Visions of the Roman North: Art and Identity in Northern Roman Britain
By (author) Iain Ferris
Paperback (Published)
(April 2021)
ISBN: 9781789699050
6.81 x 9.61 inches
Price: $49.00
On back order
This is the first book to analyse art from the northern frontier zones of Roman Britain and to interpret the meaning and significance of this art in terms of the formation of a regional identity. It argues that a distinct and vibrant visual culture flourished in the north, primarily due to its status as a heavily militarized frontier zone.
Visions of the Roman North: Art and Identity in Northern Roman Britain is the first book to present an analysis of art from the northern frontier zones of Roman Britain and to interpret the meaning and significance of this art in terms of the formation of a regional identity at this time. It argues that a distinct and vibrant visual culture flourished in the north during the Roman period, primarily due to its status as a heavily militarized frontier zone. Artworks from forts and the frontier-works of Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall, along with funerary monuments from military and civilian cemeteries, are analysed and discussed. The book also explores religious sculpture depicting classical deities, Romano-British gods and goddesses and eastern deities such as Mithras in terms of the use of imagery in various belief systems and in terms of the establishment of individual and group identities.
Preface ;
Chapter One: A Land Apart ;
Chapter Two: Shadowplayers ;
Chapter Three: Gods and Mortals ;
Chapter Four: Artifice and Transcendence ;
Chapter Five: The Good Soldier ;
Chapter Six: Building an Image ;
Chapter Seven: Image and Identity ;
Chapter Eight: Remembering and Forgetting ;
Chapter Nine: A Landscape of Possibilities ;
Further Reading ;
Index
Iain Ferris is an archaeologist living in Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, Wales. He has over forty years of experience working in professional archaeology in Britain and abroad and in teaching archaeology at Birmingham and Manchester universities. His research interests include Roman art and material culture and Romano-British archaeology and artefacts. He has directed major archaeological research excavations in northern and midland England and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He has published widely in academic journals and is the author of nine books, all on Roman art and archaeology.
- By (author) Iain Ferris
"'...this is amongst the very best books on Roman Britain which I have ever read. It engages with what made Northern Britain special and culturally distinct in the Roman Empire. There is a real understanding for Northern Roman Britain here, and an understanding for a unique artistic culture that raises it very high indeed as a book on the provincial art of the Roman Empire.' - Revd Professor Martin Henig, University of Oxford"
—
‘…this is amongst the very best books on Roman Britain which I have ever read. It engages with what made Northern Britain special and culturally distinct in the Roman Empire. There is a real understanding for Northern Roman Britain here, and an understanding for a unique artistic culture that raises it very high indeed as a book on the provincial art of the Roman Empire.’ – Revd Professor Martin Henig, University of Oxford
—
‘The volume has been carefully edited and beautifully produced. The chapters are exceedingly well illustrated (107 figures total, with the majority in color), all of which helpfully supports the author’s often detailed analyses of individual works (including multiple views of some)… All in all, Visions of the Roman North is a rich and challenging ‘long essay’ that should appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, from specialists of Roman provincial art to students to museumgoers.’ – Sinclair W. Bell (2026): Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal
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New Perspectives and Controversies
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