Simon Elliott, a doctoral student in the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies, has just published historical book Sea Eagles of Empire: The Classis Britannica and the Battles for Britain (The History Press, 2016).
The Roman war machine comprised land and naval forces. Although the former has been studied extensively, less has been written and understood about the naval forces of the Roman Empire. Britain’s navy, known as Classis Britannica until the mid-third century, was a strong fighting force in its own right. Its vessel types, personnel, tactics, roles and technology have never been studied in depth. In his book, Simon explores the story of this famed naval force, through the reigns of several Roman emperors, discussing the important role it played in military campaigns all across Europe and in policing the waters of the Roman Empire in Britain.
Roman history is Simon’s area of research for his PhD in Classical & Archaeological Studies, for which he is completing his thesis on ‘Late Roman Kent’ under the supervision of Dr Steve Willis.
For more details about the book, please see the publisher’s page here: www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/sea-eagles-of-empire/9780750966023/