Flaming torches light up Britain's Hadrian's Wall
AFP
HEXHAM- Hadrian's Wall, a Roman-era fortification spanning the width of northern England, was lit up from end-to-end by volunteers carrying flaming torches Saturday.
As night fell, 500 gas flames were lit at 250-metre intervals for 84 miles (135 kilometres) from Wallsend in northeast England to Bowness-on-Solway in the northwest.
Hadrian's Wall was built in AD122 on the orders of the Roman emperor Hadrian to mark his empire's northern frontier. It is the largest monument from the ancient era in northern Europe and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The torch-lighting event marked British Tourism Week and the 1,600th anniversary of the Roman departure from Britain in AD410.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------