Book Review: Roman Britain: A History from Beginning to End by Henry Freeman
(Three Stars)
“Create history—History is what we think, say, and write about the evidence for the past.”
Its fifty-two-page length tells readers how much history they’re getting: little. An outline at best.
“The modern Celts are not the present representatives of a people who have existed continually for millennia, but constitute a true case of ‘ethnogenesis’—the birth of an ethnic identity—in early modern Europe.” Like several hyphen-American cultures. “Ethnicity is a cultural construct, and may have little to do with the ‘real’ historical background(s) of the individuals and sub-groups concerned.”
Several bibliographic essays about Roman-ness, Celt-ness, and Britain-ess. Little information is imparted, just lots of opinion about Continue reading
As a Matter of Fancy 