Dr Simon Elliott, alumnus and Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies, has made a number of media appearances drawing upon his expertise from his recent book Septimius Severus in Scotland: The Northern Campaigns of the First Hammer of the Scots (Greenhill Books, 2018).

Simon features in the latest issue of Minerva: The International Review of Ancient Art and Archaeology, dated July/August 2018, contributing an article entitled ‘The First “Hammer of the Scots”. Minerva is a bi-monthly magazine with a broad focus on all aspects of the ancient world.

In the article, Simon asks ‘how did Severus come to be in this far-flung place at the north-west edge of the Roman Empire – and what happened after he arrived?’ The article describes how Septimius Severus set about the brutal annihilation of the Caledonian people with his 50,000 strong Roman Army.

The issue of Minerva is out now, and stocked in newsagents across the UK. It is also available via subscription here: http://minervamagazine.co.uk

Simon also featured in The Independent newspaper last week, interviewed about the discovery of a Roman ‘hand of God’ near Hadrian’s Wall.

The hand is made of bronze is associated with the God Jupiter, beloved by the Roman military, and is believe to have been deposited as part of a religious ritual to mark the completion of a military fort where a temple to Jupiter was built.

The decision to build a temple within a fort took place after the Severus campaign in Scotland. ‘It was almost certainly one of the most brutal military campaigns ever fought on British soil. It’s likely that future archaeological investigations over the coming years will reveal the full horror of this long-forgotten conflict,’ explains Simon in the article.

To read the full article, please see The Independent page here.