Books by Simon Elliott

In the mid-3rd century AD Roman Britain's regional fleet, the Classis Britannica, disappeared. It was never to return. Soon the North Sea and English Channel were over-run by Germanic pirates preying upon the east and south coast of Britain, and the continental coast up to the Rhine Delta.

The two most famous men in ancient history, in one book.

A short history of warfare in the age of the Old Testament including many ancient cultures from the Middle East such as the Sumerians, Akkadians, Philistines, Hittites and Hebrews.

A biography of the man who ascended the ranks of the military and government to become Roman Emperor.The son of a former slave, Pertinax was the Roman Emperor who proved that no matter how lowly your birth, you could rise to the very top through hard work, grit and determination.Born in AD 126, Pertinax made a late career change from working as a grammar teacher to a position in the army. As he moved up the ranks and further along the aristocratic cursus honorum, he took on many of the most important postings in the Empire, from senior military roles in fractious Britain, the Marcomannic Wars on the Danube, to the Parthian Wars in the east. He held governorships in key provinces, and later consulships in Rome itself. When Emperor Commodus was assassinated on New Year's Eve AD 192/193, the Praetorian Guard alighted on Pertinax to become the new Emperor, expecting a pliable puppet who would favour them with great wealth. But Pertinax was nothing of the sort and when he then attempted to reform the Guard, he was assassinated. His death triggered the beginning of the "e;Year of the Five Emperors"e; from which Septimius Severus, Pertinax's former mentoree, became the ultimate victor and founder of the Severan Dynasty.This previously untold story brings a fascinating and important figure out of the shadows. A self-made everyman, a man of principle and ambition, a role model respected by his contemporaries who styled himself on his philosophizing predecessor and sometime champion Marcus Aurelius, Pertinax's remarkable story offers a unique and panoramic insight into the late 2nd century AD Principate Empire.Praise for Pertinax"e;A story that echoes and rivals that of Spartacus."e; -Books Monthly (UK)"e;An authoritative new history unearths the true story of a slave's son who rose through the ranks to become the Roman Empire's most powerful man. . . . The author vividly documents Pertinax's last days and effectively captures the tenor of the era, a time awash in corruption and violence. Roman history enthusiasts will find new material to digest and general readers, useful context for the Roman way of life."e; -Kirkus Reviews

A lavishly illustrated grand tour on the Roman military machine.

Ragstone to Riches tells the story of the huge Roman metalla extractive industries of the south east of the province of Britannia. These provided much of the iron to equip the military there, and ragstone to facilitate the construction of the built environment in the region during the occupation, through to the middle of the 3rd century AD. In the former case this was the Wealden iron industry, which, especially to the north of Hastings, featured sites as large as any industrial enterprise today. Meanwhile, regarding the upper Medway Valley ragstone quarrying industry, the work identifies for the first time the five specific quarries which provided the material to build Roman London. For both, the author also explores the role played by the military in running these enormous metalla enterprises.