Hadrian's Wall AD 122-410 (Fortress, 2) [Paperback]

Nic Fields (Author), Donato Spedaliere (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Fortress | Publication Date: February 19, 2003

Hadrian’s Wall is the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain. It is the best known frontier in the entire Roman Empire and stands as a reminder of the past glories of one of the world's greatest civilisations. Its origins lie in a visit by the Emperor Hadrian to Britain in AD 122 when he ordered the wall to be built to mark the northern boundary of his Empire and 'to separate the Romans from the Barbarians'. This title details the design, development and construction of the wall and covers the everyday lives of those who manned it as well as the assaults it withstood.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr Nic Fields started his career as a biochemist before joining the Royal Marines. Having left the Navy, he went back to University and completed a BA and PhD in Ancient History at the University of Newcastle. He was Assistant Director at the British School of Archaeology, Athens, and is now a lecturer in Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (February 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841764302
• ISBN-13: 978-1841764306
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #530,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'd have to disagree, October 8, 2004

By 

B. Marshall "asmorpheus" (Edinburgh, Scotland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hadrian's Wall AD 122-410 (Fortress, 2) (Paperback)

I am afraid I am going to have to disagree with the previous reviews of this book. Knowing a little about Osprey publishing and the way the set their guidlines for authors, I feel the brevity was in no way Dr. Fields fault. This conclusion was drawn particularly from the fact that Osprey required a certain word limit which was met in this 64 page volume.

That said I also have to disagree with the previous entries concerning the doctrinal importance and context of Hadrian's Wall. Indeed I feel Dr. Fields is correct in his assertion that Hadrian's wall was not a defensive point, but a staging point for operations further afield and a watch station to better react to problems before they got to the wall. As Webster in his 1998 republication of The Roman Imperial Army noted that the purpose of the wall was to "impose total control over all traffic passing in and out of the Province, with provision for the collection of fees, tolls and duties and a thorough inspection of goods and persons. Its military purpose is less clear, but it certainly could never have been used as a fighting platform, only as a patrol track. An efficient signalling system and alert surveillance by forwads units would have made it possible for command HQ to order units to move forward through the fort and milecastle gateways to any area to deal with hostile elements." This passage sums up Hadrian's Wall to 'T'. The actual garrison at any given locality on Hadrian's wall couldn't have held it for any length of time against a determined enemy. In addition to this fact it is worth noting that the emperor to succeed Hadrian, Antoninus Pius (AD 138-161), in short order moved the frontier to the lowlands of Scotland where he did in fact build earthen fortifications. So in conclusion I would argue that this book is well worth a read for those who want a simplified glance at the defensive work that still provides a decent synopsis and sufficient depth. This combined with a thorough biliography should mean that this is an excellent staging point for anyone insterested in doing further research on the Wall, its functions and significance.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Buy the Visitor Guide Instead of this Book, March 30, 2003

By 

R. A Forczyk (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hadrian's Wall AD 122-410 (Fortress, 2) (Paperback)

Hadrian's Wall AD 122 - 410 is the second in Osprey's new Fortress series that aims to summarize the "design, technology and history of key fortresses, strategic positions and defensive systems." This new series should serve to fill in many of the gaps of traditional military history, by providing greater detail on the fortresses that have shaped warfare throughout the centuries. Having spent a day exploring Hadrian's Wall several years ago, I felt that few could fail to be impressed by this unique remnant of Roman military engineering. Unfortunately, I wish I could say that same about Osprey's Fortress #2, but I cannot. Dr. Nic Fields, a professor in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh, knows his material but writes in the typical horrid British academic style that reduces all the essential elements of this topic to a opaque mush. Like many academics who write about ancient military history, Fields is too-often sidetracked by esoteric archaeological issues and cannot focus on the actual military aspects of his subject. Furthermore, Fields has borrowed liberally from D.J. Breeze's earlier works on Hadrian's Wall and readers would be advised to check out that author's work in preference to this volume.

Hadrian's Wall AD 122 - 410 begins with a description of the various types of Roman fortifications, the origins of the wall and a very brief chronology. The heart of the book lies in the chapters discussing the anatomy of the wall, the wall's construction, the function of the wall, it's garrison and life on the wall. The author includes three low-quality 2-D maps, all of which are inferior to those in the Visitor's Guide one can purchase on the modern site of the wall. There are also seven color art scenes that are decent: a milecastle, a turret, the cavalry fort at Chesters, early development of the wall, the fort at Birdoswald, a night raid on the wall and a Roman punitive raid against the Caledonians. One of the best aspects of the volume is a detailed chart that depicts the various Roman garrisons at all the major locations of the Wall in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries. Unfortunately, since the author makes little effort to discuss Roman military organization, it is difficult to determine how many troops (at least the nominal strength) might have been along the wall in these periods.

The fundamental problem with this volume is that the author views the Wall in terms of its material - brick, stone and mortar - instead of how it fit doctrinally into Rome's military strategy. With precious little insight, the author advances the theory that the wall was primarily designed as an observation platform rather than a fighting position, since the walls were too narrow. Further, Dr Fields argues that since the Roman Army was an "offensive army," it did not defend static positions. This is nonsense. Anyone who has seen Hadrian's Wall and has knowledge of basic defensive tactics will see that the Roman units chose terrain that was very advantageous for defense. If the wall was merely intended for observation as the author contends, why not build simple earth ramparts with watchtowers, like the Limes in Germany?

The author also contends that the defenses of Hadrian's Wall were not particularly impressive but this is also rubbish, since the various tribes in the north of Scotland lacked any tools for siege warfare. A 21-foot high stonewall with a garrison atop it would have been a very serious obstacle to lightly armed and poorly-organized tribesmen. The fact that the tribesmen did breach a section of the wall in 181 AD is far more indicative of a temporary lapse in Roman discipline and order than a fundamental defect in Hadrian's Wall. The Roman's built Hadrian's Wall - an enormous effort and expense - in order to achieve economy of force in what was essentially a secondary theater. By building the wall, the Romans could garrison the northern frontier of Britannia with modest auxiliary forces, allowing some of the regular legions to be transferred to more critical theaters like Germany and the Danube. Even the regular Roman units that remained in England could be utilized to secure the major population centers, rather than wasting away on a thinly populated frontier. At the cost of a five-year engineering effort, the Romans secured their northern frontier in Britannia for nearly three centuries - a bargain.

Hadrian's Wall is worthy of study as a very cost-effective effort that achieved the maximum efficiency for Roman Britain at the lowest cost. The construction of the wall was truly amazing and Dr Fields failed to emphasize that the wall was built by infantryman, not trained engineers (although there were technical advisors). When one visits the wall today, the visitor can see unit insignias such as bulls or lions engraved on the century markers, denoting which infantry company (centuria) built that section of the wall. The pride in their achievement, as well as its longevity, are evident for all to see - except in this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The second greatest wall, July 7, 2008

By 

J. Hornby (New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hadrian's Wall AD 122-410 (Fortress, 2) (Paperback)

Like the great wall of china, Hadrian's wall was a feat to build and maintian against marrauding barberians. It was breached and rebuilt many time until it became to a point where it could not long be maintianed. You'll learn about how they lived and policed the wall. If ancient Rome is you liking, you'll love the detailed informaiton.