Book of Roman Forts in Britain

The Roman military remains in Britain are of outstanding importance. More than a tenth of the army's total strength was stationed in Britain, out of all proportion to the size of the province; and the governorship, including the powers of army commander, was until the third century second in prestige only to that of Syria. In the last twenty years new techniques of investigation have been developed and, above all, the astonishing discovery of the Vindolanda tablets for the first time tells us something of the daily life in a frontier fort in Britain.

Focusing on the auxiliary forts that were occupied from the second century onwards, Paul Bidwell looks at:

- the growth in understanding of Raman remains over four hundred centuries and the earliest excavations

- the plans and functions of forts

- what recent excavations reveal about the everyday life of officers and men - and of women and children

- what the study of finds can tell about the supply systems of the Roman army

- how forts were adapted during the decline of the empire