Roman Britain: A New History

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In time the archaeological record may tell us otherwise; for the present, Naismith concludes with a bob-each-way: A second, more substantive thread relates to the development of the political landscape, where we find the common theme of the making of larger and more stable kingdoms, Christian in religion, out of the plethora of petty lordships, pagan and otherwise, that emerged to fill the power vacuum left by the Romans after 410. Of the fifth century, Naismith writes of “the mosaic of small worlds” and Morris of a “gaggle of small kingdoms;” likewise Adams envisages “incipient lordships” arising by different routes in defined geographical locations and subject to regional variations. For all three, the story is one of consolidation of power and administrative structures, secular and religious, nascent in Adams and more fully realised in the more extended treatments found in Morris and Naismith. For Morris, the spotlight is on England, whereas Naismith extends the argument to encompass the Pictish kingdom’s rise to hegemonic status in the north. I apologize for misunderstanding his theory of Roman historians fictionalizing her role as making her entirely fictitious.

Our booklists span the range of the KS2 history curriculum, as well as a selection of additional topics that offer further depth and historical interest. So where does Adams land on these big questions? In terms of the broader political picture, he is definite in his rejection of a one size fits all approach, advocating instead a nuanced version of political and social change based on diverging trajectories across the different regions of Britain. For example, he is at one with Morris and Naismith in envisaging the role played in the north especially by allied Germanic foederati or auxiliary troops stationed in the forts along Hadrian’s Wall. Adams also dismisses the tendency of historians in the 19th century and beyond to obsess about ethnicity and to portray the conflicts of the period in binary terms, Celts versus Anglo-Saxons.Otherwise, I liked this book. And I think Guy de la Bedoyere is great and highly recommend his works. This book theorizes, in passing, that since we have no Celtic records of Boudicca's existence, perhaps the spin-doctoring Romans invented her (the greater the enemy, the greater the victory). Vita is a very relatable protagonist; honest about her fears and confusion, yet brave and fiery in moments of crisis. Young readers who are aspiring writers will also enjoy the fact that Vita’s passion is for stories – both hearing them and creating them – and that this is a central theme running through the novel.

All the same, the direction of his argument is not all one-way. For instance, Morris does not claim that the migrants outnumbered the hapless Britons; or that the conflicts reported by Gildas were necessarily fought on ethnically binary terms; or indeed that the same processes were at work across Britain, with Morris envisaging more of an elite warrior model in the north of the country. Nonetheless, Morris does maintain that the population transformations of the fifth century were enough to effect a radical alteration of the cultural and political landscape. According to Morris, a few elements of the existing social organisation were adopted by the Saxons, such as “the boundaries of existing fields,” which would have been “too laborious to alter.” Generally speaking, however, the transformation was more or less complete. For the Anglo-Saxons, there was little, if anything, in British culture “they wished to emulate.”Through words and pictures, the book compares modern-day life for childrento different aspects of daily life for the Ancient Romans, including clothes and hairstyles, education, family life, pets, food and hobbies. The book sets itself apart from the myriad of other non-fiction texts about the Romans as each topic isviewed through the eyes of a child. Did you know, for example, that emperor Elagabalus was a cheeky prankster who was known to feed his dinner guests food made of wax? If you think that your school has too many rules, wait until you read about the vow that new students at gladiator school had to make. And the next time you begin to think that your bedroom is too small, spare a thought for Roman slaves, who often had to sleep in the doorway to their master’s bedroom. Britain under the Romans is one of my favorite historical era's so not surprisingly, I found the book very informative. If you are a fan of British history in general you might find the book interesting. If you care for neither, stay away. For a fun, interactive non-fiction text that children love to pore over, try Romans Magnified– a seek-and-find introduction the the Roman world with plenty of historical detail to discuss. Are lesson plans or resources available for any of the recommended KS2 Romans books? Guy de la Bédoyère in Roman Britain: A New History clearly keeps the British provinces within the wider picture of the larger Empire showing how events within Britain effected the rest of the Empire, the breakaway states of Carausius, the raising to the purple of Constantine I, Constantine III etc all had profound effects Britain as well as the Empire. Of course the reverse being true as the Campaigns by Septimus Severus etc make abundantly clear. Roman Britain a new history does not shy away topics within the British provinces so it provides a warts and all look at the British provinces so we get to see the the Romans options of the British as well as though catching the humour of the time that has been recorded deliberately and accidentally as in the case of the Vindolanda tablets etc Roman Britain: A New History really gives you a feel for the period as well as laying down a detailed layout that if you don't already know can point you in other direction of information.