David John Breeze, OBE, FSA, FRSE, HonFSAScot, Hon MIFA (born 25 July 1944) is a British archaeologist, teacher and scholar of Hadrian's Wall, the Antonine Wall and the

Roman army The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval contin ...

. He studied under

Eric Birley Eric Barff Birley, Brian Dobson.

Personal life

Breeze was educated in Blackpool Grammar School. He attended the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...

, from which he was awarded his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

degree (PhD) in 1970. His thesis was titled ''The immunes and principales of the Roman army''.

Education and Work

After working for the department of Archaeology at the

in 1968–9, Breeze was appointed an Assistant Inspector of Ancient Monuments in the

Ministry of Public Building and Works Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

. He succeeded Iain MacIvor as Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments for

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment ...

in 1989, serving in this role until 2005. He is an honorary professor at the

, the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, the

University of Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick unive ...

and the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built ...

. He led the team which resulted in the Antonine Wall being ascribed as a World Heritage Site in 2008, and formed part of the group which created the Frontiers of the Roman Empire

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, of which this is the first multi-national example. He also chaired the Culture 2000 project Frontiers of the Roman Empire (2005–08). He is editing with Sonja Jilek a multi-language series of books on the frontiers of the Roman Empire. Published so far are volumes on the Roman ''

limes Limes may refer to: * the plural form of lime (disambiguation) Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a ...

'' in Hungary (2008), the lower

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

''limes'' in Bulgaria (2008), Slovakia (2008), The Danube Limes: A Roman River Frontier (2009), the Antonine Wall (2009), Hadrian's Wall (2011), the Danube ''limes'' in Austria (2011), North Africa (2013), Serbia (2017), The Lower German ''Limes'' (2019), Egypt (2021) and Dacia (2021), all available on line. The report on his excavations at the Roman fort at Bearsden on the Antonine Wall was published in 2016, with a separate 'popular' account shortly afterwards.

Affiliations and other activities

Breeze has served as President of the

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usua ...

(1987–90), the

Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, the oldest provincial antiquarian society in England, was founded in 1813. It is a registered charity under English law. It has had a long-standing interest in the archaeology of the north-east ...

(2008–11), the

Royal Archaeological Institute The Royal Archaeological Institute (RAI) is a learned society, established in 1844, with interests in all aspects of the archaeological, architectural and landscape history of the British Isles. Membership is open to all with an interest in these ...

(2009–12) and the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society (2011–14). He was Chairman of the British Archaeological Awards from 1993 to 2009 and of the International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies from 2000 to 2015, and the Senhouse Museum Trust, Maryport, from 2013 to 2018; he is now a patron of the trust. He was one of the founders of the Hadrianic Society in 1971, and is now a patron of its successor, the Roman Army School held in Durham each Easter. Breeze has chaired the organising committee for the 1989, 1999, 2009 and 2019 Pilgrimages of Hadrian's Wall, probably the oldest archaeological tour in the UK, and edited the 14th edition of the ''Handbook to the Roman Wall'', the oldest archaeological guide-book in the UK to have been continuously in print and up-dated. He is a corresponding member of the

German Archaeological Institute The German Archaeological Institute (german: Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, ''DAI'') is a research institute in the field of archaeology (and other related fields). The DAI is a "federal agency" under the Federal Foreign Office of Germany ...

Honours and awards

Breeze was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

in 2008. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2009. He was awarded ''

Current Archaeology ''Current Archaeology'' is a British monthly archaeology magazine. Summary ''Current Archaeology'' describes itself as the "United Kingdom's best selling archaeology magazine", a claim substantiated by British Archaeological Jobs and Resources ...

s Archaeologist of the Year award at the Archaeology Awards 2009, and the European Archaeological Heritage Prize in 2010. Breeze was presented with a Festschrift in 2009: ''The Army and Frontiers of Rome'' edited by William S. Hanson and published by the Journal of Roman Archaeology. In 2021, Breeze was awarded the

Kenyon Medal The Kenyon Medal is awarded every two years by the British Academy 'in recognition of work in the field of classical studies and archaeology'. The medal was endowed by Sir Frederic Kenyon and was first awarded in 1957. List of recipients SourceBr ...

by the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...

"for his outstanding contribution to the archaeology of the Roman Empire and to ensuring the inscription of the Antonine Wall as a World Heritage Site".

Publications

*Breeze, D. J. 1979, ''Roman Scotland, a guide to the visible remains'', Newcastle upon Tyne: Frank Graham. *Breeze, D. J. 1982, ''The Northern Frontiers of Roman Britain'', London: Batsford. *Breeze, D. J. 1983, 2nd ed. 2002, ''Roman Forts in Britain'', Princes Risborough:

Shire Publications Shire Books are published by Bloomsbury Publishing, a book publishing company based in London, England, and formerly by Shire Publications Ltd. and Osprey Publishing. Shire offers low priced, concise non-fiction paperbacks on a wide range of su ...

. *Breeze, D. J. 1987, 2nd ed. 2002, ''Hadrian's Wall, a souvenir guide to the Roman Wall'', London: English Heritage. *Breeze, D. J. 1987, ''A Queen's Progress'', Edinburgh:

Her Majesty's Stationery Office The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is the body responsible for the operation of His Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) and of other public information services of the United Kingdom. The OPSI is part of the National Archives of the Un ...

*Breeze, D. J. 1996, second edition 2006, ''Roman Scotland: Frontier Country'', London: Batsford. *Breeze, D. J. 1998, ''Historic Scotland, 5000 Years of Scotland's Heritage'', London: Batsford. *Breeze, D. J. 2002, ''Historic Scotland: People and Places'', Batsford, London. *Breeze, D. J. 2006, ''John Collingwood Bruce's Handbook to the Roman Wall'', 14th ed. Newcastle upon Tyne:

. *Breeze, D. J. 2006, ''The Antonine Wall'', Edinburgh: John Donald. *Breeze, D. J. 2006, ''Hadrian's Wall'', London: English Heritage. *Breeze, D. J. 2007, ''Roman Frontiers in Britain'', Duckworth: London. *Breeze, D. J. 2007, ''Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site Proposed Extension The Antonine Wall'', 2 volumes, Edinburgh: Historic Scotland. *Breeze, D. J. 2008, ''Edge of Empire, Scotland's Roman Frontier, The Antonine Wall'', Edinburgh: Birlinn. *Breeze, D. J. 2011, ''The Frontiers of Imperial Rome'', Barnsley:

Pen and Sword Books Pen and Sword Books, also stylised as Pen & Sword, is a British publisher which specialises in printing and distributing books in both hardback and softback on military history, militaria and other niche subjects; factual non-fiction, primarily ...

. *Breeze, D. J. (ed) 2012, ''The First Souvenirs, Enamelled Vessels from Hadrian's Wall'', Kendal: CWAAS. *Breeze, D. J. 2013, ''Roman frontiers in their landscape settings'', Newcastle: The Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne. *Breeze, D. J. (ed) 2013 ''200 years, The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne 1813-2013'', Newcastle: Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle *Breeze, D. J. (ed) 2014, ''The Impact of Rome on the British Countryside'', London:

. *Breeze, D. J. 2014, ''Hadrian's Wall: A History of Archaeological Thought'', Kendal: CWAAS. *Breeze, D. J. 2016, ''The Roman Army'', London: Bloomsbury. *Breeze, D. J. 2016, ''Bearsden: A Roman Fort on the Antonine Wall'', Edinburgh:

. *Breeze, D. J. 2016, ''Hadrian's Wall: Paintings by the Richardson Family'', Edinburgh: John Donald. *Breeze, D. J. 2016, ''Bearsden. The Story of a Roman Fort'', Oxford:

Archaeopress Archaeopress is an academic publisher specialising in archaeology, based in Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west ...

. *Breeze, D. J. 2018, ''Maryport. A Roman Fort and its Community'', Oxford:

. *Breeze, D. J. 2018, ''The Crosby Garrett Helmet'', Kendal: CWAAS. *Breeze, D. J. 2019, ''Hadrian's Wall. A Study in Archaeological Exploration and interpretation'', Oxford:

. *Breeze, D. J. with Mark Richards and Peter Savin 2019, ''Hadrian's Wall. A Journey Through Time'', Carlisle: Bookcase. *Breeze, D. J. 2020, ''The Pilgrimages of Hadrian's Wall, 1849-2019: A History'', Kendal: Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society and

Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, the oldest provincial antiquarian society in England, was founded in 1813. It is a registered charity under English law. It has had a long-standing interest in the archaeology of the north-east ...

. *Breeze, D. J., Clarke D. V. and Mackay, G. 1980, ''The Romans in Scotland. An introduction to the collections of the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland'', Edinburgh: National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. *Breeze, D. J. and Dobson, B. 1993, ''Roman Officers and Frontiers'', Stuttgart: Franz Steiner. *Breeze, D. J. and Dobson, B. 1st ed. 1976, 4th ed. 2000, ''Hadrian's Wall'', London: Penguin. *Breeze, D. J. and Bishop, M. C. (eds) 2013, ''The Crosby Garrett Helmet'', Pewsey: The Armatura Press for Tullie House. *Breeze, D. J. and Edwards, B. J. N. 2000, ''The Twelfth Pilgrimage of Hadrian's Wall, 1999'', Kendal: CWAAS and SANT. *Breeze, D. J., Fleet, C., Stevenson, J. (eds) 2011, ''Mapping and Antiquities in Scotland'', ''Scottish Geographical Journal'' 127, number 2, June 2011. *Breeze, D. J. and Jilek, S. (eds) 2008, ''Frontiers of the Roman Empire: The European Dimension of a World Heritage Site'', Edinburgh:

. *Breeze, D. J., Jones, R. H. and Oltean, I. A. (eds) 2015, ''Understanding Roman Frontiers, Celebrating Professor Bill Hanson'', Edinburgh: John Donald. *Breeze, D. J. and Munro, G. 1997, ''The Stone of Destiny, Symbol of Nationhood'', Edinburgh: Historic Scotland. *Breeze, D. J. and Ritchie, A. 1991, ''Invaders of Scotland'', Edinburgh: Historic Scotland. *Breeze, D. J. and Thiel, A. 2005, ''The challenge of presentation. Visible and invisible parts of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site in the United Kingdom and Germany'', Amsterdam: Stichting voor de Nederlandse Archeologie. *Breeze, D. J., Thoms, L. M. and Hall, D. W (eds) 2009, '' First Contact, Rome and Northern Britain'', Perth: Tayside and Fife Archaeological Committee. *Breeze, D. J., Welander, R. and Clancy, T. O (eds) 2003, ''The Stone of Destiny, artefact and icon'', Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. *Breeze, D. J. and Woolliscroft, D. J. (eds) 2009, ''Excavation and Survey at Roman Burgh-by-Sands'', Kendal: CWAAS. *Breeze, D. J. and Hanson, W. S., (eds) 2020, ''The Antonine Wall. Papers in Honour of Professor Lawrence Keppie'', Oxford: Archaeopress.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breeze, David British archaeologists 1944 births Academics of Durham University Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of University College, Durham Scholars of Hadrian's Wall 20th-century archaeologists 21st-century archaeologists Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Presidents of the Royal Archaeological Institute