Alumnus Dr Simon Elliott, who completed his PhD in the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies, has just published his third book entitled Septimius Severus in Scotland: The Northern Campaigns of the First Hammer of the Scots (Greenhill Books, 2018).
Septimius Severus was the first of the great reforming emperors of the Roman military, and his reforms are explained in the context of how he concentrated power around the imperial throne. Since 1975, much new archaeological evidence has come to light to illuminate the immense undertaking of Severus’ campaigns in Scotland, allowing for the first time the true story of this savage invasion to be told. In the early 3rd century, Severus, the ageing Roman emperor, launched an immense ‘shock and awe’ assault on Scotland that was so savage it resulted in eighty years of peace at Rome’s most troublesome border.
The book shows how his force of 50,000 troops supported by the fleet, hacked their way through the Maeatae around the former Antonine Wall and then pressed on into Caledonian territory up to the Moray Firth. There is also an in-depth look at the political, economic and social developments that occurred in the Province.
The book is aimed at all who have an interest in both military and Roman history. It will particularly appeal to those who are keen to learn more about the narrative of Rome’s military presence in Britain, and especially the great campaigns of which Severus’ assault on Scotland is the best example.
Simon previously published Empire State: How the Roman Military Built an Empire in 2017 and won Military History Magazine’s Book of the Year Award for Sea Eagles of the Empire, written in 2016 while undertaking his PhD.
Simon will also be coming to Kent next week to present on his experience of writing historical books, on Thursday 15 March, as part of the Humanities for Hire festival. For details of this event, please see: www.kent.ac.uk/secl/events/index.html?eid=29946
For more details, please see the publisher’s page here:
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Septimius-Severus-in-Scotland-Hardback/p/14535