As with all TRAC proceedings there is a difficulty in truly reflecting the conference; of over 60 papers presented in Amsterdam, only 14 appear here. The editors have, however, managed to select a set that demonstrates the diversity of subjects and contributors, and indeed TRAC's first continental foray.

The focus of TRAC has traditionally been Roman Britain. In this volume, however, there are only four papers dealing with British material; four focus on archaeology from the Italian peninsula and three on the Netherlands, with papers on Gaul, Tunisia and Jordan completing the volume. A bias towards the Western provinces remains, but clearly TRAC is expanding its reach and scope. That eight of the contributors are from UK institutions (with five from the Netherlands) is testament to the continuing British character of the conference (and the Dutch venue for 2008).

The volume opens with a paper by Hannah Friedman on the importance of visibility as a control mechanism in mining operations, largely focusing on viewshed analysis but struggling with the implications of restricted access to mines in relation to slave versus free labour. The next three papers are also considerations of space, starting with a paper by Cécilia Courbot-Dewerdt exploring the apparent maintenance of a Gallic conception and structuring of space despite the adoption of Roman architecture on Gallo-Roman villa sites. The way in which urban space, specifically central space, is understood is explored by David Newsome, and Simon Malmberg continues the focus upon the urban space of Rome, examining ways of navigating and conceptualising space or landmarks in this environment.

The next four papers form an interlude between the theoretically informed explorations on the themes of space and movement at the start of the volume and those on identity at the end of the volume, instead essentially consisting of data analysis. They open with a paper by Tom Brindle analysing Portable Antiquities Scheme data in an effort to detect sites amongst GIS-plotted findspots. This relies upon some assertions of what a site is and how many artefacts might signal this, perhaps overlooking a number of off-site activity types in the process. Colleen Cummings examines ratios of meat consumption from a small number of cemetery sites in England by means of stable isotope analysis: the conclusion is that meat was consumed, contrary to earlier assumptions about a largely grain-based diet for poorer individuals. Ivo Vossen and Maaike Groot develop a model of likely surplus production in the Netherlands that could have supplied the Roman occupation with barley and horses. Sue Stallibrass brings the section to a close with a series of questions posed regarding the likelihood of long-distance cattle droving as a supply mechanism for Hadrian's Wall.

The inevitable collection of papers on issues of identity opens with Laura Crowley's consideration of tumuli and their adoption by the Tungri. She explores the significance of the monuments' form, symbolism and use by this unusual group. Amy Richardson challenges historical-source-based approaches to gender and identity in relation to Samnium. Eef Stoffels looks at the significance of handmade pottery on military sites in the Netherlands, explicitly challenging the ‘low-quality equals native’ assumption and analyses where the pottery came from and what it was used for. The paper is let down by seemingly uncritical assertions towards the end that women were responsible for the cooking and therefore the choice of pottery used. Robert Wanner engages with notions of community, using data from the Kasserine survey to illustrate his discussion. Miko Flohr explores fullonicae and the social implications of the various roles on interpersonal networks within them. This paper neatly demonstrates the best that TRAC can offer, being an insight into past lives and daily activities brought into focus through the use of theoretical archaeology. The volume closes with a paper by Martin Goldberg that could be mistaken for an attempt to replace an old buzzword with a new one, namely ‘vernacular’. Certainly it does engage in semantics but ultimately argues for a more complex understanding of the relationships and processes that result in ‘Romano-Celtic’ religion.

This volume is a faithful record of a successful conference that moved beyond its familiar territory and engaged with more people from more areas than ever before. Many papers were of an analytical nature, but this is testament to the broad-church that TRAC has become, representing a forum for new ideas and a place for ‘first papers’ to be delivered. This volume presents many of those, along with good examples of current theoretical engagement with Roman archaeology.