Ferdinand Addis – Conquest: The Roman Invasion of Britain
23rd October @ 12:00 – 13:00
An epic, visceral history of the Romans in Britain, from Caesar’s first invasion attempt in 55 BC to the fall of the Roman Empire, by the author of Rome: Eternal City.
Bringing together archaeology, anthropology, geology and history, Addis paints a vivid portrait of what life was like for Roman and Briton during these centuries, and examines how the face of Britain was changed in ways that can still be felt today. Britain wasn’t conquered in a day. Caesar invaded twice, but didn’t try to complete a conquest of the island. It was only when Claudius and his legions arrived in AD 43 that true colonization was possible. Forty years later, almost the whole of southern Britain was under Roman control, where it stayed until the final decline of the empire, the weakness of the colony’s defences and the quarrels of Roman generals brought the experiment to an end. Piecing together evidence from the often-propagandistic Roman literary sources – including the writings of Caesar, Tacitus and Livy – and making brilliant use of archaeological and anthropological research, Addis paints a vivid portrait of Roman and British life both in prehistoric times and in the first century AD. He brings the violence and intrigues of British tribal life into vivid relief, but also evokes the ways in which these diverse peoples lived, their monumental burial sites, their customs, their trade with continental Europe, their military organization and the kinds of war they practiced. Conquest is an exploration of the workings of empire at the deepest level, revealing how the struggle between Roman and Briton was fought on battlefields and in books, in forts and fields, between clashing visions of humanity, and rival gods. From Caesar’s first landing at the white chalk cliffs of the English Channel to Boudicca’s rebellion at Camulodnum, to legionaries darning their socks on Hadrian’s Wall, Conquest tells the Roman occupation of Britain as a story of domination and resistance, of cultures colliding and entwining, and of the slow transformation of a landscape and its people.
Ferdinand Addis read classics at Oxford, before embarking on a career as a journalist and author. His critically acclaimed 2018 book Rome: Eternal City was a Times Book of the Year. He lives in London with his wife and daughter.
Tickets £14.00 (£10.00 Students)
