An epic, visceral history of the Romans in Britain, from Caesar’s first attempt at conquering the island in 55 BC to the fall of the Roman empire.
Piecing together evidence from the often-propagandistic Roman literary sources – the writings of Caesar, Tacitus, Livy and others – and making brilliant use of archaeological and anthropological research, Addis paints a vivid portrait of both Roman and British life in prehistoric times and in the first century of our era.
He not only brings the violence and factional intrigues of British tribal life into vivid relief but also evokes the ways in which these diverse peoples lived, their monumental burial sites, their customs, their trade in tin and gold with continental Europe, their military organization and the kind of war they practiced. And he gives us a panoramic view of the deep history of the island that the Romans set out to conquer.
