Greetings to you Gold and Silver Level Templar knights - my trek along Hadrian’s Wall continued on day two with some incredible discoveries. Let me share them with you and tell me what you think of my summer adventure this year!
What I discovered today is that Hadrian’s Wall was a magnet for soldiers from all over the Roman Empire. I started the day at Chesters fort. And I found out that this was the base for about 500 cavalrymen from Asturias in modern Spain. They flocked to this place for about three hundred years to defend the empire from the barbarians across the wall.
It was a colony of Spaniards far away on the northernmost frontier of the empire. Some of these Asturians were based at Ribchester, further south in Lancashire. In the 18th century an ornamental cavalry helmet was discovered at Ribchester (pictured below) that would have been worn by our Spanish horseman at military displays.
At Chesters, there was a bathhouse, shops and amenities for the Asturian horsemen. But life must have been tough. No matter what the perks. However, maybe it was a lot better than the daily routine back home. The glamour and valour of cavalry service may have seemed preferable to a life working the fields or down the mines.
As I hiked through the beautiful Northumbrian countryside, I came across a ruined temple to a god called Mithras. Amazing that any of this has survived. Built by German soldiers stationed nearby - the First Cohort Batavians. Many of the military venerated the god Mithras - who originated in Persia.
Mithraism involved some very raunchy initiation rites and was a competitor with Christianity. The latter religion emerged triumphant and the temples to Mithras were systematically destroyed. This one stood from around 200 CE to 350 CE. So it had a decent lifespan before being dismantled.
Enjoy this exclusive journey along Hadrian’s Wall - a journey back two thousand years!