Reports

IAN JACKSON “The Rocks at the Edge of the Empire” 19th March

Ian told us how the landscape of the northern frontier shaped the Roman occupation through stories about various remarkable places revealing secrets about places you thought you knew. His new book explores how the rocks of the Roman frontier in northern England shaped its history.

What did rocks ever do for the Romans? The answer is pretty much everything. From the siting of their defences, to providing building materials and the metals for their swords, slingshots and tools. They used coal to smelt metals and for heating and bath houses. Rocks ground their flour and sharpened their knives, copper and clay pots cooked their food.

Lead, umber and ochre made their pigments, paint and even make-up. Jasper and jet fashioned their jewels. Gypsum prepared their dead for burial. Inscribed stone made their tombs. Springs and wells sustained them in this life…… and the next. For Romans an understanding of the landscape was not just desirable, it was essential – their day-to-day lives and the resilience of the infrastructure of the Empire depended on it.