Book excerpt: Hadrian's Wall and the Antonine Wall defined the edge of the Roman Empire in Britain. Today, the spectacular remains of these great frontier works stand as mute testimony to one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen. This new accessible account, illustrated with 25 detailed photographs, maps and plans, describes the building of the walls, and reconstructs what life was like on the frontier. It places these frontiers into their context both in Britain and Europe, examining the development of frontier installations over four centuries. Designed for students and teachers of Ancient History or Classical Civilisation at school and in early university years, this series provides a valuable collection of guides to the history, art, literature, values and social institutions of the ancient world.