Roman Britain is usually thought of as a land full of togas, towns and baths with Britons happily going about their Roman lives under the benign gaze of Rome. This is, to a great extent, a myth that developed after Roman control of Britain came to an end, in particular when the British Empire was at its height in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In fact, Britain was one of the least enthusiastic elements of the Roman Empire. Many failed to acknowledge the Roman lifestyle at all, while many others were only outwardly Romanised, clinging to their own identities under the occupation. Even the Roman army in Britain became chronically rebellious and a source of instability that ultimately affected the whole Empire. As Roman power weakened, the Britons abandoned both Rome and almost all Roman culture, and the island became a land of warring kingdoms, as it had been before.

UnRoman Britain: Exposing the Great Myth of Britannia

History

Laycock, Stuart

Russell, Miles

Ancient Civilizations

The History Press

This text gives a full account of the vital flint industry that flourished in Neolithic Britain. It includes details of new evidence gathered in Sussex.

Flint Mines in Neolithic Britain

Europe

Tempus Publishing

The story begins with Boxgrove Man, the earliest human yet recovered in Britain, and ends with the first named resident of Sussex, one Tiberius Claudius Togidubnus, Great King of the Britons and friend of the emperor Claudius. Dr. Russell examines the wealth of archaeological remains and discoveries from the 500,000 years that separate these two prehistoric people: remains that include the earliest forms of neolithic monument, such as Whitehawk Causewayed Enclosure and the flint mines of Cissbury, and the impressive Iron Age hillforts of Hollingbury in Brighton and Mount Caburn near Lewes.

Prehistoric Sussex

Tempus Pub Ltd

The human and animal remains discovered almost 100 years ago at Piltdown, near Lewes in Sussex were at the time hailed as the missing link” between ape and man. It was not until 1953 that modern analysis conclusively revealed an ingenious hoax. The perpetrator was almost certainly the antiquarian excavator Charles Dawson who, as Miles Russell shows, was responsible for 16 other archaeological forgeries during his lifetime.

Piltdown Man: The Secret Life of Charles Dawson (Revealing History)

Reference

Tempus

When we think of Roman Britain we tend to think of a land of togas and richly decorated palaces with Britons happily going about their much improved daily business under the benign gaze of Rome.  This image is to a great extent a fiction. In fact, Britons were some of the least enthusiastic members of the Roman Empire. A few adopted Roman ways to curry favor with the invaders. A lot never adopted a Roman lifestyle at all and remained unimpressed and driven by deep-seated tribal division. It wasn't until the late third/early fourth century that a small minority of landowners grew fat on the benefits of trade and enjoyed the kind of lifestyle we have been taught to associate with the period. Britannia was a far-away province which, whilst useful for some major economic reserves, fast became a costly and troublesome concern for Rome, much like Iraq for the British government today. Huge efforts by the state to control the hearts and minds of the Britons were met with at worst hostile resistance and rebellion, and at best by steadfast indifference. The end of the Roman Empire largely came as "business as usual" for the vast majority of Britons as they simply hadn't adopted the Roman way of life in the first place.

When we think of Roman Britain we tend to think of a land of togas and richly decorated palaces with Britons happily going about their much improved daily business under the benign gaze of Rome. This image is to a great extent a fiction. In fact, Britons were some of the least enthusiastic members of the Roman Empire. A few adopted Roman ways to curry favor with the invaders. A lot never adopted a Roman lifestyle at all and remained unimpressed and riven by deep-seated tribal division. It wasn't until the late third/early fourth century that a small minority of landowners grew fat on the benefits of trade and enjoyed the kind of lifestyle we have been taught to associate with period. Britannia was a far-away province which, while useful for some major economic reserves, fast became a costly and troublesome concern for Rome, much like Iraq for the British government today. Huge efforts by the state to control the hearts and minds of the Britons were met with at worst hostile resistance and rebellion, and at best by steadfast indifference. The end of the Roman Empire largely came as "business as usual" for the vast majority of Britons as they simply hadn’t adopted the Roman way of life in the first place.

Written in 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth, the Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain) purported to chronicle the British monarchy from the arrival of the Trojan Brutus, grandson of Aeneas, through to the seventh century AD when the Anglo-Saxons had taken control of the land. The Historia was a medieval bestseller, and copies spread across the whole of western Europe. It went on to influence great works of art and literature, being the first to outline the story of King Arthur as well as laying the foundations for King Lear and Cymbeline, both later immortalised by Shakespeare.Although it claimed to be history, the Historia has long been dismissed as an unreliable piece of medieval propaganda and national mythmaking. A new examination of the text, however, shows that it is very much more than that. In this ground-breaking new book, Miles Russell explains how individual elements of the Historia can be traced back to the first century BC, a time when Britain was making first contact with Rome. Geoffrey of Monmouth’s skill was to weave these early traditions together with folklore and material culled from post-Roman sources, in order to create a national epic. In doing so, he also created King Arthur, a composite character whose real origins and context are explained here.This important new work establishes Geoffrey of Monmouth as no mere peddler of historical fiction, but as the man who preserved the earliest foundation myths of Britain. It is time to re-evaluate the Historia Regum Britanniae and shine a new light into the so-called ‘Dark Ages’.

Arthur and the Kings of Britain: The Historical Truth Behind the Myths

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Amberley Publishing

Written in 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth, the Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain) purported to chronicle the British monarchy from the arrival of the Trojan Brutus, grandson of Aeneas, through to the seventh century AD. The Historia was a medieval best-seller, and copies spread across the whole of western Europe. It was the first work to outline the story of King Arthur.The Historia has long been dismissed as an unreliable piece of medieval propaganda. A new examination of the text, however, shows that it is very much more than that. Miles Russell explains how individual elements can be traced back to the first century BC, a time when Britain was making first contact with Rome. Geoffrey of Monmouth’s skill was to weave these early traditions together with material culled from post-Roman sources in order to create a national epic. In doing so, he also created King Arthur, a composite character whose real origins and context are explained here.This important work establishes Geoffrey of Monmouth as no mere peddler of historical fiction, but as the man who preserved the earliest foundation myths of Britain. It is time to re-evaluate the Historia Regum Britanniaeand shine a new light into the so-called ‘Dark Ages’.

Hillforts are among the most dramatic and visually striking of prehistoric monuments in the British Isles. Dorset, in southern England, is particularly rich in these Iron Age earthwork enclosures, with over 30 examples being so far recorded, including the internationally famous sites of Maiden Castle, Hod Hill, Badbury Rings and Hambledon Hill. Many have been the subject of archaeological investigation, such as the excavations conducted at Maiden Castle in the 1930s by Tessa and Mortimer Wheeler, but few have, to date, been intensively examined. This volume sets out the results of a detailed programme of non-intrusive geophysical survey conducted across the Dorset hillforts, generating detailed subsurface maps of archaeological features, in the hope of better resolving the phasing, form and internal structure of these iconic sites. The dataset presented here not only helps to change our perception of what hillforts were, how they functioned and what went on within them, but also provides a way of assessing their longevity, reconsidering how they were perceived and reused in subsequent periods. Given the oft-cited association between the Dorset enclosures and the Durotriges tribe, who are thought to have occupied the area in the Later Iron Age, serious consideration is also for the first time given to the belief that hillforts formed the focus of conflict between the native tribes and the armies of imperial Rome in the first century AD.Table of Contents1. Introduction: The Durotriges Project (Miles Russell and Paul Cheetham) 2. Defining Hillforts in Dorset (Dave Stewart and Miles Russell) 3. A History of Dorset Hillfort Investigation (John Gale) 4. The Survey (Dave Stewart): AbbotsburyBadburyRingsBanburyBulburyBuzburyChalburyChilcombeConey’s CastleDungeon HillEggardonFlowers BarrowHambledon HillHod HillLambert’s CastleMaiden CastleNettlecombe ToutNorth PoortonPilsdon PenPoundburyRawlsburySpettisbury 5. Understanding Hillforts: What Geophysical Survey is Teaching Us (Dave Stewart) 6. Once Upon a Hill: Uncoupling the Durotriges (Miles Russell) References Acknowledgements

Hillforts and the Durotriges: A geophysical survey of Iron Age Dorset

Stewart, Dave

Gale,John

Cheetham, Paul

Russell, Justin

Archaeopress Archaeology

What would Howard Carter have thought of Lara Croft? and why do archaeologists feature so prominently in Star Trek? Douglas Adams, author of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy writes the preface to this unusual collection of papers dedicated to exploring the role of the archaeologist in popular culture. The clichés and stereotypes of archaeology that abound in popular culture, the sense of mystery and adventure, the excitement generated by a dangerous treasure hunt or a thrilling detective story, rarely hint at the monotonous hours spent by modern archaeologists researching in laboratories and libraries and filling out paperwork. Yet the role-models provided by fictional characters such as Dr Who, Indiana Jones, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Lara Croft have had a powerful influence on how archaeologists and the practices of archaeology are viewed by the general public. At times hilarious, these papers nevertheless address serious cultural issues relevant to archaeology today: colonialism, the indigenous voice, gender roles, objectivity, and ownership of the past.

Digging Holes in Popular Culture: Archaeology and Science Fiction

Literature & Fiction

Adams, Russell

United States

Oxbow Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Russell, Miles. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Russell, Miles

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Russell, Miles. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

UnRoman Britain: Exposing the Great Myth of Britannia

Flint Mines in Neolithic Britain

Prehistoric Sussex

Piltdown Man: The Secret Life of Charles Dawson (Revealing History)

UnRoman Britain: Exposing the Great Myth of Britannia

UnRoman Britain: Exposing the Great Myth of Britannia

Arthur and the Kings of Britain: The Historical Truth Behind the Myths

Arthur and the Kings of Britain: The Historical Truth Behind the Myths

Hillforts and the Durotriges: A geophysical survey of Iron Age Dorset

Digging Holes in Popular Culture: Archaeology and Science Fiction