Posted in book reviews

For several years my aunt, who turned 90 this year, has sent me money to buy the children's Christmas presents from her so she doesn't have to shop.  This year I decided to order all their presents from Usborne Books. While looking through the catalog, I saw this book Roman Britain and got it for me.  This book is fascinating! I finished reading it today, and plan to look at all the internet links as I can.

I learned that so many British towns end in "chester/cester" because it comes from the Latin word meaning "fort" - "castra."  I have always been interested in place names.  I remember asking my family on one loooong trip across Pennsylvania why some towns ended in "burg" and others "burgh."  No one knew, but my lovely aunt found out years later that towns ending in "burgh" were shortened from "borough" and that's why they have the h on the end.  But I digress.

I love the map of Roman Britain, but then of course, I love maps.  Have I ever mentioned that my best Christmas present ever was a road atlas of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales?  I didn't know that before the Romans came, there were no towns in Britain, and the people lived in round houses.  There is a picture of a reconstructed Iron Age village that I would love to visit someday!  I also liked reading about Hadrian's Wall and hope to see it someday as well.

I have a little difficulty with their two-line summary of Christianity - "Christianity began about 2,000 years ago when a Jew named Jesus started preaching in Judea, a small Roman province in the Middle East.  After he died, his followers continued to teach his ideas." - but I suppose I can deal with it.  And I learned the story behind the town named St. Albans.

It was odd to read that, had we lived then, we would be busy finding a husband for our older daughter, who will be 13 in six months, the age Roman girls married.  However, I was glad to know that I would have been successful at my main duty - "to produce lots of children - preferably boys who might bring prosperity to the family." 

I intend to read more about the Mildenhall treasure.  In the 1940s, a farmer was digging in his field and found this whole buried treasure from the 4th century.  The book speculates that people buried their valuables to keep the Saxons from getting them, but never came back to dig them up. 

In case you're curious, Gabrielle got Forensic Science, Mary got Napoleon (she really likes him), Ryan got the Stories of Knights book and CD, Alexander got That's Not My Plane, Christopher got That's Not My Train, and Brogan got That's Not My Reindeer.  My aunt sent Robert a separate check!