Roman Britain: Life at the Edge of Empire

Description

For nearly four centuries Britain was a province on the outer edge of the Roman Empire and developed a distinctively Romano-British culture and way of life. Using the archaeological evidence, ancient written sources and the latest research on surviving artefacts - from a child's leather shoe to fascinating letters, from the monumental bronze head of the emperor Hadrian to hoards of stunning gold and silver - a picture of Roman Britain is brought vividly to life. Whether for a Roman soldier on the northern frontier or a native British farmer; for a pagan British king or a Christian Roman lady living in a villa, the diversity of lifestyles, experiences and cultures is revealed. Native British traditions of trade and craftsmanship merged with the imported Roman styles and practices to create a unique cultural synthesis, the legacy of which is still visible today in British landscapes, architecture, art and society. The authors Ralph Jackson and Richard Hobbs are curators of Romano-British antiquities in the British Museum. Ralph Jackson is also author of British Museum Research Publication 181: Cosmetic Sets of Late Iron Age and Roman Britain, which published in 2010.

Richard Hobbs is curator of the Romano-British collection at the British Museum. His research interests include the deposition of precious metals and food and banqueting, particularly in the Late Roman empire. Previous publications include (with Ralph Jackson), Roman Britain: Life at the Edge of the Empire and The Mildenhall Treasure (British Museum Objects in Focus). Ralph Jackson is a senior curator at the British Museum. Previous publications include Doctors and Diseases in the Roman Empire; Camerton: A Catalogue of Late Iron Age and Early Roman Metalwork; Excavations at Stonea, Cambridgeshire 1980-85; Cosmetic Sets of Late Iron Age and Roman Britain; and (with Richard Hobbs) Roman Britain.