Living on the Edge of Empire: The Objects and People of Hadrian’s Wall by Rob Collins
4 stars
Living On the Edge Of Empire: The Objects And People Of Hadrian’s Wall is a non-fiction collection of artefacts discovered along Hadrian’s Wall often from archaeological finds.
Rob Collins and the curators of Hadrian’s Wall have attempted to draw a picture of what life was like during the 300 years of Roman occupation.
The book is filled with beautiful pictures of many of the items found and these are used to illustrate the nine chapters. These sections include life in the frontier, clothing, business and leisure, religion and one of my favourites ‘unknowns’; items which truly baffle the experts.
I’ve always enjoyed the idea of digging up treasures left from bygone years and I was a fan of television’s Time Team for years, so this book held my interest. I’ve yet to visit Hadrian’s Wall, but it is on my wish list.
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Dr Rob Collins and the curators of the remarkable collections from Hadrian’s Wall present a striking new contribution to understanding the archaeology of a Roman frontier.
This highly-illustrated volume showcases the artefacts recovered from archaeological investigations along Hadrian’s Wall in order to examine the daily lives of those living along the Northern Frontier of the Roman Empire. Presented by theme, no other book offers such a diverse and thorough range of the rich material culture of the Wall.
The accompanying text provides an ethnographic perspective, guiding us through the everyday lives of the people of frontier communities, from the Commanding Officer to the local farmer. This holistic view allows us an insight into the homes and communities, how people dressed, what they ate and drank, their religions and beliefs, domestic and military forms of security, and how they conducted their business and pleasure.
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Rosie Amber 
I found the Hadrian’s Wall excavations endlessly fascinating. Not only is it an engineering feat (the remaining sections run in an absolutely militarily precise straight line) but the wealth of objects left behind is both stunning and moving. We saw pictures of military and family life—beautifully laid out towns, bathrooms with running water, piles of tiny discarded children’s shoes, an invitation to a child’s birthday party. I think this sounds like a wonderful book. Thanks for introducing me to it.
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One of my favourite books, when I was 11, was Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff, about a lost Roman Legion. This book sounds fascinating, Rosie.
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I quite like a bit of Roman history too, Liz. There is still so much to learn about them.
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And we are lucky to have so many Roman remains to visit.
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I would love to see Hadrian’s Wall or what is left of it, having read about it in many historical fiction novels. I’m sure excavating there is a wonderful and exciting job – along with a lot of hard work and dirt!
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Perhaps we can meet there one day?
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