Undiscovered Scotland

 

"Agricola: Architect of Roman Britain" by Simon Turney is an outstandingly good biography of a man who, as the title suggests, did much to shape the story of the Romans in Britain. The problem historians have had in considering Agricola is that a biography was written of him by his son-in-law, Tacitus, and modern opinions differ widely about the extent to which his account is reliably factual or, as many suspect, intended to present Agricola in the best possible light.

A good outline of the book is given in the publisher's description of it: "Gnaeus Julius Agricola was a man fated for conquest and tied to the island of Britannia. He cut his teeth on military command during the revolt of Boudicca, later commanded a legion against the warlike Brigantes and was finally given the governorship of the province and was able to lead the armies north, incorporating into the empire the wild northern lands that had remained unclaimed for three decades. He broke the back of the Scottish tribes at Mons Graupius and achieved what no other Roman ever managed. Agricola had a settled Britannia in his hands, only to be removed and see it evaporate without him. Agricola’s biography was written by his son-in-law Tacitus, and his life has otherwise never been examined in detail. Here, using the archaeological record and contemporary accounts to compare with Tacitus, we work to uncover the truth about the man who made Roman Britain. Was Tacitus an unreliable narrator?"

Simon Turney writes extremely well and his approach is careful and detailed, yet at the same time very accessible and in places wryly amusing. We've never before seen a historian draw on examples from Asterix in talking about the Romans, yet it is very effective. The author tends to be very clear about the assumptions he is making when assessing the likelihood of events and alternative possibilities. The result is that when he reaches his preferred interpretation of a particular episode, as a reader you are clear why he has done so. We found ourselves drawn in by the approach the author takes to the story he is telling and, as long time fans of Rosemary Sutcliffe's book, were especially interested in the analysis set out in the chapter entitled "The Eagle of the Ninth". This is an excellent book that deserves to be widely read.