Eagle and the Bear

For over three centuries, the inhabitants of North Britain faced the might of Rome, resulting in some of the most extraordinary archaeology of the ancient world.This richly illustrated new history of Roman Scotland explores the complex, often tumultuous and frequently brutal interaction between the world's first superpower and the peoples who lived north of Hadrian's Wall.With reference to the latest research and featuring all the key sites, it offers though-provoking re-assessments of many aspects of the story of the Romans in Scotland, from the loss of the IXth Legion and the reasons for building and maintaining Hadrian's Wall, to considering what spurred at least four Roman emperors to personally visit the edge of the empire.

'Superbly researched, accessibly written and thoughtfully and convincingly argued, this book presents a chronological history of the Romans in Scotland', 'A new detailed history of Roman Scotland, offer[ing] an opportunity to re-examine the legend', '[a] comprehensive, accessible, and thought-provoking study' , 'offers thought-provoking re-assessments of the loss of the IXth Legion, the reasons for building Hadrian's Wall, and why at least four Roman emperors personally visited the edge of the empire', 'sifts through the evidence for the impact of the Romans on the country that would become Scotland... sheds new life on brutal conflict' 

John Reid has had a lifelong fascination with Roman Scotland. He co-directed the Burnswark Project in Dumfriesshire, the ground-breaking archaeological dig of the only known Roman siege in Britain and has been Chairman of the Trimontium Trust in Melrose for the last 25 years. He has appeared on on BBC TV and radio and is a regular speaker at major archaeological conferences and has been published widely in the academic and popular press.