Dr Mike Dobson

I research the army of the Roman Republic and especially its camps and fortifications. Much of this work looks at the Roman army's activities in Spain. It combines critical study of classical literary sources and the archaeological remains. The research includes going to Spain to visit libraries, archives and the actual sites. Some of these visits have been supported financially by Spanish state-funded research projects and by the University of Alcala.

A related aspect of this research is the German archaeologist Adolf Schulten (1870-1960) and his highly influential work at the Celtiberian city of Numantia in north-eastern Spain and the large complex of Roman army camps and siege operations there.

More recently, I have also been exploring the environmental impacts of ancient armies - an aspect of the new research theme of 'warfare ecology'.

Recognition of this work saw me being elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 2013.