Stanegate

The Stanegate (meaning "stone road" in Northumbrian dialect) was a Roman road built across northern England under Governor Agricola between 77 and 85 AD. It linked Corstopitum (Corbridge) on the River Tyne to Luguvalium (Carlisle) on the River Eden, running through the natural gap formed by the Tyne and Irthing valleys. The route predated Hadrian's Wall by several decades; the Wall was later built slightly to the north along a similar course. Forts along the Stanegate include Vindolanda, where the famous writing tablets -- Britain's oldest surviving handwritten documents -- were discovered. After the Wall's completion, the Stanegate served as a vital supply route for the frontier.