Product Description

Elginhaugh is the only completely excavated timber-built auxiliary fort in the Roman empire. The excavator Professor Bill Hanson tells two interrelated stories: the processes involved in the discovery, excavation and interpretation of the evidence, and the nature of military life on the furthest northern frontier of the empire in the first century AD. We learn how the site fits into the Roman conquest of Scotland: how the fort was built; the nature of the garrison, whether cavalry or infantry; what the annexes were for, whether for soldiers or civilians, the nature of daily life: and, finally but most importantly, the impact of the military presence on the environment and the local population, including taxation in kind after the garrison departed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #293065 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-03
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

About the Author
Bill Hanson is Professor of Roman Archaeology at the University of Glasgow, where he has been teaching archaeology for over 30 years. His main research interests are Roman frontiers, Roman timber buildings, Roman/native interaction and aerial photography.

Customer Reviews

Archaeology for students
This detailed account of an excavation, from the discovery of the site from the air in 1979 to its enforced closure in 1987, is a summary of the full report. It will be of more interest to the student of archaeology than of classical studies, who may find parts heavy going. Some of the findings, however, are relative to both disciplines, such as the precise dating of the fort, and the nature of its garrison. Professor Hanson is scrupulous in the conclusions he draws from his examination of the evidence, even where these conclusions are not clear cut or where they conflict with his own, previously held, views. In which connection he now demonstrates a healthy disrespect for detractors of Tacitus.