| The First Frontier: Rome in the North of Scotland Contributor(s): Hoffman, B. (Author), Woolliscroft, D. J. (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0752430440 ISBN-13: 9780752430447 Publisher: Tempus OUR PRICE: $47.69 Product Type: Paperback Published: June 2006 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Ancient - Rome - History | Europe - Great Britain - General |
| Dewey: 936.128 |
| LCCN: 2006494038 |
| Physical Information: 0.67" H x 6.73" W x 9.78" (1.52 lbs) 272 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Ancient (To 499 A.D.) - Cultural Region - Italy - Cultural Region - Scottish - Cultural Region - British Isles |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Oxbow says: Our conception of Roman frontiers is dominated by images of Hadrian's Wall, a fixed, physical barrier comprising ditches, ramparts and walls, and forts. However, the Roman frontier known as the Gask line, located in Perthshire in Scotland, which is vying to become the earliest fortified land frontier in the Roman Empire, challenges our idea of Roman fontier systems. This study draws on ten years of investigation at Roman military sites in Scotland, including 27 excavations at 18 sites plus geophysical surveys and aerial photography. The first part of the book presents detailed surveys and descriptions of various forts, camps and watchtowers stretched across the Highlands accompanied by maps, plans and photographs. The second parts seeks to interpret the evidence and places it within a historical and military context. The authors assess the date and function of these military installations suggesting how they might have formed a highly flexible form of defence, designed to control and monitor, perhaps serving as points in a supply line or signalling system, and from which to launch assaults into the Highlands. The Gask Line not only represents a more open frontier system, unlike the fixed barriers of the Limes or Hadrian's Wall, but also shows how the existing historical narrative of Roman Scotland is both flawed and biased. |
