The Wall: Rome's Greatest Frontier

A very informative and readable book, covering much more than just the construction and purpose of Hadrian’s Wall in what is now England, but also a lot of history about Rome and Roman Britain to put this in context. For example: “The historical reality must be different. The truth is that the Romans found Britain impossible to conquer entirely. What they did hold was held with some considerable initial difficulty, and when Hadrian’s Wall was built its primary military meaning must have been as a huge reaction to real and persistent problems in northern Britannia. For most of the 350-year life of the province, a tenth of the whole Roman imperial army was stationed in that part of the island they were able to control. First-rate show more generals were usually appointed as governors. Such close policing by very large numbers of expensive legionaries and their commanders would not have been required for ‘gormless’ drabs. Determined, independent-minded, well organised and consistently courageous are much more apt adjectives. The difficulty is, however, glaringly obvious. Only Roman reactions to British actions survive in the historical record. The British barbarians have left little or no sense of what life was like under Roman rule, or of their successful resistance to it in the north. The impact of Hadrian’s Wall can only be surmised. Memory turns out to be much more fragile even than flaking, crumbling papyrus.”

There is interesting information about the construction and life on and around Hadrian’s Wall. But as Moffatt is the author of a number of other books about Scotland and early Britain, this knowledge finds its way into this book as nuggets of everyday detail which remind you just how different life was, but also how there are still connections, such as the following regarding footwear “Holes were deliberately punched through the uppers to allow water to squelch out. Boots were designed to protect the feet from sharp stones and worse, but not to keep them dry. Waterproof footwear for soldiers is a recent invention. The Highland army which crossed Hadrian’s Wall in 1746 wore very similar shoes. The Gaels called them brogan. Changed only a little into brogues, the principal design feature of these modern shoes is the tooling on the uppers which resembles half-cut holes.”

Although it might appear self-evident to some, there is also analysis such as Moffatt’s comment that “Although it never marked a cultural frontier, or the line along which the border between England and Scotland would eventually run, Hadrian’s Wall nevertheless had an important early role in creating an idea of the north of Britain.”

The book also has a final chapter about visiting the Wall, which was useful for me as I read it shortly before visiting the Wall and Vindolanda (an excellent “working” museum) and a short bibliography (which has the common failing for me of not providing some brief comment from the author as to why in particular the books referred to were useful).

This is not an academic history book, but one for the interested general reader, so whilst the background about Rome and Roman Britain may be too brief for an academic work, for me it fulfilled its purpose admirably in explaining the creation, running and demise of the Wall as well as reminding me of the historic background. show less

[b:The Wall: Rome's Greatest Frontier|6365135|The Wall Rome's Greatest Frontier|Alistair Moffat|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358733897s/6365135.jpg|6725974] by [a:Alistair Moffat|23827|Alistair Moffat|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-a7c55399ea455530473b9f9e4da94c40.png] is an excellent history of Hadrian's Wall and the Roman occupation of Britain. This is a very readable book which does a great job of bringing the characters involved to life.

There are plenty of good books out there on Hadrian's Wall, and the author here doesnt have too much new to add, but its a solid piece of writing geared to the non-expert. A useful book to read if you're planning to visit the Wall, gives the essential background plus tourist information. Recommended.