Roman Britain A New History 55 BC-AD 450

by Southern, Patricia

• ISBN13: 9781445601465
• ISBN10: 144560146X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-09-15
• Publisher: Amberley Publishing

Summary

The most authoritative history of Roman Britain ever published for the general reader. Weaves the 'voices' of individuals into the story of Roman Britain. Patricia Southern is an acknowledged expert on Roman Britain. Patricia Southern's narrative incorporates the results of the latest research, competing histories currently in print are all over 20 years old. Copiously illustrated with over 100 photos, maps and diagrams in colour.For nearly four centuries, from AD 43 to 410, Britain was a small province on the north western edge of the vast Roman Empire. Patricia Southern's masterly new history tells the story from first contact, through invasion and conquest, coexistence to eventual decline incorporating the political, social and cultural history of 'Britannia'. For the first time the wealth of 'voices' from the varied population of Roman Britain are placed centre stage in the narrative. Indirectly via the works of ancient historians, annalists and biographers, and directly from building inscriptions, religious dedications, gravestones, graffiti, leaden curse tablets, artefacts and coins. Writers such as Gaius Julius Caesar, the geographer Strabo, the historian Tacitus, and the annalist Cassius Dio, describe Britain and the main historical events, but perhaps the most vivid source is the corpus of letters from the fort at Vindolanda in Northumberland, where named individuals talk about birthday parties and complain about the terrible state of the roads...

Author Biography

Patricia Southern is an acknowledged expert the history of ancient Rome. Her interest began very early, fostered by books and the wonderful epic films that they don't make any more. This obsession with the Romans has never waned, so whilst working full time as a librarian she studied for a BA degree in Ancient History with the external department of the University of London, and for an MPhil in Roman Frontier Studies at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where she was Librarian of the Archaeology Department for many years. She has written many books on Roman history and contributed numerous articles on Roman history to the BBC History website and the academic Roman studies journal Britannia.