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Geophysical surveys of the Vallum and its wider landscape at Milking Gap, Hadrian’s Wall [dataset] Open Access

We present the results of integrated geophysical surveys and LiDAR topographic assessment of the Vallum and Romano-British settlement at Milking Gap, on Hadrian’s Wall. Magnetic gradiometry and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) surveys are utilised to investigate the landscape context of the Vallum and provide insight into the stratigraphy of the preserved earthworks. While the gradiometry data were affected by geological noise, surveys imaged discrete features with large magnetic gradient anomalies. We interpret these features as either simple lime-kilns associated with pre-Roman or Roman land-use, or accumulations of whinstone. ERT surveys imaged the subsurface stratigraphy of the Vallum mounds, although the ditch remained poorly constrained due to waterlogging. Resistivity contrasts within the Vallum mounds may be evidence of a stony or compacted foundation layer. These interpretations are supported by known Roman strategies for construction of turf monuments and observation of mounds gaps at the site. LiDAR topographic assessment broadens understanding of the monument’s interaction with local hydrogeology and we suggest that the north and the south mounds of the Vallum may have been provisioned with primary gaps. If correct, these would be the only known examples of primary gaps apart from at forts and milecastles along the Wall.

Descriptions

Resource type

Dataset

Contributors

Creator: Bithell, Sam ¹
Contact person: Bithell, Sam ¹
Data collector: Bithell, Sam ¹
Data curator: Bithell, Sam ¹
Editor: Bithell, Sam ¹
Editor: Nielsen, Stefan ¹
Editor: Hingley, Richard ¹

¹ Durham University, UK

Funder

Natural Environment Research Council

Research methods

Other description

Research data collected using Geomar MLGrad601 software, V. 1.12.

Keyword

Magnetometry
Electrical Resistivity Tomography
Vallum
Hadrian's Wall

Subject

Magnetometry in archaeology
Earth resistance in archaeology
Geophysical surveys--England
England--Hadrian's Wall

Location

Northumberland, England, United Kingdom

Language

Cited in

Identifier

ark:/32150/r1d217qp623
doi:10.15128/r1d217qp623

Rights

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA)

Publisher

Durham University

Date Created

File Details

Depositor

S.T. Bithell

Date Uploaded

23 February 2026, 13:02:42

Date Modified

27 February 2026, 14:02:51

Audit Status

Audits have not yet been run on this file.

Characterization

File format: zip (ZIP Format)

Mime type: application/zip

File size: 21070150

Last modified: 2026:02:27 13:50:18+00:00

Filename: MilkingGap2023_VallumSurveys.zip

Original checksum: a8e778cf2d32cd82d88bac43f3a92c8d