Roman Fortresses and their Legions
This book had its origins in a conference (held in 1992) and was originally conceived as a festschrift
for the late George Boon (formerly Keeper of Archaeology, National
Museum of Wales). It contains eleven papers by leading Roman military
archaeologists on the fortresses of Roman legions. The geographical
spread of papers ranges from Britain, Germany and the Danube region to
the eastern empire. Roman Fortresses and their Legions will appeal to both general and specialist readers interested in Roman military archaeology.
Writing in the first century AD, the Jewish historian Josephus
commented: 'If one goes on to study the organization of their [the
Romans'] army as a whole, it will be seen that this vast Empire of
theirs has come to them as the prize of valour, and not as a gift of
fortune'. Historians, including the pioneer antiquaries, have long
realised that the study of the legions is fundamental to our
understanding of the history of the Roman Empire. The essays in this
volume, contributed by some of today's foremost scholars of Roman army
studies, range across the whole of the Roman Empire – including
Britain, the Danube lands and the eastern provinces – and cover a wide
variety of themes. The volume covers the period from Augustus, when the
plans of the permanent legionary fortresses were beginning to evolve,
to the Late Empire, when the legion was a very different body from that
with which we are familiar in the early imperial period.
Richard J Brewer FSA is Keeper of Archaeology and Numismatics at the National Museums & Galleries of Wales. His main area of research is the Romano-British tribal capital of Venta Silurum (Caerwent in Monmouthshire), where he excavated each year between 1981 and 1995. Buildings uncovered include the forum-basilica, a Romano-Celtic temple and a substantial courtyard house. He is also author of the Welsh fascicule of the Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani and of numerous publications on Romano-British artefacts.
- Occasional Papers of the Research Committee of the Society of Antiquaries of London, No. 20
- ISBN 0 85431 274 9
- 260mm x 200mm 208pp 19 black and white photographs 36 line drawings
- £29.95 hardback Published May 2000
- Available from Oxbow Books