Hadrian's Wall AD 122-410 (Fortress, 2) by Nic Fields
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Book Summary Author: Nic Fields Illustrator: Donato Spedaliere Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2003-02-19 ISBN: 1841764302 Number of pages: 64 Publisher: Osprey Publishing |
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Book Reviews of the Hadrian's Wall AD 122-410 (Fortress, 2)
Customer Review: I'd have to disagree
Summary: 4 Stars
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.