Much more archaeology has been done since this book was published in 1999, and that will inevitably render some of the observations here less certain, but the bulk of the text is clearly based on sound academic research. One thing I must question, however, is the title. It’s either favouring the wealthy landowners or perhaps it’s a bit of subtle cynicism.

The introduction, however, makes it clear that the authorial point of view is the long-accepted one, that history is defined by the works and opinions of the ruling classes. As has almost always been the case in works examining history, the lives of the majority populations are at best skimmed as irrelevant or, more commonly, utterly ignored as of no importance.

In reading this detailed, fact-filled, and informed-opinionated view of Britain around the fourth century, when Rome was in serious decline and the country they invaded was largely left to its own devices, I was struck by the way the attitudes of those then in positions of wealth and power continue to inform those of wealth and power in the UK today.

Perhaps, in teaching the classics via Latin at the private educational establishments that teach most of those in power, they neglect to point out to those developing minds the moral and practical injustices of those times.

However, this is not a place for political argument, but a space for reviewing the book itself.
That it is full of factual information mingled with the speculations of a mind well-versed in the moods and attitudes of the times is evident on the page. The author has included various illustrations to give his analysis more depth and appeal.

The period he is covering here is one much clouded by doubt and uncertainty. History, after all, is always written by the victors in any situation, so the reality for those left behind after the retreat of a conquering power is mostly unrecorded in early historical periods. Fortunately, our modern world already allows for the voices of those remaining in conquered lands to be heard. No such opportunity existed for the Britons at the time the Romans left the country.

The author details in academic terms the slow demise of the culture, economy, politics, social structure, and general decline following the desertion by a ruling class with no concern for the future of those they had dominated for centuries. It reads as a rather dry, unemotional, textbook, and I found some of it a wearying slog. Rather oddly, as a country-lover, I found the chapter on ‘Towns’ most interesting. It explains how our rural and urban splits evolved to become the diverse and chaotic regions they are today.

The other chapters are titled, ‘The Carausian Revolt’, ‘Restoration of the eternal light’, ‘Country’, ‘The Pagan Revival’, ‘Art and culture in the villas’, ‘Conspiracies and reconstruction’, and ‘Treasure hoards and the end’. There follows a detailed ‘Chronology’, ‘Visiting the Golden Age’, ‘Sources’, ‘Inscriptions’, and ‘Further Reading’ before the necessary ‘Index’.

It’s a handsome volume and one that will no doubt be enjoyed by those studying the period, but, as a reader of many books on many topics, I found this one unsatisfactory and cold.

[Any review is a personal opinion. No reviewer can represent the view of anyone else. The best we can manage is an honest reaction to any given book.]