Rome's Saxon Shore: Coastal Defences of Roman Britain AD 250-500

Description

Constructed to protect the coastline of southern and eastern Britain, the forts of the 'Saxon Shore' are among the most impressive surviving monuments of the Roman occupation of the British Isles, although much about them remains a mystery. In an impressive outlay of money, manpower and materials the frontier system stretched from the Wash to the Solent and included the heavy fortification of the major harbours and estuaries of the east and south-east coast. This book explores the history of this frontier system the ruins of which define the British landscape to this day.

Dr Nic Fields started his career as a biochemist before joining the Royal Marines. Having served for eight years he left the military and returned to university, gaining a BA and PhD in Ancient History at the University of Newcastle. He was Assistant Director at the British School of Archaeology, Athens, and a lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh. Nic is now a freelance writer and researcher living and working in south-west France. Donato Spedaliere was born in 1967 in Lausanne, Switzerland, and moved to Tuscany at the age of 10, where he still lives. Having studied at the Instituto Nazionale di Belle Arti in Florence he served in the Italian Army as a paratrooper. Since 1995 he has worked as a professional illustrator for publishers in Italy and abroad and he is the chief illustrator of Alina Illustrazioni, the company he founded with his wife in 1998.

"As an introduction to early British history, this is an excellent book... it is a serious work that draws upon the most recent scholarship." --Bolling Smith, The Coast Defense Journal "This excellent new military history is a recommended pick for any specialty collection strong in in-depth coverage." --Library Bookwatch (July 2007)