Page last updated at 09:01 GMT, Tuesday, 15 April 2008 10:01 UK

Hadrian bronze in wall exhibition

Hadrian head
The statue head was preserved by silt in the River Thames

A bronze head of Roman Emperor Hadrian is set to go on display at the Tyneside end of the wall bearing his name.

The 2nd Century AD sculpture, found in the River Thames 174 years ago, is to feature at an exhibition at Segedunum Fort at Hadrian's Wall in Wallsend.

The head, originally part of a statue, is on loan from the British Museum and has already been shown in Carlisle.

Emperor Hadrian ordered the building of a 73 mile-long wall to protect the Roman frontier from Scottish tribes.

He ruled the Roman Empire at its height from AD 117 to 138.

It is believed the statue would have been on public display in London in AD 122 to commemorate his visit to Britain.

The underwater silts of the Thames, where the head was dumped, protected it and ensured it was well preserved.

The exhibition of the head begins on Wednesday and runs until 8 June.




SEE ALSO
Giant statue of Hadrian unearthed
09 Aug 07 |  Science/Nature
Fears over historic wall erosion
27 Jun 06 |  England

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