Conquering the Ocean

An authoritative new history of the Roman conquest of BritainWhy did Julius Caesar come to Britain? His own account suggests that he invaded to quell a resistance of Gallic sympathizers in the region of modern-day Kent -- but there must have been personal and divine aspirations behind the expeditions in 55 and 54 BCE. To the ancients, the Ocean was a body of water that circumscribed the known world, separating places likeBritain from terra cognita, and no one, not even Alexander the Great, had crossed it. While Caesar came and saw, he did not conquer. In the words of the historian Tacitus, "he revealed, rather than bequeathed, Britain toRome." For the next five hundred years, Caesar's revelation was Rome's remotest imperial bequest.Conquering the Ocean provides a new narrative of the Roman conquest of Britain, from the two campaigns of Caesar up until the construction of Hadrian's Wall across the Tyne-Solway isthmus during the 120s CE. Much of the ancient literary record portrays this period as a long march of Roman progress but recent archaeological discoveries reveal that there existed a strongresistance in Britain, Boudica's short lived revolt being the most celebrated of them, and that Roman success was by no means inevitable. Richard Hingley here draws upon an impressive array of new informationfrom archaeological research and recent scholarship on the classical sources to provide a balanced picture of the military activities and strategies that led to the conquest and subjugation of Britain. Conquering the Ocean is the fullest picture to date of a chapter in Roman military history that continues to captivate the public.

Winner of Finalist, 2023 PROSE Award.

“"This is a fascinating and well-illustrated look at this neglected aspect of Roman and ancient war history, describing the long-term successes and failures of a succession of emperors to conquer this land at the northern limits of the Roman empire." -- New York Journal of Books "... an incisive, up-to-date commentary on Roman campaigning... The text is an engaging and enjoyable read, with Hingley taking care to discuss both Romans and Britons, while scrupulously setting the warfare within its wider context to produce a rounded picture of events... Hingley's account of the Boudican revolt is a particular triumph... a highly successful volume that makes for essential reading." -- Matthew Symonds, Current Archaeology "The text is an engaging and enjoyable read, with Hingley taking care to discuss both Romans and Britons, while scrupulously setting the warfare within its wider context to produce a rounded picture of events. A wealth of illustrations, especially those prepared by Christina Unwin, are a major asset.... For the Romans, Ocean was a divine force that encircled the inhabited world and was the father of all water deities. As Britain lay within this realm, conquering the island amounted to subjugating Ocean himself. In this spirit, the power of the sea was evoked at key moments, including Tacitus' account of Agricola's campaigning in Scotland. The emphasis on Hadrian's Wall running between 'the two shores of Ocean' can be seen in a similar light. Teasing out this dimension adds real freshness to the subject, delivering a highly successful volume that makes for essential reading." -- Current Archaeology "Overall... an excellent investment for readers looking for an accessible and engaging overview of the Roman conquest of Britain." -- Captain Richard Dick, Naval Historical Foundation "a fascinating and well-illustrated look at this neglected aspect of Roman and ancient war history, describing the long-term successes and failures of a succession of emperors to conquer this land at the northern limits of the Roman empire." -- Jerry Lenaburg”

The target audience is presumably undergraduates with little knowledge of Roman Britain. The book may offer them a marker of the current anti colonial approach with an up-to-date bibliography, but it is to be hoped that challenging it will encourage readers to seek a more balanced engagement with the original texts. David Bird, Classical Review
Richly illustrated and offering an extensive bibliography, Conquering the Ocean is a pleasing and well-crafted examination of the Roman occupation of Britain that students of the period, as well as professional historians, will find to be of considerable value. Brett F. Woods, Brett F. Woods, Ph.D., is a professor of history for the American Public University System, Worldhistory.org
This is a fascinating and well-illustrated look at this neglected aspect of Roman and ancient war history, describing the long-term successes and failures of a succession of emperors to conquer this land at the northern limits of the Roman empire. New York Journal of Books
... an incisive, up-to-date commentary on Roman campaigning... The text is an engaging and enjoyable read, with Hingley taking care to discuss both Romans and Britons, while scrupulously setting the warfare within its wider context to produce a rounded picture of events... Hingley's account of the Boudican revolt is a particular triumph... a highly successful volume that makes for essential reading. Matthew Symonds, Current Archaeology
The text is an engaging and enjoyable read, with Hingley taking care to discuss both Romans and Britons, while scrupulously setting the warfare within its wider context to produce a rounded picture of events. A wealth of illustrations, especially those prepared by Christina Unwin, are a major asset.... For the Romans, Ocean was a divine force that encircled the inhabited world and was the father of all water deities. As Britain lay within this realm, conquering the island amounted to subjugating Ocean himself. In this spirit, the power of the sea was evoked at key moments, including Tacitus' account of Agricola's campaigning in Scotland. The emphasis on Hadrian's Wall running between 'the two shores of Ocean' can be seen in a similar light. Teasing out this dimension adds real freshness to the subject, delivering a highly successful volume that makes for essential reading. Current Archaeology
Overall... an excellent investment for readers looking for an accessible and engaging overview of the Roman conquest of Britain. Captain Richard Dick, Naval Historical Foundation
a fascinating and well-illustrated look at this neglected aspect of Roman and ancient war history, describing the long-term successes and failures of a succession of emperors to conquer this land at the northern limits of the Roman empire. Jerry Lenaburg
This highly readable account of the Roman conquest and occupation of Britain seeks to synthesise recent work on classical literary references to the island with the much larger body of archaeological and epigraphic research on Roman Britain. Britannia
In this captivating and compact book, Hingley reconstructs the various ideological and historical moments of the Roman conquest and securing of Britain between Caesar's invasion and 410 CE. Donato Sitaro, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Hingley's narrative of this process is a masterful blend of the archaeological and textual records (find spots, epigraphy, historiographical narratives)... There is always a lot of archaeological interest in Roman Britain; Hingley's great service is to bring that often scattered work together here, as a benchmark for future research. Classical Journal-Online

Richard Hingley is Professor of Roman Archaeology at Durham University and the author of several books, including Londinium: A Biography; Boudica: Iron Age Warrior Queen (with Christina Unwin); and Hadrian's Wall: A Life.

An authoritative new history of the Roman conquest of BritainWhy did Julius Caesar come to Britain? His own account suggests that he invaded to quell a resistance of Gallic sympathizers in the region of modern-day Kent -- but there must have been personal and divine aspirations behind the expeditions in 55 and 54 BCE. To the ancients, the Ocean was a body of water that circumscribed the known world, separating places like Britain from terra cognita, and no one, not even Alexander the Great, had crossed it. While Caesar came and saw, he did not conquer.In the words of the historian Tacitus, "he revealed, rather than bequeathed, Britain to Rome." For the next five hundred years, Caesar's revelation was Rome's remotest imperial bequest.Conquering the Ocean provides a new narrative of the Roman conquest of Britain, from the two campaigns of Caesar up until the construction of Hadrian's Wall across the Tyne-Solway isthmus during the 120s CE. Much of the ancient literary record portrays this period as a long march of Roman progress but recent archaeological discoveries reveal that there existed a strong resistance in Britain, Boudica's short lived revolt being the most celebrated of them, and that Roman success was byno means inevitable. Richard Hingley here draws upon an impressive array of new information from archaeological research and recent scholarship on the classical sources to provide a balanced picture of the military activities and strategies that led to the conquest and subjugation of Britain. Conquering theOcean is the fullest picture to date of a chapter in Roman military history that continues to captivate the public.

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