Product Description

Part of the Penguin History of Britain series, An Imperial Possession is the first major narrative history of Roman Britain for a generation. David Mattingly draws on a wealth of new findings and knowledge to cut through the myths and misunderstandings that so commonly surround our beliefs about this period. From the rebellious chiefs and druids who led native British resistance, to the experiences of the Roman military leaders in this remote, dangerous outpost of Europe, this book explores the reality of life in occupied Britain within the context of the shifting fortunes of the Roman Empire.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #114505 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

Spectator

`Exemplary ... from brothel slaves to procurators, then, from the very lowest to the highest, all are here in a magnificent work'

Sunday Telegraph
`Mattingly shows ... just how interesting life could be on the outer fringes of the Roman Empire'

British Archaeology

`If you have any interest in Roman Britain, you must buy it'

Customer Reviews

Oddly old fashioned text
For me there are three elements needed to write a good history book. Intellect: critically the ability to judge what should be left out as much as included. Industry: that the author has worked hard to pull all the material together, analyse and write in a way that engages with the reader. Imagination: someone who takes a position, the courage to make conclusions and let their personality emerge.

Dr Mattingly is an expert with access to the latest sources, so in 540 pages I was hoping he would provide a comprehensive understanding of Roman Britain. I was skim reading half way through, a slog to get to the end. This book is the first of a nine-part Penguin History of Britain. Its predecessor (Ian Richmond's Roman Britain) was in print for 50 years. I have a problem with these collective histories (there is also an eight part Penguin History of Europe). They tend to be formulaic, get it all down and fill the library shelves, chase student sales. Perhaps these are written to a deadline rather than with passion.

Mattingly's real interest appears to be the archaeology of colonialism and if you want an example of his style try "Identity is thus the key analytical tool and I seek to demonstrate the existence of discrepant identities and of discrepant experiences of the Roman Empire in Britain." And we are only on page 18. The liberal application of jargon is pervasive, he lays it on with a trowel and it sounds clever which I guess it is supposed to. I wonder if an archaeologist - which is Mattingly's metier - is best placed to write something as substantial as 463 years of Roman Britain. He opts for three-part analysis, the military, and the civil and rural communities between 54bc to ad409. Before that the first 80 pages are contextual and methodology notes, sources of information and rules of evidence. This is all good academic repartee, ideal for undergraduate seminars, passing exams certainly, but not compelling prose. The core chapters are logical and heavily detailed. It's all there but hard to find analysis. The conclusion "Comparative Perspective and Concluding Thought" is hardly inspiring. And telling a story does not mean you are writing fiction. This book might be termed technical; it is not narrative or thematic history and seems an oddly outdated reference book (and one with an overt one dimensional bias against Rome).

I was left wondering whom was this book written for? I heard Mattingly speak at the Museum of London but am none the wiser. He was as pleased with his efforts as he was dismissive of others, specifically Guy de la Bedoyere. I'd suggest that this book is of limited academic interest, lumbering in style and lacking imaginative organisation, devoid of conclusions. For the general reader, or even well informed, de la Bedoyere's New History of Roman Britain has the potential to turn you on to British Roman history and read more; aviod Mattingly as he is likely to turn you off.

Sorry Dr Mattingly
As the author was one of my teachers (brilliant by the way) at university (1997-2000 leicester BSc course) i should be loyal and claim this as a triumph, but its REALLY hard going. While the research is immaculate and its certainly scholarly the language is so obtuse and the line of thought wanders so much you kind of keep wondering what the point is? Individually each chapter has its good points but taken as a whole it strikes me as a bit of a bodge job done piecemeal when other projects allow. Not worthy of the great brain David Mattingly has.

An antidote to 'what the Romans did for us'
This is quite heavy going at times, but only because it's very thorough. Mattingly is pretty anti-Roman throughout, never letting us forget they were an occupying military power out to exploit our resources. So you get none of the 'benefits of civilisation' angle but instead a comprehensive description of control and land appropriation. Worth reading as a reminder of what the Romans did to (rather than for)us.