The Romans quarried the soft sandstone for use in
Hadrian's Wall, which lies three miles to the north. It was abandoned in 207 AD. On the rockface there was extensive carved graffiti, that has been known since the eighteenth century. It included notes, comments about the officers and a lucky symbolic penis (
phallus). In 2019 the archaeology department of the
University of Newcastle undertook a 3D scan of the site discovering it was more extensive than previously thought. The task involves descending by rope or in a gantry, into the quarry and recording the rock face using
structure-from-motion (SfM)
photogrammetry. The site was accessible by foot before the path collapsed 30 years ago. "These inscriptions are probably the most important on the Hadrian's Wall frontier." The inspector of ancient monuments for Hadrian's Wall at
Historic England, Mike Collins, said. "They provide insight into the organisation of the vast construction project that Hadrian's Wall was, as well as some very human and personal touches, such as the caricature of their commanding officer inscribed by one group of soldiers." == Etymology ==