From The BBC History Magazine, May 2005
Peter Jones reviews a selection of Tempus books

The first thing that strikes the reader of TEMPUS' publications is the heavy paper and superb illustrations, in particular the reconstructions. Take James Crow's excellent HOUSESTEADS: the first two colour illustrations are magnificent aerial views of the fort/garrison's connection with Hadrian's Wall from the west and east; there follow eleven fine drawings by Philip Corke (of English Heritage) reconstructing various individual features, more photographs and some 19thC water-colours too. Maps, line-drawings and b/w photographs generously decorate the rest of the text, which analyses the Roman site in detail and takes the story down to Housesteads' eventual presentation to the National Trust in 1930 - a vital move since the Wall as a whole had been seriously threatened by the construction of the Newcastle-Carlisle turnpike ('the Military Road').

The no less splendidly illustrated ROMAN SURREY and ROMAN YORK represent another strand of TEMPUS' output: the regional archaeological survey. These surveys cannot always offer a coherent, developing 'story' of the area, since the evidence is frequently not available, but by concentrating on the detail of the archaeological finds they still offer fascinating snapshots of a region's features at specific periods.

'Roman Surrey' sound faintly amusing since Romans did not think of the area as a unit ('Surrey', Saxon in origin, seems to mean something like 'southern district'). As David Bird points out, should take in much of south London (as indeed the old county boundary once did) because of its close links with Roman London as a major provider of the timber which grew healthily on its clay soil (and still does); Bird reckons that London might have needed 30,000 tons of timber a year for fuel alone. Since trees vastly outnumbered humans, the Romans planted no large towns in 'Surrey' after their invasion of AD 43, though roadside settlements sprang up to serve passing trade. Bird also speculates that Boudicca's final defeat by the Romans in AD 60 may have taken place not in the Midlands but around Virginia Water.

More of a narrative can be constructed for periods in the history of Roman York, Eboracum (perhaps derived from British, meaning 'the place of the yew trees'). It was founded about AD 71 as a fort from which to attack the Brigantes. In the 3rdC AD it became the capital of the northern half of Britain. The emperor Septimius Severus, used it as a base to quell Caledonian tribes in the north in 208-ll. Severus died in York, as in 306 did the later emperor Constantius. His son, Constantine 'the Great', was immediately declared emperor by the troops there. He it was who famously converted to Christianity in 312, bringing the Roman empire with him, and who established Constantinople as the capital of the Roman empire in the east (modern Istanbul). This is an extremely rich and interesting survey, befitting its subject. One looks forward to a later edition, when Patrick Ottaway can tell us more about the very recent find of a Roman grave containing 49 decapitated bodies.

THE LAST FRONTIER and THE ROMAN INVASIONS OF BRITAIN tackle broader issues. The former (a rare example of a TEMPUS book with no pictures and just a few maps) is a serviceable narrative covering Celtic life-styles, the development of the Roman empire and invasion of Britain, Agricola's campaigns in Scotland (AD 79-84), the Hadrianic and Antonine Walls, their gradual abandonment and the aftermath of the Roman evacuation.

Gerald Grainge's THE ROMAN INVASIONS OF BRITAIN brings the eye of an experienced sailor to bear on the historical problems that emerge from the sea-borne assaults on Britain by Julius Caesar (55 and 54 BC), Claudius (the full invasion of AD 43) and Constantius (to remove the usurper Allectus in AD 296). This is a fascinating volume, which makes a serious contribution to a number of important debates. For example, Grainge's discussion of the historical sources, the sea-worthiness and capacities of Roman assault ships and transports, the prevailing winds and tides of the English Channel and Roman attitudes to marine assault lead him to conclude that Claudius' invasion is much more likely to have landed at Richborough rather than the currently much-touted Solent.