New Book
The Wall, Rome’s Greatest Frontier
Reviewed by Glynn Payne
Alistair Moffat has written a fascinating book about Hadrian’s Wall. It covers not only the period of construction of the wall but gives a contextual history which paints an evocative and very readable account of the fortification during the whole of the Roman occupation of Britain. The book opens with the two exploratory invasions by Julius Caesar in 55 and 54 BC and then a century later that led by Agricola. As explained in the book, Rome had set its sights on the resources of the island not only to fuel its economy but as a means of providing more victorious conquests to add to the popularity of those aspiring to be emperor.
After his visit in 122 Hadrian instructed the wall to be built and the author relates the salient factors of its history and influence until the Romans departed in the 4th century. An interesting feature is the inset boxes which give snippets of additional information. For instance, ‘Tough Love’ describes the medical care that the soldiers received and ‘Smells’ describes succinctly the causes of the odoriferous nature of the contemporary environment.
The text could have done with a few more maps showing the location of the various indigenous tribes that the Romans had to contend with. This would have clarified the text, as their contact with the tribes both as allies and foes is complex. The importance of the discoveries at Vindolanda is highlighted. These discoveries illustrate how much is still to be uncovered, as only one per cent of the wall has been excavated. In all it is a book which grips the reader’s attention and enables the layman to become more conversant with the mysteries of the Roman Wall that forms such a significant part of our regional history.
City and County
November 2008
