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oliainchina's review
4.0
A great introductory book written by an author who is clearly passionate about his subject and translates this passion to the reader. But don’t you think that this is an easy read.
This is an old and dusty classic, but no one else seems to have written anything solid on Roman England. There are not many historical accounts of the time, and there are not many remains that can tell precisely what happened after the Romans set to colonise Britain in 43 AD. It is more of an archeology book that tries to build a coherent story on the basis of the rare finds, like ruined villas and town houses, the Walls and the roads, a few treasure troves, altars, crockery, coins, and various bolts and pieces, as well as place names, which fascinated me as a linguist.
Some things stunned me, like the fact that some Britons lived in the same way, growing corn and raising cattle, in the same locality, without any change since 7 BC to 4 AD. When we’ve had huge changes during the last three centuries, this stability amazes me.
It also came as a surprise that Germanic tribes, unlike the Romans and the Norsemen settled in Britain slowly, through five centuries. It was exciting to read about the place names that go back to those times and remember now perished tribes.
The early Anglo-Saxon “period” seems like a chaotic time, with not so much material evidence, but Blair managed to create a more or less coherent picture of it. I wish he wrote more on scholarship and arts that flourished in those times, but this is just an intro, which couldn’t contain all the information, of course.
I especially liked seldom, but keen and beautiful reflections of the author on each period.
A detailed, captivating, and although often dry book, it is highly rewarding if you are into the English past.
This is an old and dusty classic, but no one else seems to have written anything solid on Roman England. There are not many historical accounts of the time, and there are not many remains that can tell precisely what happened after the Romans set to colonise Britain in 43 AD. It is more of an archeology book that tries to build a coherent story on the basis of the rare finds, like ruined villas and town houses, the Walls and the roads, a few treasure troves, altars, crockery, coins, and various bolts and pieces, as well as place names, which fascinated me as a linguist.
Some things stunned me, like the fact that some Britons lived in the same way, growing corn and raising cattle, in the same locality, without any change since 7 BC to 4 AD. When we’ve had huge changes during the last three centuries, this stability amazes me.
It also came as a surprise that Germanic tribes, unlike the Romans and the Norsemen settled in Britain slowly, through five centuries. It was exciting to read about the place names that go back to those times and remember now perished tribes.
The early Anglo-Saxon “period” seems like a chaotic time, with not so much material evidence, but Blair managed to create a more or less coherent picture of it. I wish he wrote more on scholarship and arts that flourished in those times, but this is just an intro, which couldn’t contain all the information, of course.
I especially liked seldom, but keen and beautiful reflections of the author on each period.
A detailed, captivating, and although often dry book, it is highly rewarding if you are into the English past.
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