Conquering the Ocean
The Roman Invasion of Britain
Richard Hingley
Reviews and Awards
Finalist, 2023 PROSE Award
"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
