REVIEW BY KK
Rogers’ book serves well as a succinct introduction to the Roman towns of Britain. It starts by discussing how these towns evolved, whether de novo or through the expansion of pre-existing settlement sites, and highlights the different types of development, from civitas to coloniae. It then goes on to discuss the various buildings and structures that were common within these towns, from municipal buildings to infrastructure (Chapter 2), the different people who inhabited these spaces (Chapter 3) and their daily lives (Chapter 4), to setting these towns within the wider urban landscape (Chapter 5). The final chapter (Chapter 6) discusses the end of the Roman period and the impact that this had on the future of these towns.
At only 64 pages in length, this is obviously an abridged account of the rise and fall of Roman towns, but notwithstanding its brevity still manages to pack in the essentials, providing the reader with a good foundational knowledge of the subject.
Adam Rogers Amberley Publishing, £8.99 ISBN 978-1445698601
