Tony Wilmott

The economic and political challenges along the maritime borders of the Roman Empire were multiple. The North Sea coasts were the focus of the attention of traders within the framework of commercial exchanges, of the General Staff preparing for the conquest of Britain under Claudius, and for the defence of the coastlines from the time that their protection became required. The design of a defensive system and the establishment of a supportive force followed a long path through five centuries, adapting to each development and changing strategy and evolving military installations. It had to face the threat of Saxon pirates, not to mention the use of the Roman fleet for political purposes as under Carausius. Military systems are complex because they rely upon the combination of various elements, ports, fleets – thus the famous Classis Britannica – forts protecting estuaries and watch-towers. This border represents a page in military maritime history, but its coasts, in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium and France, contain archaeological sites of high heritage value that deserve a large audience.

This is the first study of all the Roman amphitheatres in Britain, and it draws on very recent excavations at Chester, London and Silchester. Tony Wilmott describes every amphitheatre, amphitheatre-type structure and mixed theatre/amphitheatre structure in the province. He discusses the different types - rural, military and urban - and explores whether such differences are significant in terms of the uses to which the buildings were put. He then focuses on the participants in the arena spectacles - the gladiators and the animals. New evidence on the identity and behaviour of spectators is discussed. Accompanying illustrations come from inscriptions, paintings, mosaics and artefacts.

This book tells the story of 1,800 years in the life of a fort on Hadrian's Wall, from its construction in a boggy wood as part of the Emperor Hadrian's frontier in the AD 120s to the lottery-funded study centre opened in 1999.