‘Few of us are of necessity true generalists and it can be argued that the level of information is now such, that it is pretty impossible for one person to keep up with everything that is written on all fields of Roman Britain. Perhaps this is one reason why there are now so few detailed general accounts of Roman Britain of similar depth to those written by Sheppard Frere … or Peter Salway …’ (4). Whilst conscious of the pitfalls of the endeavour, Birgitta Hoffmann has not been deterred from accomplishing another, more up-to-date, account of Roman Britain, even if with more modest aims and not trying to rival the length and level of detail of the cited works. H.'s thematic scope is much wider than the title implies. Rather than being focused on the Roman invasion of the island, this is a military history of Britain, covering half a millennium, from Caesar's expeditions to the aftermath of the end of Roman administration in the fifth century. It is welcome that H. has resisted the fashion for increasing specialisation at the expense of the bigger picture. Indeed, as Roman Britain was just a small part of a vast empire, impossible to understand in isolation, one would wish for others to follow her example by expanding the focus to cover the Roman Empire as a whole, with archaeology playing a prominent part.
The broader context is never forgotten, e.g. when assessing the political dimensions of Caesar's operations and their impact on cross-Channel trade. Waterlogged forts in the Low Countries hold crucial evidence for probable logistical preparations for the Roman invasion in the early a.d. 40s (46–7). Whilst it is true that a high ratio of Caligula to Claudius base metal coins signals an early date, Caligula's issues did not disappear quite as rapidly from circulation after the emperor's death as the source cited argues (F. Kemmers, ‘Coins, countermarks and Caligula’, Hadrianic Society Bulletin, New Series 1 (2006), 5–11), the ratio still being 2:1 at Hod Hill and c. 1:1 at Alchester. H. does not take sides in the perpetual debate as to where the invasion army landed. She aptly observes that of all the military engagements, conquests and achievements of Vespasian during the invasions, listed by Suetonius (Vesp. 4.1), ‘only the Isle of Wight can be identified on a map’ (49–50; cf. 68–9). Might this specific reference to the small island not potentially suggest that it was more than a sideshow (B. Cunliffe, The Roman Villa at Brading (2013), 272–3; E. Sauer, ‘Inscriptions from Alchester’, Britannia 36 (2005), 101–33, at 120–1)? Was the alleged conquest of another island group, the Orkneys, under Claudius, an error by our late antique sources, Eutropius and Orosius, or perhaps based on the diplomatic endeavours of an Orcadian travelling south (53–4, 203–4)? Perhaps, but it is worth noting that the first author to mention the islands was Pomponius Mela (3.54), writing in the immediate aftermath of the invasion of Britain. A potential naval reconnaissance mission far beyond the sphere of operation of land forces provides an alternative and not unparalleled scenario: under Augustus, the Roman fleet ventured to the tip of Jutland, hundreds of kilometres north of any point reached by the army and allegedly culminating in the Cimbri begging for friendship (Mon. Anc. 26; Plin., HN 2.167; cf. A.P. Fitzpatrick, ‘The submission of the Orkney Islands’, Scottish Archaeological Review 6 (1989), 24–33). H.'s suggestion that Claudius himself, who spent just 16 days in Britain, may have disembarked much closer to Colchester than commonly assumed (66–7), is thought-provoking. The detailed discussion of the Boudiccan revolt, paying close attention to the archaeological evidence, is a particular strong point, as is H.'s authoritative assessment of the strategy Rome employed in the Flavian and Antonine eras to control the south-east of modern Scotland (e.g. 146–9), based in part on her own important fieldwork.
The book contains impressive aerial photographs and other illustrations. Publication in colour and a wider range of figures, e.g. a map of the initial phases of the invasion and reconstruction drawings, would have added much to the attractiveness of the work. One would wish the publishing industry was less risk-averse and offered more support to authors to enable them to reach a wider audience. Overall, this book by one of the leading experts on Roman Britain is full of interesting observations and much to be recommended.
