02-26-2010, 11:16 AM
Quote:That would be where I read it, thanks for the jog...No problem. Archaeology marches on, expanding our knowledge and challenging assumptions from 20 or 30 years ago.
I simply can't identify with comments like: "I wasn't aware the Romans were currently carrying out renovations to their Forts to warrant an up-to-date revision". I'm sure most people realise that knowledge expands with continuing research. The horses-in-barracks was probably the main thing that I wanted to emphasize -- handbooks like Johnson's, that you might find in your local library, pre-date this discovery. Another is the role of fort annexes -- Johnson didn't even mention these important features, which may be relevant to a discussion of where any livestock could be corralled. (And while we're reviewing Johnson, she skims over the bathhouse in three paragraphs, one diagram and one photo -- I think this interesting structure deserves a longer discussion; and I think her explanation of the niches at Chesters is wrong in any case.) And another "up-to-date" topic, especially as our female colleagues become more interested in what has always been a male-dominated subject, might be whether there were women in Roman forts; Johnson never mentions this.
Inevitably, the bulk of our knowledge of forts comes from Britain and Germany, with over a century of research in these countries. The Osprey book has tried to integrate more recent discoveries from (e.g.) Hungary and Rumania, which are more difficult to research (as explained on p. 62). And of course Johnson never touched these, nor the splendid forts of Jordan and north Africa, that fall beyond the scope of her book. But these are all elements that go towards creating an authoritative and up-to-date overview, and have perhaps been overlooked by people who haven't given the subject much thought, or who are more comfortable with the out-of-date researches of the 1980s.
I guess there are always those who will judge a book by its cover, by its publisher or by its size, when really they should read it before passing judgement.
