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REVIEW BY FEDERICO SANTANGELO
Shortly after the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree, David Breeze gathered an outstanding lineup of contributors to reflect on specific sections of Hadrian’s Wall: the result was a brilliant little book that should be required reading ahead of a visit to the Wall (Hadrian’s Wall in Our Time, 2024). Breeze has now produced a follow-up edited volume that ostensibly has a narrower focus, but proves just as inspiring. This splendidly illustrated collection of 75 short pieces is not just about some of the remarkable trees that may still be found along the Wall (two personal favourites: the Carvoran Fort Sycamore and the staggering Beltingham Yew), nor indeed about the saplings of the Sycamore Gap tree and the archaeological context that surrounds it. It is a set of studies of trees and wood along the Wall and across the surrounding region; the range of the collection is very pleasingly wide. We are presented with essays on sacred and mythical trees in Roman culture, the dendrology of the Caledonian forest, the long-term history of the exploitation of the woodlands along the Wall, and much else.
It is fairly intuitive, even in a post-deforestation age, that trees should be central to the understanding of the landscape in which Hadrian’s Wall belongs. This book urges us not to take that straightforward point for granted, and to pursue fully its implications. That entails thinking harder about how the terrain was harnessed and managed, and how the resources that trees provided were put to the service of human communities. We are reminded that worked wood may be found pretty much everywhere: from writing tablets to wheels, from doors to boats, from sewing kits to the foundations of garrison ramparts, from toilet seats to jewellery. Thinking about its exploitation and management is a major historical undertaking.
This book powerfully conveys the ingenuity and creativity of recent and current work on the Wall, and its ability to contribute to wider historical explorations. It sits in a tradition that proudly goes back to John Collingwood Bruce, and is steeped in first-hand knowledge of the landscape and detailed engagement with the material. Crucially, it is driven by a strong civic ethos. It deserves a place in serious university libraries and many private ones, too.
Hadrian’s Wall and Its Trees
David J Breeze (ed.)
Archaeopress, £29.99
ISBN 978-1805830986
