Digital Maps of the Ancient World

The Army in Britannia

Dive into the military history of Roman Britain with our meticulously curated reading list on the Roman army in Britannia.

Discover a wealth of scholarship that illuminates the organization, tactics, and daily life of the legions stationed in Britain during the Roman period. From renowned works by Holder, Bishop, and Birley to cutting-edge research by leading historians and archaeologists, our selection covers a wide range of topics, including recruitment, training, equipment, and fortifications. Explore firsthand accounts of campaigns, battles, and sieges that shaped the course of Roman military operations in Britain, as well as the role of auxiliary troops, navy, and logistics in maintaining imperial control. Delve into the latest archaeological discoveries, epigraphic evidence, and iconographic representations that offer invaluable insights into the experiences of soldiers stationed along Hadrian’s Wall, the Antonine Wall, and other strategic frontier zones. Whether you’re a seasoned scholar, military enthusiast, or history buff, our reading list provides a comprehensive overview of the Roman army’s presence and impact in Britannia.

General

  • Breeze, D.J. & Dobson, B., Hadrian’s Wall, London, 2000.
  • Holder, P.A., The Roman army in Britain, London, 1982.
  • Millett, M., Revell, L. & Moore, A.J., The Oxford handbook of Roman Britain, Oxford, 2016, Ch. 22-23.

Further Reading

  • Anderson, J.D., Roman military supply in North-East England: an analysis of and an alternative to the Piercebridge Formula, Oxford, 1992.
  • Bidwell, P.T. & Bailey, D., The legionary bath-house and basilica and forum at Exeter, with a summary account of the legionary fortress, Exeter, 1979.
  • Bidwell, P.T., Speak, S. & Brickstock, R.J., Excavations at South Shields Roman Fort: Vol.1, Newcastle, 1994.
  • Birley, A., Garrison life at Vindolanda: a band of brothers, Stroud, 2002.
  • Bishop, M.C., Handbook to Roman Legionary fortresses, Havertown, 2013.
  • Bowman, A.K., Life and letters on the Roman frontier: Vindolanda and its people, London, 1994.
  • Breeze, D.J., The Northern frontiers of Roman Britain, London, 1982.
  • Breeze, D.J., Roman Scotland: frontier country, London, 1996.
  • Breeze, D.J., The Antonine Wall: the north-west frontier of the Roman Wall : proposed as a World Heritage Site, Edinburgh, 2004.
  • Breeze, D.J., The frontiers of Imperial Rome, Barnsley, 2011.
  • Breeze, D.J., Bearsden: a Roman fort on the Antonine Wall, Edinburgh, 2016.
  • Brewer, R.J., Roman fortresses and their legions: [papers in honour of George C. Boon], London, 2000.
  • Collingwood Bruce, J., Handbook to the Roman Wall, 1966.
  • Davies, R.W., ‘The Roman Military Diet’ in Britannia Vol.2, 1971, 122-142.
  • Davies, J. L. & Jones, R. H., Roman Camps in Wales and the Marches, Cardiff, 2006.
  • Hanson, W.S. & Maxwell, G., Rome’s north-west frontier: the Antonine Wall, Edinburgh, 1983.
  • Hassall, M., ‘The internal planning of Roman auxiliary forts’ in Rome and her northern provinces: papers presented to Sheppard Frere in honour of his retirement from the Chair of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire, University of Oxford, 1983, Oxford, 1983, 96-131.
  • Hingley, R., Hadrian’s Wall: a life, Oxford, 2012.
  • Hodgson, N., Hadrian’s Wall: archaeology and history at the limit of Rome’s empire, Marlborough, 2017.
  • Hunter, F. & Keppie, L.J.F (ed.) A Roman frontier post and its people: Newstead 1911-2011, Edinburgh, 2015.
  • Johnson, A., Roman forts: of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD in Britain and the German provinces, London, 1983.
  • Johnson, S., The Roman forts of the Saxon Shore, London, 1979.
  • Johnson, S., Late Roman fortifications, London, 1983.
  • Johnson, P. & Haynes, I., Architecture in Roman Britain, York, 1996.
  • Jones, R.H., Roman camps in Scotland, Edinburgh, 2011.
  • Jones, R.H., Roman camps in Britain, Stroud, 2012.
  • Keppie, L.J.F, The making of the Roman army: from Republic to Empire, London, 1984.
  • Keppie, L.J.F., The legacy of Rome: Scotland’s Roman remains, Edinburgh, 2004.
  • Keppie, L.J.F., The antiquarian rediscovery of the Antonine Wall, Edinburgh, 2012.
  • Maxfield, V.A. & Dobson, M.J., Roman frontier studies 1989: proceedings of the XVth International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies, Exeter, 1991.
  • Maxwell, G.S., A gathering of eagles: scenes from Roman Scotland, Edinburgh, 1998.
  • Pearson, A., The construction of the Saxon Shore Forts, Oxford, 2003.
  • Pitts, L.F. & St Joseph, J.K.S., Inchtuthil: the Roman legionary fortress : excavations, 1952-65, London, 1985.
  • Rushworth, A. & Allason-Jones, L., Housesteads Roman Fort: the grandest station : excavation and survey at Housesteads, 1954-95, by Charles Daniels, John Gillam, James Crow, and others, Swindon, 2009.
  • Southern, P., ‘Men and mountains, or geographical determination and the conquest of Scotland’ in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Vol.126, 1996, 371-386.
  • Southern, P. & Dixon, K.R., The late Roman army, London, 1996.
  • Welfare, H. & Swan, V., Roman camps in England: The field archaeology, London, 1995.
  • Wilmott, T., Birdoswald: excavations of a Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall and its successor settlements, 1987-92, London, 1997.