WRITTEN BY - JOHN LAMBSHEAD
GENRE - ROMAN BRITAIN/EUROPE IN THE THIRD & FOURTH CENTURIES
PUBLISHED BY - PEN & SWORD BOOKS
PUBLICATION DATE - AVAILABLE NOW
In “The Fall of Roman Britain and Why We Speak English”,
prolific author, tabletop wargaming buff and designer of the “Fourth Protocol”
computer game (I fondly remember playing it!), John Lambshead, explores the end
of the Roman Empire in Britain and the circumstances that led to its
inhabitants speaking what would become the language we know today as English.
This is a thorough and enlightening history of the “bit in between” the end of
the Romans and the beginning of Britain.
In many ways an historical detective story, John Lambshead
undertakes a forensic study using geological, archaeological, climatological
and biological evidence to uncover the causes of Roman collapse and the origins
of the British people. At the end of each themed chapter, he draws convincing
conclusions from the evidence. The chapter dedicated to “Londinium” supplies a
wealth of knowledge about the Roman origins and purpose of the city that would
become London. Also, Lambshead writes powerfully well about the domino effect
of climate change and leadership battles leading to the devastating crisis of
the third century.
The story is tied up in a convincing narrative at the end of
the book, along with a bibliography and a timeline of events, using the dates
generally accepted to be correct. John Lambshead, like all the best historians,
has a command of his subject so, whilst complex in parts, his book is rigorously
researched, always engrossing and easy to read.
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