Subscribe now for full access and no adverts
This book explores an important, new aspect of archaeological interpret-ation that deals with the description and transmission of mythical romanitas.
One of the most prominent and novel features of Dr Turner’s study is his use of what he terms ‘heat maps’, which indicate by colours the amount of imagery that occurs in different parts of Britannia. Three prolific regions are identified: the south-east, home to large urban settlements such as London and Colchester; the Cotswolds, where there is a huge cluster of Roman villas and temples; and the military areas in northern England. The author drills down into these clusters, and one feature he discusses is the difference between materials used in specific regions, particularly pointing to the divergent distribution of large stone structures in the north – mainly altars – and the small metal objects, expressing mythology on figurines or intaglios, that burgeon in the south-east. Although the author does not mention the possibility of practical reasons for these distributions, it seems to me that one explanation for this is because the area of Hadrian’s Wall (as indeed is the case in the Cotswolds) contains a lot of accessible limestone, relatively easy to carve, while the region around London is not so stone-rich and, at the same time, was well-positioned for imports of small objects.
This book casts a new and useful light on Roman Britain. However, I am a little doubtful of the way that the author treats myths and deities as one and the same concept. Myths, in many cultures, are stories that explain questions to do with life and death, cosmologies, the weather, and other issues that are important to humans but beyond their comprehension. In polytheistic systems, the gods are central to many myths, of course, but they also possess their own identity and functions.
There are two areas that would make this study all the more useful: some illustrations of sculptures, mosaics, and small personal objects, and – more importantly – an index of sites and themes. But, on a positive note, this book is likely to present an important milestone in Romano-British studies that will open a door into nuanced interpretations yet to be explored.
REVIEW BY MIRANDA ALDHOUSE-GREEN
Myths on the Edge of Empire: how Classical mythology spread throughout Roman Britain
Steven Paul Turner
Archaeopress, £45, or £16 eBook
ISBN 978-1805831433
