The Roman Wall

Bruce, J. Collingwood (John Collingwood), 1805-189Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 732K words
Chapters: 74

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Roman Wall by J. Collingwood BruceAuthor: Bruce, J. Collingwood (John Collingwood), 1805-1892,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Nov 1, 2015

Editor's review

This book is John Collingwood Bruce's classic study of the remains of the Roman frontier in Britain, not an ordinary guidebook. Grounded in careful field observation and documentary research, it presents the course, structure, inscriptions, and related remains of Hadrian's Wall, combining the value of an archaeological record with historical narrative. Bruce devoted years to the study of Roman frontier works, and his prose carries the rigor and restraint of a nineteenth-century scholar; readers can glimpse the methods and preoccupations of early Wall scholarship. As a public-domain ebook, it suits readers interested in the Roman imperial frontier, British history, and the history of archaeology, and also serves as a primary text against which to compare modern research. Read it as a historically grounded source rather than the latest archaeological report; with maps and chronological context at hand, its documentary value becomes clearer.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the Roman imperial frontier and the history of Hadrian's Wall
History enthusiasts curious about nineteenth-century archaeological writing
University students needing public-domain English source material for coursework
History readers who enjoy accounts of field monuments and inscriptions

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting the latest archaeological discoveries and contemporary conclusions
General tourists seeking only light travel essays or illustrated guides
Readers with limited English who prefer not to look up background knowledge

Reading tips

First check the basic orientation and chronology of Hadrian's Wall before entering the text to lower the barrier to understanding.
Keep a map or modern Wall reference at hand, and distinguish nineteenth-century views from present-day conclusions.
Take brief notes on inscriptions and architectural terms; there is no need to read every passage closely—select chapters by interest.
After finishing, read a modern research overview to compare how scholarship has changed over more than a century.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a historical work?

It is a historical study of the Roman frontier in Britain, combining a nineteenth-century scholar's field records with documentary discussion; it is neither a novel nor a modern travel guide.

Can readers with only average English manage it?

Yes, but the book involves architectural terms, place names, and inscriptions, so keep a dictionary handy and learn the Wall's background first. For a general overview, start with the introductory chapters and skip the dense antiquarian passages.

Is it suitable as a main reference for research on Hadrian's Wall?

It works well as an early research source and a guide to documentary leads, but not as a sole authority. Modern archaeology has updated many details, so it is best used alongside contemporary scholarship.

Why read the public-domain electronic edition?

Public-domain ebooks are easy to search, copy, and obtain free of charge, making them useful for textual comparison and excerpts; note, however, the edition information and typesetting quality, and verify page or chapter references against the original when quoting.

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About the author

Bruce, J. Collingwood (John Collingwood), 1805-189 Author

J. Collingwood Bruce (John Collingwood Bruce, 1805–1892) was a British scholar. His dates and nationality are recorded only briefly in publicly available sources, and firm details about him are limited. Two of his works are held here, both concerned with history and archaeology: The Bayeux Tapestry Elucidated offers an interpretation of the famous Bayeux Tapestry, placing it within medieval historical and visual-source scholarship, while The Roman Wall focuses on the frontier wall built by the Roman Empire in Britain, touching on Roman-era military defence and the study of its remains. Judging from these two works, his writing is grounded in source criticism and the description of ancient monuments, and is aimed at readers interested in early British history and archaeology, offering some reference value in the popularisation and organisation of these subjects.