1st Edition

Rome Against Caratacus The Roman Campaigns in Britain AD 48-58

By Graham Webster Copyright 1993

    The Roman Conquest of Britain in AD 43 was one of the most important turning points in the history of the British Isles. It left a legacy still discernible today in the form of archaeological remain, road networks, land divisions and even language.
    In his much-acclaimed trilogy, now up-dated and revised, Dr Webster builds up a fascinating and lively picture of Britain in the first century AD and discussed in detail the various types of evidence and the theories based upon it.
    Caratacus' last stand against the Romans has a central place in the folklore of the Welsh Marches, where many a hill is claimed to be the site of the famous battle. But, as Graham Webster shows, this epic encounter was not only real history but also part of an intricate ten-year series of campaigns conducted after the initial conquest of Britain.
    By interpreting the ancient historical accounts and piecing together the masses of archaeological evidence, Dr Webster has brilliantly reconstructed this central period of the Claudian Conquest of Britain and its immediate aftermath.

    Acknowledgments, List of plates, List of line illustrations, Preface, Preface to revised edition, Historical Chart, 1 Introduction, 2 The Last Stand of Caratacus, 3 The Scapulan Frontier: The Legionary Fortresses and the Sea Routes, 4 The Scapulan Frontier: The Land Routes, 5 Aulus Didius Gallus and the Northern Advance, 6 The Advance under Quintus Veranius, APPENDIES, 1 Translation of the relevant texts from Tacitus, Dio and Suetonius, 2 Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus, 3 The Roman Army at the time of Claudius, 4 The Seven Sisters Hoard, 5 Four Tombstones from Wroxeter, 6 Place-names in Roman and modern forms, 7 Glossary of Latin Terms, 8 Glossary of Technical Terms, Notes and References, Index

    Biography

    Graham Webster is one of Britain's most eminent archaeologists, with a long and distinguished career which earned him an OBE. He has directed major excavations at Romano-British sites and has specialized in Roman Britain and the Roman imperial army.

    'Dr Webster has long been the leading authority in this field, and his book therefore represents a welcome up-dating of progress' – Local History Magazine

    'Rome Against Caratacus makes an important contribution to Roman frontier studies and to the history of Roman Britain in its brilliant reconstruction of the central period of the Claudian conquest and its immediate aftermath (A.D. 48-58)' – The History Teacher

    'What Graham Webster has provided is a thorough, up-to-date assessment of the period which will remain the basis from which all further research will proceed' –  Times Literary Supplement