495 C.E. Owain Ddantgwyn becomes "king" of Powys in east central

Britain. Conducts a number of successful battles against

the invaders. Establishes his headquarters at Viroconium

519 C.E. Battle of Camlann: Anglo-Saxons renew their advances into

British territory. Eventually they succeed in controlling the

country, and Viroconium is abandoned in 658.

... more to come later ... Merlyn

THE WISE GUY

W. O. W.

What if Our World Was Only Where

we were

Wise,

Omnipotent,

and

Wonderful?

Who can Open

that

Window?

The

Wily

Old

Wizard

HERE IS SOME FAIRLY IMPORTANT NEWS I HAVE BEEN SAVING FOR SOME TIME ..... LOOK JUST BELOW THIS!!!

WELCOME BACK, ARTHUR (IS THAT REALLY YOU?)

Greetings everyone, Merlyn here, with some news I have been

saving for some time. If you are among those who have read and enjoyed

the legendary tales of Arthur and his knights, you are probably familiar with

the description of him as "The Once and Future King". Even though the

title of "King" can itself have a variety of meanings, and history has shown

that kings come in many types, I can personally vouch for the fact that

most of the qualities we all want in a king were to be found in our man

Arthur. He was truly a fine person and an excellent leader.

I can also tell you from personal experience that there is a lot more

to life here on earth than many of us are aware of. What we call "death"

is just another one of the transitions we all go through along our endless

path, and those of us who want to stay in touch with the planet called

"Earth" certainly have that option. That's why I'm here, and so is Arthur.

From the standpoint of 6th century Britain, this is the future, and yes, he's

trying to help again.

While the global situation in this 21st century doesn't seem to need

any more kings, it could certainly use a few more strong and capable leaders.

There is little difference between a "king" of a small segment of society and

a "president" of a large nation if neither one is aware of the one-ness of

all mankind. If all men can do is quarrel or fight about their differences

instead of celebrating them, there is little hope for real progress in the world.

I am aware that many of you do not believe that being born into the

three-dimensional world of earth is a conscious choice made by each of us,

but apparently it is. You may be interested to know that the entity who was

once called "King Arthur" has made that choice, and is presently a young

man growing up in your society.

These are auspicious "times" in the history of humanity. For some of

you, a whole new generation of highly developed souls is now among you

in the form of children and young people. They will transform society to

amazing new heights if they are allowed to. "Arthur" is merely one of them,

but his influence will be felt. He doesn't need my help as much as he did

1500 earth years ago, but I'll offer it anyway, and he's a good listener.

If it can be done, I will be including some excerpts from our conver-

sations on this site. Look for them on this page. At this point, our young

man seems quite upset that so little real progress has been made toward

the objectives of the society often called "Camelot", and if I know him, he

will probably have some comments about what can and should be done to

solve the problem.

Keep in mind that he is still a youth, so his viewpoint may seem

somewhat idealistic to those who are focused on economic, political, or

military solutions to everything, but I might suggest you listen to him

anyway. He has had some experience with those efforts, and is already

aware of their shortcomings.

Here is an example of what I'm talking about. I was communicating

with the boy the other day, and asked him what he thought about the

importance of a strong military force to keep the peace. This is what he

said:

"I seem to remember that we tried to get that island we called "Britain"

under control with the best army we could put together. It worked for a

while, but I think the "peace" only lasted about 50 years. I guess that's

not the answer to it if you're looking for a long-term solution. I don't know

if you can ever find an agreement that will satisfy everybody, but it looks

like you can't afford to stop trying."

Well, I'm not going to stop trying, either. We're going to give "Arthur"

another chance to help make things better. He really wants to, and so do I.

Apparently, so do millions of others now, and there's really no reason we

can't get it done. The Camelot game is still not over, and I suspect we are

ultimately going to win.

Incidentally, Arthur's memory isn't perfect. The first 30 years of the

"peace" he mentioned were actually spent fighting to establish it. The

actual peace only lasted about 20 years.

... Merlyn

MORE THOUGHTS FROM ARTHUR

Welcome. As I mentioned, we are in touch with a

young man who seems to recall being the "boy King"

in Britain many years ago. Our conversations have

been very interesting, to say the least, and we hope to

be talking with "Arthur" a great deal more, although

that is no longer his name.

He's a pretty normal young lad right now, but I

have been watching him for a long time, and I know he's

aware of the stories about him in that other time and

place. The stories are just as fascinating to him as they

have been to many others through the years. It's very

easy for him to think about the young "King Arthur" as

a completely different person, because in truth he was.

It's a great step in our consciousness when we can

see our multi-dimensional selves as they really are and

at the same time focus on the 3-D part of us currently

on earth. That's very much like the trick an actor or

actress performs when he or she immerses him/herself

in the role they are currently playing. The roles we all

play on earth are usually so captivating that most of us

have completely forgotten our real self while we're here.

I asked Arthur ( I can't help calling him by that

name) the other day how much he really remembers

about being the king of Britain. He thought about it for

a long while before he finally said:

"It comes back to me quite often in my sleep when

I am dreaming, but even more clearly in that time of the

morning when I'm only half awake. The problem is that

some of the most vivid scenes are from the battles we

fought, and they are so real and so awful that I can't

get them out of my mind. I spend a lot of time during

the day trying not to remember. I'm not sure we should

even think about that."

I don't blame him. Most people who have been

involved in war-time fighting in the past do not want to

talk about it at all. The memories are usually far too

disturbing, which should, I believe make it obvious that

none of us have come here for that reason at all.

Perhaps the next generation will be a little wiser.

... Merlyn

... aah, the wisdom of youth

I'll call this little gem from Arthur "Who said that?"

The boy asked me why it is that when most people meet up

with a new idea they never heard before, they almost always ask

"who said that"? He can't figure out why everyone doesn't just

consider the idea on it's own merits before they want to know

where it came from. He tends to think for himself like most born

leaders, so it puzzles him when folks let other people do their

thinking for them.

He says that if something is the truth, then it really doesn't

make any difference who said it, does it? And it really bothers him

that so many strange ideas that make no sense at all are accepted

by so many of us just because they were written down somewhere

or spoken by someone who is famous. He says: "A lot of people

get to be famous just because they are good at talking, and some-

times what they talk about is nonsense".

The other thing he's questioning is why so many are convinced

that something is true just because it's in a certain book. He says he remembers some teachers he had once who were very wise, but refused to write any of their teachings down because then they always got changed.

I can't argue with him - I wonder about that too.

... Merlyn

August 2016

WHO AM I?

Since a lot of things have been written about me since I was last here, and most of it is fiction, I thought it might be appropriate to

try to clear up the matter. Please let me begin by explaining who I am

not.

* I am not a fictional character created by a British historian in the 12th century AD.

* I am not a "magician" any more than anyone else. What is

generally referred to as magic is merely the demonstration of some

natural law with which we are unfamiliar.

* I am not a "seer" or predictor of the future. The future is

always a result of present thinking and action, both individually

and collectively, and is constantly changing.

I AM ...

Who I really am is a product of the creative source of the

universe, just as you are. We are all part of the creative process, and

always have been. If you are reading this, a part of you is presently

acting out a role as a "human being" residing in 3D "physical" reality

on planet Earth. You are actually much more than you appear to be

to your highly focused "conscious" mind, and so am I.

On another occasion, a part of me was focused on Earth in a

time period several "centuries" ago. I still recall it vividly. Perhaps

you have heard of that role I played, and were told that my name was

Merlin, and that I was a "wizard".

The name "Merlin" is an up-dated spelling of an early Welsh

word usually spelled Myrddin and pronounced MUR-THIN. It was a

title, not a name. Welsh historical records refer to several people who

were called Myrddin because they had studied to obtain some unusual

skills. So did I, but only later in that "lifetime'.

I was born the son of a Roman "Consul" (an advisor to the

Emperor) and my given name was Ambrosius Aurelius. I grew up and

lived in what is now called Great Britain, which at that time was a

Roman province. I had an extensive military career, and ultimately

was given considerable authority in regard to Britain's conflicts with

our neighbors. Later, after stepping down from my leadership post, I

changed careers, and among other things became an advisor myself

to the war leader you know as "Arthur". As I have explained, that was

really not his name either, but a "nickname" meaning "Bear" because

of his stature and strength.

Much of what we did was not recorded very well, and the

romanticized version of the story of the medieval "King Arthur and

his Knights of the Round Table" is pure fiction. We had no Knights,

no stone castle, and no shining armor - all that came along hundreds

of years later. We merely played our part in the continuing story of the "British" islands after the collapse of the Western part of the Roman

Empire. We had our successes and our failures, but it was an

exciting time. More to come later.

... Merlyn

LITTLE KNOWN FACT

In Rome, the Latin word for "steel"

was CHALYBS - pronounced KAL-IB.

If an item was manufactured from

steel, it was said to be EX CHALYBS.

An English translation of this

would logically be EX-CALIBUR, and

most of you know what that was.

April 2018

WHERE WAS CAMELOT?

There was a town (city) named "Viroconium" that was established by the Romans circa 30 B.C.

It still existed in A.D. 640. A town called Wroxeter now occupies one corner of the original "city", and there are still some ruins of Viroconium in the area.

Located near the border of what is now called "Wales", it was one of the largest Roman

cities, and the "capitol" of one of the larger kingdoms in Britain. Actually, there were no "kingdoms".

The term "king" did not even exist until several centuries later. This area was called Powys, and was

centrally located, so commanded a position of prominence and military advantage.

Owain Ddantgwyn was the "King" of Powys from about 495 C.E. to 520 C.E., won a series

of battles, and established an alliance with most other "kings". He lost his life in the final battle

against his nephew Maglocunus, the ruler of Gwynedd, in what is now northern Wales.

Incidentally, the double "Dd's" in Owain's last name (Ddantgwyn) and Maglocunus' kingdom

(Gwynedd) were pronounced in Welsh like the current sound 'th', so the words would have been

pronounced "Thangwyn" and "Gwineth"

Graham Phillips. the foremost living scholar of Arthurian history, makes this statement in

"At the time Arthur appears to have assumed power, in the 490's, Viroconium was the most

prosperous and well-defended city in the country. During late Roman times it had been the fourth

largest city in Britain, but by the late 400's the other three - London, Corinium (modern Cirencester),

and Verulamium (modern St. Albans) had been over-run by the Anglo-Saxons, leaving it as the

principal city in all the country. Arthur is said to have ruled from the most prosperous and well-

defended city in Britain at precisely this time. It all fitted into a logical historical scenario.

Vortigern had rebuilt Viroconium, Ambrosius could have made it his seat of power after Vortigern's

demise, and "Arthur" (Owain, - Ambrosius' protege) had ultimately taken over.

My story will continue ... Merlyn

April 2018

THE IMPORTANCE OF ROME IN THE ARTHURIAN SAGA

In order to tell you the real story behind the legends of "Arthur",

we must go back approximately 400 years before to the year 43 A.D.

when the legions of Rome first invaded the island we call Britain.

Although the Roman "Empire" existed for almost 1100 years, and the

current ones are not that old, there are still many similarities between

what was happening then and where we are today.

Roman civilization was just as polarized between the haves and

the have-nots as the world is now. Travelers to the "Eternal City' are

fascinated by the ruins of the Forum and the Colosseum that show us

what builders they were. What we do not see is the way that the

majority of lower class Romans lived with crowded conditions, poor

food choices, inadequate sanitation, and rampant crime. As now, the

wealthy got along quite well, and received most of the attention.

Also, the objective of the ruling class seems to have been a

huge military crusade to spread the Roman culture and belief system

to the entire continent of Europe and Asia. They succeeded to the

extent that their influence included Persia in the East and Britain in the

West. When they also tried to go northward to what is now Germany,

it became their downfall.

By the early 4th century, the empire actually had split up to the

point where there were four different "Emperors" trying to run it and

vying between themselves for power. Constantine's headquarters was

no longer in Rome at all, but in Byzantium in the East. When the

Germanic tribes finally invaded Rome to end the story, the last Roman

legions in Britain left the island in 410 A.D. and went back to try to save

the city.

That is where our story begins, because without the unifying

influence of the Roman armies, the islands of Britain became a

collection of lesser "kingdoms" all competing for control of the land.

Not only that, but the Saxons had begun to move from their home on

the European continent to the shores of Britain and were driving out

the Britons who were already there. The fighting was continuous and

often brutal.

Much has been written through the years about the early history

of the "British Isles", so we will not concern our self with all the details.

Our focus will be on those interesting facts that have generated some

of the legendary stories of Arthur and his "Camelot".

For now, let us just begin with this tidbit of information. When the

Romans were in charge of the island, they had set up their headquarters

at the mouth of the Thames river where the city of London now is. The

"city" they created was called Camulodunum, and was basically just a

military post. The island was named Britannia, as the language of Rome

was Latin, and all place names became Latin words.

The interesting thing about this is that in 1170 when the French

writer named Chretien first referred to Arthur's home as Camelot, he may

have derived that name from the first three syllables of CAMULO-dunum.

In French, as most of you know, an OT at the end of a word is pronounced

only as O, and the T is silent. (French wines are not called "Pinotte" or

"Merlotte".)

We will continue this tale with our own appearance in approximately

425 A.D. and "Arthur's" in about 477 A.D. As mentioned elsewhere, the

name Arthur was a nickname and not his real one. Stay tuned.

... Merlyn

April 2018

HADRIAN'S WALL

One of the more interesting remnants of the Roman occupation of Britain is the remains of an 84 mile long stone wall, fifteen feet high and up to ten feet thick, that was begun in A.D. 122 and crossed the entire island sea to sea from east to west. No-one is exactly sure why the Emperor Caesar Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus Augustus had the wall built, but for years it served the dual purpose of

controlling the movements of those south of it as well as

defending from attacks by some of the more aggressive

tribes from the north (now Scotland).

At the height of Roman Britain, in the second and third

centuries A.D., 15,000 troops and engineers were stationed

along the wall, and another 15,000 to 18,000 legionaries

were elsewhere in Britain. Together, they made up one of

the largest Imperial forces outside of Rome. The wall may

have had up to 80 "mile-forts" along its length, some of

which were 4 or 5 acres in size. One of the commanders'

houses that has been excavated had a courtyard, a heated

room, the fort's latrines had running water, and there was a