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Hadrian's Wall

A Life

Richard Hingley author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:4th Oct '12

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Hadrian's Wall cover

In Hadrian's Wall: A Life, Richard Hingley explores the monument's post-Roman history, examining its evolving significance in politics, culture, and religion from the sixth century to the present, illustrated with over 100 images.

In Hadrian's Wall: A Life, Richard Hingley delves into the post-Roman history of this iconic ancient structure, constructed under Emperor Hadrian in the 120s AD. The Wall, which served as a Roman frontier for nearly three centuries, has remained a significant monument in the British Isles, renowned for its impressive scale and preservation. Hingley examines the Wall not only as a physical barrier but also as a cultural and historical symbol that has evolved over the centuries.

The book presents a comprehensive exploration of how Hadrian's Wall has been perceived and represented since the sixth century. Through sixteen chapters enriched with over 100 images, Hingley illustrates the changing interpretations of the Wall and its role in shaping national identity, particularly in the context of the boundary between England and Scotland. The author highlights the Wall's enduring presence in the cultural imagination and its significance in political and religious discourse throughout history.

Hingley also emphasizes the Wall's influence on scholars and artists, showcasing how it has inspired various forms of representation and research. By addressing the Wall's after-life, the book provides a nuanced understanding of its importance beyond the Roman era, revealing how it has continued to resonate in contemporary society. Hadrian's Wall: A Life is a thoughtful examination of a monument that has stood the test of time, reflecting the complexities of identity and heritage in the British landscape.

[a] lively and richly comprehensive account of the way the Wall has been perceived * Christopher Catling, Times Literary Supplement *
This is a rich and fascinating book, essential as much to students of the Wall as to those interested in the history of our enquiry into the past. * Professor Michael Fulford, Archaeological Journal *
This contribution will be valuable to anybody interested in artefact biography, local history, Scottish-English relation and heritage interpretation. * Anna Walas, Medieval Settlement Research *
This is a magisterial volume ... and the author is to be congratulated on his achievement. * Professor Roger Ling, Antiquaries Journal *
Hingley has been remarkably successful in transforming years of exhaustive research into a pleasurable and informative book that can appeal to a wide ranging audience. * Sara Sieteski, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
Hingley has written the historiographical account of Hadrian's Wall for this generation and, I suspect, beyond: it is one of the most important books ever to have been written on Hadrian's Wall. * Professor David Breeze, Britannia *
Hingley's message is a welcome and timely one for a field threatened by intellectual ossification, where the distancing mechanisms of objectivity and classical tradition are shown to be the crutches of unreflective privilege and empire. They are the crutches of a dying scholarship. Hingley's book is nothing short of a will to relevance for Roman archaeology, for its living spirit to be resurrected in research that animates past with present. This is a book with a story, a playful joining of analytical and narrative forms that should be emulated. It is a book to be read tucked up in bed after a day of trekking along the Wall, or in preparation or remembrance of a visit. * Professor Katheryn Lafrez Samuels, Antiquity *
This is the culmination of a project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and all interested in Roman Britain and the Roman frontier should be grateful to that body for helping create this thoughtful, challenging and well-written book. * Professor David Breeze, British Archaeology *

ISBN: 9780199641413

Dimensions: 240mm x 183mm x 28mm

Weight: 862g

416 pages