Matthew Symonds Knihy

Over its long history, Hadrian's Wall has significantly influenced the British landscape, both literally and figuratively. Once viewed as a soft border, recent research suggests it played a crucial role in the collapse of a long-established farming civilization and incited violent insurgencies. Matthew Symonds explores the Wall's everyday impact during its three centuries of operation, revealing its role as a hard border that transformed an open landscape. The Roman soldiers stationed there were primarily recruits from occupied territories, experiencing the frontier as a site of fear and magic, invoking supernatural protection during guard duty. Throughout history, the Wall has been leveraged by various powers seeking legitimacy as heirs to Rome, contributing to the formation of English and Scottish national identities and serving as a model of cultural collaboration during the British Empire's need for reassurance. It has also inspired countless creatives, appearing in works from Rudyard Kipling to George R. R. Martin. This volume combines archaeological analysis with an exploration of the Wall's legacy and contemporary relevance, offering a modern perspective on its enduring significance.

In a business where great risks, huge fortunes, and even bigger egos are common, Larry Ellison stands out as one of the most outspoken, driven, and daring leaders of the software industry. The company he cofounded and runs, Oracle, is the number one business software company. Perhaps even more than Microsoft's, Oracle's products are essential to today's networked world.In Softwar, journalist Matthew Symonds gives readers exclusive and intimate insight into both Oracle and the man who made it and runs it. As well as relating the story of Oracle's often bumpy path to industry dominance, Symonds deals with the private side of Ellison's life. With unlimited insider access granted by Ellison himself, Symonds captures the intensity and, some would say, the recklessness that have made Ellison a legend.With a new and expanded epilogue for the paperback edition that tells the story behind Oracle's epic struggle to win control of PeopleSoft, Softwar is the most complete portrait undertaken of the man and his empire -- a unique and gripping account of both the way the computing industry really works and an extraordinary life.