Review by Andrew Tibbs
The importance of Chester in the Roman period cannot be overestimated. Not only was it an important military centre with the establishment of a legionary fortress (Deva) in the 1st century, but the subsequent development of a major urban centre around the military site and in the wider region demonstrates its continued importance into the later centuries and beyond.
This volume details excavations on a former Ministry of Defence army camp to the south-east of the fortress and main urban settlement. Archaeologists uncovered a settlement, with an adjacent 20ha field system. Occupied around the 2nd-4th centuries, the settlement was high status and potentially part of a wider villa complex. With few villas located in the region, this is an exceptional discovery, which further improves our knowledge of this important area of Roman Britain. Clearly written and illustrated throughout, this book is worthwhile exploring for anyone interested in the Roman history of Chester.
Excavations at Chester: Roman land division and a probable villa in the hinterland of Deva – excavation at Saighton Army Camp, Huntington, Chester Philip N Wood and David G Griffiths Archaeopress, £30, and Open Access e-book ISBN 978-803272276
