New beginnings: 2023
Quintus Valerius #3, The Loyal Centurion: research progress
Last week we finally made it to Edinburgh and beyond, with no train strikes and not even flooding or snow. It was bitterly cold, especially on Leith Water where we stayed for four nights in the super Malmaison Hotel. But the warmth and charm of the Edinburgh pubs and cafes really compensated. Plus the amazing bookshops; this one is Topping & Co, on Leith Walk, where I found an Iain M Banks I had missed from my Culture collection.
But the real research began with our trip to Abernethy Museum, in Fife on the south bank of the Tay. The courteous and helpful secretary, Angus Macintyre, showed us round the lovingly maintained Roman gallery, and then regaled us with tea and shortbreads and answered my many questions. Thank you, Angus!
Abernethy, of course, is where both Carpow Roman fort and Castlelaw Pictish hill fort are to be found. Carpow was built for the Severan campaigns, and is the most northerly Roman legionary fortress in the world (not counting Inchtuthil, which was demolished before it was completed.) There is little to see now, and the artefacts are mostly in Dundee (see below), but the position at the confluence of the Tay and Earn rivers was perfect. The fortress, supply depot and fortified harbour were needed for the campaigns Caracalla led into the deep north, against the combined Caledonians and Maeatae tribes. The fort housed up to 3,500 men, and covered 30 acres. It is even possible a boatbridge was built north from the riverside gate, right across the Tay.
From Abernethy we could clearly see Castlelaw hill fort, which is believed to have been the southern stronghold of the tribes later known collectively as the Picts, proving such a thorn in the side of the Romano-British. I like to think that watching the Romans building a large stone fort just below their ancient stronghold prompted the tribes to work together to form the future Pictish threat. (You’ll have to read the forthcoming The Loyal Centurion to see how this plays out in my story!)
I had a hankering to see what had been found at Carpow, so the following day we headed further north to Dundee, a dun-grey city of splendid public buildings. Here we enjoyed the McManus , home to some startling artefacts including a wondrous Bronze Age dugout canoe. But we were here to see what the Romans had left behind:
Can you imagine the difficulty of conveying intact window glass all the way by sea to Tayside? I hope the commandant appreciated the efforts of the classis britannica and his construction squaddies.
Last port of call was back at base, the National Museum of Scotland in the old town of Edinburgh. Here I was able to dig deep into a topic that fascinates me: how the Romans managed their restive neighbours north of the Wall for two centuries, after pulling back the legions for the final time in AD 212.
The answer turned out to be Roman silver. Lots of it.
So, the iron fist and the open hand. Quite a way to rule an empire and protect the borders. With the help of a socking great wall — or two.
My research visits for Centurion are done now, though I’m sure there will be a lot more reading and checking as the book takes final shape. Now just to write…
If you’d like to see the videos we filmed along the way, at York, Corbridge, Vindolanda and in Scotland, they’re all now loaded on my Youtube channel for you to browse.
Book review: Walking the Antonine Wall, by Alan Montgomery
Here’s my first book review of 2023, non-fiction for a change.
★★★★★
A long short walk at the end of the Roman world
This book was just a pleasure to read, and it took me little time to move from beginning to end as I enjoyed it so much!
Alan is a distinguished historian who happens, as he tells us in his disarmingly personal style, to have been in love with the Antonine Wall since his childhood. He takes us on an odyssey as he walks the length of this 38-mile coast-to coast earthen barrier, raised high by the second century Romans to cut off the Highlands from the rest of Caledonia. It was an ambitious and short-lived attempt to Romanise a persistently troublesome part of the British Isles, and Alan, as a proud Scot who relishes Roman history, is alive to the stories of those on both sides of the Wall. The story goes further on, though, as we discover near two thousand years of people, places and stories along the way.
Not all the stories are positive. At times the loss of our past due to weather, time, venality, and sometimes just plain stupidity, is heart-breaking. But we’re left all the richer for this gentle loving account by such a knowledgeable guide.
What should have been a relatively short walk did indeed become an odyssey for the author; what with Covid and other barriers, it has taken well over two years for this book to eventuate. Well worth the wait - although for me, also researching this part of Scottish history for my own writing purposes, a frustrating one.
Alan writes beautifully, and his personal engagement with the Antonine Wall guarantees a total immersion experience for all readers.
You can find his book here.
Lea Moran
Lea is a talented illustrator and writer of sixth century British stories. You can find her distinctive work on Youtube. She’s currently writing her first full-length novel, but she took time out recently to share with me her beautiful portrayal of a scene from my novel The Governor’s Man.
As you can see, it’s a confrontation Julia Aureliana is having with her high-spirited daughter, Aurelia, watched by the goddess Sulis Minerva in the guise of an owl. There’ll be plenty more such scenes to come in my future books!
Do look out for Lea’s own book, which I think will be titled Tales from the Sixth Century, hopefully to be published soon. It’s set in the sub-Roman period when the Germanic settlers are gradually moving into the south-west of Britain, where a remaining Romanised population lives on in crumbling villas and towns.
My January News
My article on Graeco-Roman medicine is out in Historical Times this month. Here’s a free sample, and if you’re at all interested in history a subscription to this superb online magazine is well worth the money.
Live event: The hall is booked, the invites have gone out to all and sundry, my interactive presentation is being polished up, and the bar will shortly be open. Yes, it’s my author event at 7.30 on Tuesday 24 January, at St Peter’s Cowleigh Bank, in north Malvern. If you’re local or visiting Malvern, you can book your tickets at the Malvern Book Cooperative (01684 564788), or pay at the door on the night. Our wonderful independent bookshop is hosting the event for me, and will be selling my books on the night too, which I’ll be delighted to sign for you. My bit will be to try to both entertain and enlighten you, which I hope to do in my talk on Everything you thought you knew about the Romans…but maybe didn’t?
Fabulous update Jacquie, you're such a fountain of knowledge on the period. Good luck with your Malvern event, wish I could be there!