Invasion: The Roman Invasion of Britain in the Year AD 43 and the Events Leading to Their Occupation of the West Country

by John Peddie

The Roman Conquest of Britain

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History

214 pages, Hardcover

First published May 28, 1987

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was average for me. Covering the Claudian invasion of Britain, the author combines unearthed evidence with the sparse written accounts to paint the picture of the Roman colonizing invasion and the British resistance. Overall, he does a good job of laying out the timelines and stages of the Roman conquest.

I thought the discussion of English resistance was half-hearted. I would prefer to have more maps and detailed diagrams to keep track of the author's discussions. Also, the finishing of the book is rather abrupt. I was hoping for more description and discussion of this very interesting epoch of Roman/English history.

For these reasons, I rated this one average.

[David Cuatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers the Roman invasion during Claudius (not Julius Caesar) and does a good job relating the events up to the defeat (through treachery) of their fiercest opponent, Caratacus. The emphasis is very much on logistics with lots of detail regarding supplies, transportation and even mules. Many other factors like wind and tides, river crossings and possible locations of battles and encampments are also explored. Shows clearly that Roman armies weren't just about glorious battles, but rather a host of daily decisions that the commanders had to deal with including a mutiny.

[DoctorM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, competent account of the Roman invasion and occupation of Britain. Still, Peddie is unsure where he wants to go--- is this a purely technical account, all about Roman logistics and organization and tactics, or does it cover the politics--- especially the tribal conflicts in Britain and the Roman politics ---behind the conquest? A good introduction to the Roman conquest on a technical level, but one that needs to be supplemented more with the why of events.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit dated now, but this history of the Claudian invasion of Britain 43a.d. is useful. Peddie the ex-soldier is at home with the military logistics of the Roman operations.

[Russell Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry, but definitely an interesting intersection of Rome and Britain.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe all historians have pet peeves, whether they are amateurs like myself or greats like Sir Ronald Syme. One of mine is chronological anachronisms. I absolutely hate them, since I am usually sufficiently well informed about whatever the subject matter is to detect them and get instantly pulled out of what I am reading. The specific offense Mr. Peddie commits is equating ancient Roman military strategy to modern concepts, complete with one of the things I detest the most, retroactively applying modern table of organization terms to non-applicable cultures. It drove me up a wall when General Fuller did it, so don't expect to get away with it, Mr. Peddie!

Mr. Peddie fought in World War II, and his bibliography indicates he has written a number of books on military history. That's well and good, but the book relies heavily on the concept of "inherent military probability," invented by the military historian Alfred Burne. Burne's idea is that when in doubt as to what action was taken in a battle, the ones in charge would react like a trained staff officer of the twentieth century. Do we see the big problem? If not, I'll spell it out: ancient Rome and the 20th century have completely different mindsets! Some things that would smack of military common sense now would be preposterous back then, and vice versa.

Mind you, the assumptions that Mr. Peddie makes are sound ones - the conquest of Roman Britain is a poorly documented campaign, and his extrapolations based on inherent military probability look broadly sound from a strategic point of view in many cases. However, they also fall down badly in others, such as his puzzlement that Publius Ostorius Scapula dedicated a full legion to punish a raiding Welsh tribe despite the unsettled situation. Part of Roman military doctrine was that retaliation taught its enemies to keep their noses clean, which contradicts inherent military probability.

The book has maps and photos of reenactment enthusiasts. I do like the illustrations, but there are just not enough of them. It particularly annoys me as Mr. Peddie is quite fluent in the landscape of England and Wales, and I most certainly am not. If anything, this needed far more maps to illustrate all the points he was referencing. Otherwise, Google Maps is your friend for the budding conqueror on the go.

The book has flaws, but it does deliver on its explicit purpose of depicting a strategic scenario and explaining reasonable courses of action using inherent military probability. It's not a 1 to 1 fit for ancient Roman military thought, but it nonetheless is a useful tool for historians who want a clearer insight into the logistics and ramifications of waging war. Worth a read for those interested in the field.

[Diana Sandberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, some interesting stuff, but pretty dry. Also a little hard to follow for those who don’t know England’s topography quite well. Not enough maps. The photos of Roman soldiers in action were rather amusing, though. I did get a greater appreciation for the sheer massiveness of the endeavour which was the Claudian invasion of 43 CE (He also covers the two incursions Julius Caesar made in 55 and 54 BCE) – some 40,000 men and many thousands of horses and other animals to be transported across the notoriously treacherous Channel and all to be done in such a way that the emperor could hotfoot it up there and “lead” the final assault at the approprate time, which involved a certain amount of standing about and waiting for him… I was also fascinated by aerial photos that showed the outlines of Roman forts and arenas still visible in English farmland. Amazing.