Hadrian's Wall and Its People Contributor(s): Osborn, Geraint (Author) |
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ISBN: 1904675441 ISBN-13: 9781904675440 Publisher: Liverpool University Press OUR PRICE: $148.50 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: November 2006 Annotation: Hadrian's Wall holds a special place in British imagination, offering a tangible reminder of their ancient past and of the Roman occupation of their land. Tourists stand amid its sometimes breathtaking remains, knowing that they tread in the footsteps of the soldiers who garrisoned Britain. Guides tend to concentrate on the archaeological record and on military organization. This book does not ignore those aspects but its aim, by contrasts, is to adopt a wider historical and sociological perspective, showing how the Wall functioned and what impact it had on the lives of Roman soldiers, on officer and their wives, and on the native population of northern Britain, between its construction in AD 122 and the final throes of the Roman occupation during the 5th century. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | Ancient - Rome |
Dewey: 936.104 |
Series: Greece and Rome Live |
Physical Information: 0.66" H x 6.35" W x 8.67" (0.67 lbs) 136 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - Ancient (To 499 A.D.) - Cultural Region - Italy |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Hadrian's Wall - one of the most prominent monuments of the Roman period in Britain - has a special place in the public imagination. It offers a tangible reminder of our ancient past and a concrete link with the Roman occupation. Visitors can stand amid the remains, knowing that they tread in the footsteps of the soldiers who garrisoned the province. Guides to the Wall have tended to concentrate on the archaeological record, on the Wall's construction and on military organisation. This book folds these aspects into a wider historical, social and economic perspective, providing the general reader with an analysis of how Hadrian's Wall functioned. It describes the impact it had on the lives of both Rome's soldiers and the native population, dealing with the contentious issue of 'Romanisation'. It looks, too, at what happened in Christian communities of the Wall area after the Roman army's departure. Geraint Osborn utilises archaeological evidence, including the content of the remarkable Vindolanda tablets, to give a rounded picture of military life on the Wall. He also considers the role of the monument in the context of Victorian England, a time when parallels were frequently drawn between the Roman and British empires, and how this in turn affected the excavation, preservation and modern presentation of Hadrian's Wall. |