ABSTRACT
For generations, Roman historians tended to concentrate their energies on constitutional and political history, and to focus their interest on the Mediterranean heartland of the empire. This situation has changed dramatically in recent times. The increased sophistication of archaeological techniques and the rapid accumulation of archaeological data are providing scholars with a far clearer picture of the economic, social, and technological aspects of Roman life. Such archaeological research is most advanced in northwestern Europe and, although to a lesser degree, in southeastern Europe. As a consequence, an increasing amount is being learned about Roman life in Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, and the other countries and regions that once formed the western frontiers of the empire. Much of that information is not being applied effectively, however. Many historians are unwilling to admit the validity of any data not supported by a textual source, and many archaeologists regard literary evidence as unreliable when compared with the tangible "facts" they have uncovered. Such differences have impeded attempts to provide those interested in the subject with an integrated and comprehensible account of the Roman frontier.
