First a couple of things out of the way. Today is the legendary date of the founding of the city of Rome after Romulus and Remus were suckled by the she-wolf some 2,779 years ago. Second, I am an old white guy and stereotypically obsessed with the Roman Empire. Check and check.

So I was excited recently to read “The Wall: Rome’s Greatest Frontier” by Alistair Moffat. The reference, of course is to Hadrian’s Wall, much of which still exists in England – one of the most complete monuments to the greatest empire Earth has ever known.

The book provides a strong grounding in this era of Rome, especially its stretch into early England. It covers the complicated tribal environment that Rome had to conquer using brute strength and guile setting one tribe against another. It provides a great view of the Roman Legions and their life including an important visit from the emperor. There is great insight to Roman engineering and how different sections of the wall were constructed. Indeed it still bisects the island and was built over time. I enjoyed the read very much. The only point it lost me was its specific site exploration of the island. That is only because I am not familiar with the topography of the island and the path. But if you are familiar with England you will appreciate the hyper-local description of the locations. Recommended for Roman and England fans.