The Northern Frontiers of Roman Britain by David J. Breeze

One noticeable factor in the Congresses has been the increase in attendees and numbers of speakers. The 2015 Congress in Ingolstadt in southern Germany was at that point in time when there was a mass influx of Syrian refugees across Europe, resulting in the closure of land borders and delays in delegates reaching Bavaria.

Participants in the 2018 Congress visiting the Roman fort of Diana in Serbia. The 2018 Congress in Serbia was a welcome return to that part of the Balkans following the cancellation of a proposed congress in the former Yugoslavia in 1992 due to the deteriorating situation there.

Very few scholars from the Ukraine and Russia are unable to attend following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impossibilities for attendance at foreign conferences due to financial and travel restrictions. The 2022 Congress in Nijmegen was originally scheduled to take place in 2021 and has been delayed due to Covid.

Whilst it is unlikely that the organisers of the first congress of 1949 had a clue of the success to which their endeavours would ultimately lead (which now includes up to 400 participants from 25 countries from four continents and three ‘Frontiers of the Roman Empire’ World Heritage properties) in many ways, the history of the 24 Congresses held thus far has held up a mirror to selected historical events of the last 73 years. In many ways, the research for the book has been a labour of love by the authors – the Limes Congresses hold a particular affection by many of the attendees, as an opportunity for visiting the remains of Roman frontier sites around the empire, hearing about new research through lectures and posters, and networking with colleagues who may be doing similar research but in different countries. To celebrate the 25 th International Congress of Roman Frontiers Studies ( Limes Congress) to be held in Nijmegen in August 2022, the authors, together with Professor David Breeze and Dr Andreas Thiel, have put together a history of the Congress, from the early ideas of such a gathering in the interwar years through to the first Congress held in Newcastle in 1949 and on to the present day.

The Northern Frontiers of Roman Britain by David J. Breeze