Life and Letters from the Roman Frontier
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Life and Letters from the Roman Frontier by Alan Bowman
First published in 1998. Over three hundred letters and documents have recently been discovered at the fort of Vindolanda, written on wooden tablets which have amazingly survived nearly 2000 years. Painstakingly deciphered by Alan Bowman and J. David Thomas, they have contributed a wealth of evidence for daily life in the Roman Empire. From the military documents we learn of the strength and activities of the units stationed at Vindolanda. The accounts testify to the lifestyle of officers and ordinary soldiers, with payments for pepper and oil, towels and tallow, boots and beer. Then there are snapshots of domestic life in letters between the officers' wives, including a birthday invitation (see front cover). Most fascinating of all is the evidence for a high level of literacy in the Roman army, where even someone of humble rank receives a letter from home promising him a parcel of socks. Alan Bowman's lively summary of this new evidence is followed by the texts of 38 key tablets, in Latin and in translation, including new tablets found in 1991-4, which bring the reader very close to the actual people who inhabited Vindolanda in 100 AD.
"Octavius to his brother Candidus, greetingsThe hundred pounds of sinew from Marinus -- I will settle up. From the time when you wrote about this matter, he has not even mentioned it to me. I have several times written to you that I have bought about five thousand modii of ears of grain, on account of which I need cash . . ." -- Roman soldier stationed on the wild northern-frontier of England around 100 AD.
Alan K. Bowman is a Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Oxford.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780415920254 |
| ISBN 10 | 0415920256 |
| Title | Life and Letters from the Roman Frontier |
| Author | Alan Bowman |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis Ltd |
| Year published | 1998-01-16 |
| Number of pages | 168 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |