Roman Oxfordshire. - Review - book review

Contemporary Review, Jan, 2001

Roman Oxfordshire. Martin Henig & Paul Booth with Tim Allen. Sutton Publishing. [pound]25.00. 244 pages. ISBN 0-7509-19590. The twentieth century has seen (or saw, depending on when one defines its end) an explosion in archaeological research. This research has in turn profoundly affected our understanding of Roman, pre-Roman and early Anglo-Saxon history.

This volume brings Roman Britain to life in text, photographs, drawings and maps. It concentrates on the wealth of Roman remains in Oxfordshire: villages, settlements, military sites, walled towns, temple complexes and pottery remains round Oxford itself. The discoveries show that 'the Romans' in Oxford, and largely therefore in Britain, were 'local inhabitants in Roman dress' because they wished to be thought of as Roman citizens. Roman Britain, as seen in Oxfordshire, was 'a far more complex entity' than one thought. Those who wish to see the results of the work described so clearly in this volume are urged to visit the County Museum in Woodstock, where t he Roman remains section has been redesigned in accordance with this book.