The Story of Roman Bath - Hardcover

Southern, Patricia

3.64

11 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1445610906 ISBN 13: 9781445610900

Publisher: Amberley Publishing, 2012

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In this highly readable study Patricia Southern turns her attention to Bath, one of Roman Britain's most unusual and successful settlements, founded to take advantage of the natural hot springs. She synthesises the excavations of Barry Cunliffe and the Bath Archaeological trust, building a picture of the development of the town and its hinterland from the first traces of human activity in the Mesolithic to post-Roman decline and rebirth in the later medieval and modern age. The focus, however is on the Roman period, and on the baths themselves in particular. Southern outlines the main phases of building and renovation, and explores the religious aspects of the springs and the Temple of Sulis Minerva. She also uses epigraphic evidence to shed light on the lives of those who came to use the baths, and explores the daily lives of the town's residents and its administration.

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About the Author:

Patricia Southern is an acknowledged expert the history of ancient Rome. Her interest began very early, fostered by books and the wonderful epic films that they don't make any more. This obsession with the Romans has never waned, so whilst working full time as a librarian she studied for a BA degree in Ancient History with the external department of the University of London, and for an MPhil in Roman Frontier Studies at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where she was Librarian of the Archaeology Department for many years. She has written many books on Roman history and contributed numerous articles on Roman history to the BBC History website and the academic Roman studies journal Britannia.

Review:

This color-illustrated work for general readers, students, and scholars explores the history of Roman Bath, a bath and temple complex built by the Romans in Bath, Britain, in the first century AD. Aquae Sulis contained a temple of the goddess Sulis Minerva, hot springs, and the Great Bath, and is notable because people from all levels of society were allowed. The book details the history of building the complex, its usage in classical times, its abandonment during Christian era, and its rediscovery and excavation in the 1960s, leading to its current status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The book includes color photos and b&w illustrations. It was first published in 2012. (Protoview)

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