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Product Description
The Roman excursions north of the Tyne-Solway line, the route of Hadrian's Wall, can be roughly divided into three main periods. Firstly, Agricola advanced against the Caledonii for six campaigning seasons culminating in the decisive battle of Mons Graupius in AD 83. Secondly, the Antonine Wall was built 70 miles to the north of Hadrian's Wall along the Forth-Clyde isthmus, though it marked the northern frontier of the empire for little more than 20 years. Finally, at the beginning of the 3rd century AD L. Septimius Severus arrived to restore order along the northern frontier, briefly reoccupying and repairing sections of the Antonine Wall. This title describes the fortifications left behind by each of these three attempts to subdue Rome's northernmost frontier.
About the Author
Dr Nic Fields started his career as a biochemist before joining the Royal Marines for eight years. Having left the Navy he went back to University and completed a BA and PhD in Ancient History at the University of Newcastle. He is now a lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh. Donato Spedaliere studied at the Instituto Nazionale di Belle Arti in Florence. Since 1995 he has worked as a professional illustrator, and founded the company Alina Illustrazioni with his wife in 1998. Sarah Sulemsohn Spedaliere took a degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, lectured at the University of Florence, and completed an architecture degree in 1994. Since 1998 she has worked at Alina Illustrazioni.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It is a well known fact that Hadrian's Wall marked the frontier of Roman rule in Britain, but what is not well known is that it was not always the most extreme point of the Roman Empire.
Nic Fields provides us with a look at the Antonine Wall, and the assorted watchtowers and fortlets that the Romans built as form of their 'Gask Ridge frontier system'.
The book starts out by describing Julius Agricola's campaigns in Northern Britain. Some recent scholarship points out that the Romans might have moved into the area long before the victory at Mons Graupius, but as that theory is still a matter of debate, the author does not mention it.
Fields then describes the Gask Ridge, its function as well as the anatomy of the Flavian forts and fortlets that covered this area. But the main emphasis is on the Antonine Wall, its construction, function and garrison.
Some nice photographs and a few pages of colour plates by Donato Spedaliere help give you a better idea of the appearance of these buildings, as they are today, and as they would have been in Roman times.
Those who study Roman Britain will find this a useful book on an often neglected subject. It would certainly act as a great short introduction to Roman Northern Britain for students and interested non-experts.
Nic Fields provides us with a look at the Antonine Wall, and the assorted watchtowers and fortlets that the Romans built as form of their 'Gask Ridge frontier system'.
The book starts out by describing Julius Agricola's campaigns in Northern Britain. Some recent scholarship points out that the Romans might have moved into the area long before the victory at Mons Graupius, but as that theory is still a matter of debate, the author does not mention it.
Fields then describes the Gask Ridge, its function as well as the anatomy of the Flavian forts and fortlets that covered this area. But the main emphasis is on the Antonine Wall, its construction, function and garrison.
Some nice photographs and a few pages of colour plates by Donato Spedaliere help give you a better idea of the appearance of these buildings, as they are today, and as they would have been in Roman times.
Those who study Roman Britain will find this a useful book on an often neglected subject. It would certainly act as a great short introduction to Roman Northern Britain for students and interested non-experts.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
It is as it was
27 Jun 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Another great product from Ospray, very detailed and correct. Well worth the price, a combination of text and detailed colour photos is what makes Ospray a great reference book. Love it.
6 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Pretty average
8 Sep 2008
Format:Paperback
This is a fairly average account of the Roman presence in Scotland, with enough small errors to be disappointing. For example the author (Nic Fields) makes the suprising statement that the Antonine Wall was briefly reoccupied and repaired by Septimus Severus and his sons c.208. There is however no archaeological evidence to support this, as David Breeze states in his much better 'The Antonine Wall' (2006) 'There is no indication that the Emperors Septimus Severus and Carcalla paid any attention to the Wall when they crossed it during their campaigns...'.
I found the layout of the text and illustrations confusing as well. The installations that were chosen as case studies were not illustrated, nor was a single ground plan of any of the sites mentioned in the text provided! Instead there were numerous illustrations and artistic reconstructions of sites that were hardly mentioned (if at all) in the main text. For example there are large artistic drawings of Cramond and Inchtuthil - two sites hardly mentioned in the main text and not even located on any of the maps provided! I would have to be wary of the quality of the artistic reconstructions as well, that showing the Antonine wall being constructed incorrectly shows the base layer of stones, instead of showing the well fitted outer kerb stones with a more irregular fitted central mass, all the stones are shown equally well fitted together - definitely incorrect.
Other complaints include the odd placement of photographs. For example 14 photographs of the Antonine Wall and its associated forts appear out of place in the chapters on 'Agricola's northern campaigns' and the 'Gask ridge' and no pictures of the Wall (not a single one!) appears in the appropriate section on 'The Antonine Wall'! There are no photographs of any of the remains of the towers or fortlets of the Gask Ridge, despite their existence and a chapter dedicated to this subject in this book.
I would only recommend this book to someone with a really cursory interest in Roman Scotland and not too fussy about layout or detail. Its only real advantage is that it addresses several frontier systems in one volume (the Gask Ridge and the Antonine Wall) and has numerous illustrations for its size. Much better (and correct) information with better illustrations can be found either online (http://www.theromangaskproject.org.uk/index.html for the Gask ridge) or in other volumes eg - David Breezes book mentioned earlier on the Antonine Wall.
Regards - Dave Essery, www.ancientdave.com
I found the layout of the text and illustrations confusing as well. The installations that were chosen as case studies were not illustrated, nor was a single ground plan of any of the sites mentioned in the text provided! Instead there were numerous illustrations and artistic reconstructions of sites that were hardly mentioned (if at all) in the main text. For example there are large artistic drawings of Cramond and Inchtuthil - two sites hardly mentioned in the main text and not even located on any of the maps provided! I would have to be wary of the quality of the artistic reconstructions as well, that showing the Antonine wall being constructed incorrectly shows the base layer of stones, instead of showing the well fitted outer kerb stones with a more irregular fitted central mass, all the stones are shown equally well fitted together - definitely incorrect.
Other complaints include the odd placement of photographs. For example 14 photographs of the Antonine Wall and its associated forts appear out of place in the chapters on 'Agricola's northern campaigns' and the 'Gask ridge' and no pictures of the Wall (not a single one!) appears in the appropriate section on 'The Antonine Wall'! There are no photographs of any of the remains of the towers or fortlets of the Gask Ridge, despite their existence and a chapter dedicated to this subject in this book.
I would only recommend this book to someone with a really cursory interest in Roman Scotland and not too fussy about layout or detail. Its only real advantage is that it addresses several frontier systems in one volume (the Gask Ridge and the Antonine Wall) and has numerous illustrations for its size. Much better (and correct) information with better illustrations can be found either online (http://www.theromangaskproject.org.uk/index.html for the Gask ridge) or in other volumes eg - David Breezes book mentioned earlier on the Antonine Wall.
Regards - Dave Essery, www.ancientdave.com
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