Editing Newcastle upon Tyne (section)

===Roman era===
The first recorded settlement in what is now Newcastle was [[Pons Aelius]] ("Aelian bridge"), a Roman fort and bridge across the [[River Tyne]]. It was given the family name of the [[Roman Emperor|Roman emperor]] [[Hadrian]], who founded it in the 2nd century AD. This rare honour suggests Hadrian may have visited the site and instituted the bridge on his tour of Britain. The population of Pons Aelius then is estimated at 2,000. Fragments of [[Hadrian's Wall]] are visible in parts of Newcastle, particularly along the West Road. The course of the "Roman Wall" can be traced eastwards to [[Segedunum]], a [[Castra|Roman fort]] in [[Wallsend]] – the "wall's end" – and to the separate supply fort of [[Arbeia]] in [[South Shields]], across the river from Hadrian's Wall.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://arbeiaromanfort.org.uk/ |title=Arbeia Roman Fort |access-date=25 March 2018}}</ref>

The extent of Hadrian's Wall was {{convert|73|mi|km}}, spanning the width of Britain; the Wall incorporated the [[Vallum (Hadrian's Wall)|Vallum]], a large rearward ditch with parallel mounds,<ref>{{cite web |author=The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map |url=http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=18177 |title=C.Michael Hogan (2007) ''Hadrian's Wall'', ed. A. Burnham, The Megalithic Portal |publisher=Megalithic.co.uk |access-date=4 August 2010}}</ref> and was built primarily for defence and to prevent the incursion of [[Pict]]ish tribes from the north, and probably not as a fighting line for a major invasion. However, it seems that the Vallum stopped just west of Newcastle, where its role as a secondary line of defence was performed by the [[River Tyne]].<ref>Stephen Johnson (2004) ''Hadrian's Wall'', Sterling Publishing Company, Inc, 128 pages, {{ISBN|0-7134-8840-9}}</ref>
[[File:Newcastle schloss.jpg|thumb|upright|[[The Castle, Newcastle|Newcastle Castle]] [[Keep]] is the oldest structure in the city, dating back to at least the 11th century.]]