| ISSN 1357-4442 | Editor: Simon Denison |
|---|
| BOOKS |
A comprehensive image
of military life
by Simon Clarke
ROMAN FORTS IN BRITAIN
Paul Bidwell
Batsford, £15.99
ISBN 0-7134-7100-X pb
At first glance this book on Roman forts is a conventional addition to the Batsford/ English Heritage thematic archaeology series. There are sections on the history and future of fort studies, the anatomy of forts, and various aspects of everyday military and civilian life. There are suggestions on the best-preserved sites to visit. All of this very much follows the pattern established in previous publications.
Nevertheless, this offering is a cut above the rest, probably the best introduction to the Roman military currently available. The study is by no means exhaustive - legionary fortresses, temporary marching camps and finds from military sites are touched upon only in passing. But what it does tackle it deals with very well. It gives a simple account of the idealised fort plan and of various military units, without losing sight of the fantastic diversity that existed.
Some forts were fortified ports, factories or storage depots. Even those which served as conventional personnel accommodation centres sometimes contain surprises - units that were under strength, for example, over-manned, detached from their main body, or brigaded with other units. Changes over time are skilfully discussed, weaving together changes in the structure of the army, architectural developments, and strategic and political considerations.
The overall effect is to convey not only an unusually comprehensive image of military life, but also a strong sense that there are exciting discoveries still to be made. Much of the source material is quite recently published and there are veiled references to controversial research papers. However, although there are further reading suggestions, there are no detailed references and no bibliography.
Dr Simon Clarke is a Lecturer at the University of Bradford, and has worked at Newstead Roman Fort in the Borders
Studies in the long
shadow of a saint STUDIES IN THE CULT OF SAINT COLUMBA These essays commemorate the fourteenth centenary of St
Columba of Derry and Iona, a principal figure in the pantheon of
Early Christian saints in Ireland and northern Britain. The
cumulative effect is a mosaic of life in the early medieval
church. Refreshingly, this includes some glimpses of the early
clerics' own world-view. Thus, Thomas O'Loughlin's
chapter, `Living in the Ocean', sketches out a
6th-7th century mental map of the earth (evidently medieval
scholars did not believe the earth was flat, contrary to popular
belief); and Timothy O'Neill's `Columba the
scribe' dwells on writer's cramp, the selection of
quill feathers and other practical considerations in the
production of illuminated manuscripts.
But archaeological readers may turn first to contributions by
Aidan MacDonald and Finbar McCormick, complementary papers which
offer an object lesson in the divide between documentary and
archaeological sources. The first attempts to describe the
Columban monastery from the evidence of a 7th century life -
Adomnan's Vita Sancti Columbae - and concludes
with the novel proposal that some early Celtic monasteries may
have been organised on a semi-formal plan, with the main public
and domestic buildings arranged about a central court. The second
has a similar object, but is armed with information from
excavations on the island; it offers a succinct summary of
fieldwork to date, but concludes glumly that numerous small-scale
excavations have led to a piecemeal record, with little potential
for an overall reconstruction of the early monastery.
In one sense, these papers offer a background to the main
business of this collection. This can be found in the
contributions by Raghnall O Floinn, Cormac Bourke and Nollaig O
Muraille, amongst others, which consider the placenames, relics
and art historical objects through which the fame and influence
of Columba was perpetuated for centuries after his death. In
another sense, however, all of these papers are subsumed within
an ongoing modern `cult', as Columba's long shadow
describes one of those rare spaces in which scholars from diverse
disciplines engage fruitfully on a subject of common interest and
abiding appeal.
Jerry O'Sullivan is a project manager at the Glasgow
University's Archaeological Research Division (GUARD)
One man's monument
to Dartmoor DARTMOOR ATLAS OF ANTIQUITIES, VOL 5 Seven years ago one of the great endeavours of archaeological
publication began - to map and record the archaeology of
Dartmoor and make it accessible to us all. This adventure has
just been concluded with the publication of Jeremy Butler's
final volume.
Four volumes have preceded this longawaited work, and until
now they were rather like blocks of Dartmoor granite, quarried,
dressed and abandoned on the Moor. The fifth volume has mortared
them into place in a most exciting way. It is both the index to
the series and, more importantly, a detailed analysis of the
Dartmoor Bronze Age landscape. Not only does it offer a
considered view on how the various elements of the landscape
worked together (hut circles, field systems, stone rows, cairns
and stone circles) but successfully looks at how that landscape
has been reshaped down to our own time. The text is complemented
by excellent analytical diagrams and appendices, including a
superb summary of 200 years of archaeological investigation on
the Moor. No other pub lication makes available so much useful,
well presented information about the Moor. There is also a wider
significance to this work, or rather to all five volumes. They
represent the work of a single individual, who in professional
life is actually a dentist although he has a degree and PhD in
archaeology - a staggering amount of footslogging and flying
time, and a testament to one man's dedication to an
archaeological landscape. As we come to set local research
frameworks, it is vital to remember that such able
`amateur' enthusiasts have a key role to play alongside
national and local organisations.
Mark Hall is the Human History Officer at Perth Museum and
Art Gallery
Return to the British Archaeology
homepage
© Council for British Archaeology, 1998
by Jerry O'Sullivan
ed. Cormac Bourke
Four Courts Press, £40.00
ISBN 1-85182-268-2 hb
by Mark Hall
Jeremy Butler
Devon Books, £16.95
ISBN 0-8611-49106 pb