Soft back, 80 pages, Illustrated B&W, 15cm x 21cm

Explaining how Roman Towns rose up in the first century, their functionality and their gradual decline through desertion some four hundred years later.

Contents:

• The urbanisation of Britain
• Public buildings and amenities
• Housing and households
• Wealth, commerce and industry
• Religion and religious buildings
• Urban society in Roman Britain
• Change and transformation
• Further reading
• Sites and museums to visit
• Roman names of some places mentioned inthe text

On the back cover:

Many of Britain's towns and cities originated in the Roman period, established as part of a systematic programme to urbanise the island. Why imperial Rome initiated this programme is the first of many topics examined in the third edition of this popular introduction to the towns of Roman Britain. Using both archaeological and literary evidence, the author traces their history and development from their genesis in the first century to their gradual decline and then desertion some four hundred years later. Written for the interested amateur and undergraduate student, the book assumes no specialist knowledge of the subject: instead it explains the terminology and concepts to be found in other more detailed works, especially those concerned with how Roman towns were organised and administered. The principal purpose of the book, however, is to explain how the towns of Roman Britain appeared and functioned, and what happened to them during the four centuries of Roman rule. To achieve this aim, this edition has been expanded to take account of the hundred or so major excavations carried out since the last edition appeared, and both the bibliography and gazeteer include the most relevant materials available.