Living on the Edge of Empire: The Objects and People of Hadrian's Wall

by Rob Collins

Dr Rob Collins and the curators of the remarkable collections from Hadrian's Wall present a striking new contribution to understanding the archaeology of a Roman frontier.Dr Rob Collins and the curators of the remarkable collections from Hadrian's Wall present a striking new contribution to understanding the archaeology of a Roman frontier. This highly illustrated volume showcases the artifacts recovered from archaeological investigations along Hadrian's Wall in order to examine the daily lives of those living along the Northern Frontier of the Roman Empire. Presented by theme, no other book offers such a diverse and thorough range of the rich material culture of the Wall. The accompanying text provides an ethnographic perspective, guiding us through the everyday lives of the people of frontier communities, from the Commanding Officer to the local farmer. This holistic view allows us an insight into the homes and communities, how people dressed, what they ate and drank, their religions and beliefs, domestic and military forms of security, and how they conducted their business and pleasure.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Roman History

167 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2021

Reviews

[Rosie Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living On the Edge Of Empire: The Objects And People Of Hadrian’s Wall is a non-fiction collection of artefacts discovered along Hadrian’s Wall often from archaeological finds.
Rob Collins and the curators of Hadrian’s Wall have attempted to draw a picture of what life was like during the 300 years of Roman occupation.


The book is filled with beautiful pictures of many of the items found and these are used to illustrate the nine chapters. These sections include life in the frontier, clothing, business and leisure, religion and one of my favourites ‘unknowns’; items which truly baffle the experts.

I’ve always enjoyed the idea of digging up treasures left from bygone years and I was a fan of television’s Time Team for years, so this book held my interest. I’ve yet to visit Hadrian’s Wall, but it is on my wish list.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting premise - step into the shoes of the people living on the "Roman Frontier" along Hadrian's Wall in ancient Britain via an examination of the objects that have been found/excavated there over the centuries - although it ended up being more of a look at the life of the objects themselves rather than a real exploration of life at Hadrian's Wall. I wanted more details about the people (how did the native Britons and the Roman army think of each other? What was daily life like for a soldier vs. a peasant? How did the Roman soldiers handle an environment so different from their home?) and even about the wall itself (did it serve its intended purpose? What did it look like in its heyday vs. the ruins we can see now? How was life different at the forts along the wall versus in the emptier stretches? What did people on either side think of the wall as it was being built, and after?). Regardless, the examination of the archaeological finds was fascinating, and it was thought-provoking to read the theories about each object and be able to look at the photos up-close.

[Robert Neil Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hadrian’s Wall conjures up images of an imposing barrier cutting across the northern English landscape, populated by stern-faced Roman soldiers prepared for the next barbarian attack. That isn’t completely wrong, but it is not the whole picture: Hadrian’s Wall became a community hub almost from when the Romans laid the first stone. Rob Collins has put together a book full of fascinating photographs of artefacts, illustrating the many facets of military and civilian life along Rome’s most permanent frontier.
Collins divides his book into eight chapters, encompassing all aspects of life along Hadrian’s Wall, and each lavishly illustrated with colour photographs. He starts with communities and homes, from farmsteads to military tents and barracks. This incorporates a little studies on demographics and furniture and lighting. How the people dressed, and their appearance are next, though perishable materials come mostly from the earlier period of the Wall. Some of the jewellery exhibited here is exquisite, but even the mundane artefacts are extraordinary in their way given how they shine a light on people’s everyday lives. What they ate and how they stored food follows, revealing how even this far off frontier was connected to the whole Empire. We should not forget that Hadrian’s Wall was primarily a military installation, and with that in mind, Collins turns to security, both personal and military, including weapons and armour. But the Wall also acted as an economic centre, so implements for trade and administration are covered here, with a section on leisure items included. Religion played a major role in antiquity and for those living on the Wall. Collins covers the full panoply of the Gods and religious practice in this chapter. Then comes a chapter of unknowns; oddities that we are not quite sure as to their function. All good things come to an end, depending on whose side you were on, and Collins’ last chapter surveys artefacts from the last days of the Wall as it transformed into an Anglo-Saxon zone. Appendices on where all the artefacts were found and museums in which you can see them concludes Collin’s book.
Living on the Edge of Empire is more than a collection of photographs of finds from Hadrian’s Wall; it serves as a useful primer to the Wall as a focal point for community life in all its variety. Collins has assembled an impressive range of materials, which reveal that sometimes the most significant finds come from the most commonplace items. Vindolanda features heavily in the array of objects, which is appropriate given how much has been carried out there. That might skew the picture of the whole Wall, but I think there is enough from other sources to provide balance. Collins’ text matches the artefacts in its clarity, with the final result being a neatly organised and illuminating book. If you cannot visit Hadrian’s Wall, this book might be the next best thing.

[PETER MICHAEL · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a military history perspective, it is hard for me to describe how much I enjoyed ‘Living on the Edge of Empire’. I really found the book hard to put down.
All readers will appreciate the wealth of fascinating photographs, the majority of which I hadn’t seen before. Most of the objects are in an amazing state of preservation considering their age, and give a moving insight into people’s everyday life on the bleak forbidding frontier.
Dr. Rob Collins and his team of curators pitch the narrative descriptions at the right level for general readers as well as aspiring historians. I particularly liked the fact that Collins also included non-military sections of the book – religions, the local populace, various crafts and some as yet unidentified objects.
As it’s a book that I will keep referring to in the future, I plan to buy a paper copy. The Kindle version is fine, but it is not easy to track the description of the photographs. Perhaps this is just an easily fixed teething problem.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has visited several sites along Hadrian's Wall, I thought this book would just be a nice reminder of my visits, but it is so much more. Anyone planning a trip along Hadrian's Wall really should have this book with them - or read it just before they go. When most people think of the Wall, Roman soldiers come to mind first and foremost. This book teaches us about the everyday people and their lives - as much as the archaeology allows. The photos are amazing (I think I spent far longer looking at them than actually reading!), and the section of items that haven't been figure out yet will have you puzzling over them.
A really great book for lovers of Roman history and those with a passing interest.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given access to this book as an E-ARC. Thank you to Pen & Sword and Pen & Sword Archaeology for accepting my request. All opinions are my own.

An easy to read, comprehensive and interesting look on both civilian and military life along Hadrian's Wall. Roman Britain is something that I'm personally interested about, and this book gave a great view into that side of British history in a way that was very easy to understand and made me want to learn more about it.

The pictures made it easy to visualise the finds and put them into context.

[Bookishgamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a supplement to my other reading material as a classical studies student.

This was a well laid out depiction of life on the edge of the Roman Empire. I am local to the area so am inspired to make another visit to Hadrian's wall!

The material chosen to appear is very relevant, and I found this to be well researched and written!

Thank you to Netgalley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of primary objects shown within the text - almost the text is supporting the images. More of a visual and context of the time and the topic. Great for those who want a visual of the Roman Empire at the edge of its control.

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look into the past. Told through the interpretation of objects found in or near Hadrian's Wall, and explaining their uses and how they related to daily life. Very well illustrated. Just very interesting!

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting and well researched book that helped to learn a lot about life at the edge of the Roman Empire.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Jeff Crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A readable volume that I enjoyed. It provides an historical framework for the archeological record. The illustrations are extensive, with attributions listed in an appendix. However, sources and documentation are not provided beyond the images.

[Helen Leighton-Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful and detailed book which opens up a new world of living on the edge of the Roman empire. Just simply, REALLY interesting.

[JONATHAN Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting compendium of objects dug up in the environs of the wall.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave me a much better idea of what life was like along Hadrian's Wall during the Roman era. The pictures of artifacts were much appreciated.

[wally walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A god account of life on Hadrians wall

[Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really cool way to teach about life along Hadrian's Wall. I learned quite a bit. I wish there had been more photos of the landscape and remaining portions of the wall to get a little better sense of the world, but overall this was great.