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Previously suspected on the basis of a tile stamped with the name
and titles of the emperor Nero found alongside other brick and tile
in the ploughsoil, excavation of two tile kilns at Little London
near Silchester, Hampshire confirmed production during the reign of
Nero. In addition to the manufacture of standard bricks and roofing
materials, the kilns produced the more specialist materials
required for building bath-houses. Work on the fabrics and
distinctive, roller-stamped flue-tiles shows that products reached
a wide variety of destinations between Cirencester, some 100 km to
the north-west, and Chichester, on the south coast, though
Silchester appears to have been the main market and is the only
location where Nero-stamped tile has so far been found. A
suggestion is made linking the stamped tile to the visit to Britain
by the emperor’s trusted freedman, Polyclitus in the aftermath of
the Boudican revolt. An unexpected discovery was the ancillary
production from at least three pottery kilns of a wide range of
pre-Flavian domestic wares, so far only identified in Silchester
and its environs. Alongside the publication of the kilns there are
illustrated catalogues of the complete range of brick and tile
types produced as well as of the pottery. Other reports include
analysis of the fuels used and a suite of radiocarbon dates which
support the pottery evidence for production ceasing in the early
Flavian period. Analysis of the numerous animal foot-impressions on
the bricks presents one aspect of the environment of the kilns.
With its apparently complete town plan, revealed by the Society of
Antiquaries of London's great excavation project, 1890-1909,
Silchester is one of the best known towns in Roman Britain and the
Roman world more widely. Since the 1970s excavations by the author
and the University of Reading on several sites including the
amphitheatre, the defences, the forum basilica, the public baths, a
temple and an extensive area of an entire insula, as well as
surveys of the suburbs and immediate hinterland, have radically
increased our knowledge of the town and its development over time
from its origins to its abandonment. This research has discovered
the late Iron Age oppidum and allowed us to characterise the nature
of the settlement with its strong Gallic connections and widespread
political and trading links across southern Britain, to Gaul and to
southern Europe and the Mediterranean. Following a review of the
evidence for the impact of the Roman conquest of A.D. 43/44, the
settlement's transformation into a planned Roman city is traced,
and its association with the Emperor Nero is explored. With the
re-building in masonry of the great forum basilica in the early
second century, the city reached the peak of its physical
development. Defence building, first in earthwork, then in stone in
the later third century are major landmarks of the third century,
but the town can be shown to have continued to flourish, certainly
up to the early fifth century and the end of the Roman
administration of Britain. The enigma of the Silchester ogham stone
is explored and the story of the town and its transformation to
village is taken up to the fourteenth century. Modern
archaeological methods have allowed us to explore a number of
themes demonstrating change over time, notably the built and
natural environments of the town, the diet, dress, health, leisure
activities, living conditions, occupations and ritual behaviour of
the inhabitants, and the role of the town as communications centre,
economic hub and administrative centre of the tribal 'county' of
the Atrebates.
Roman architecture is extraordinarily rich, both in terms of the
techniques and materials used and in the variety of buildings
constructed, many of which are still visible today. This text
places emphasis on the technical aspects of that architecture,
following the process of building through each stage, from quarry
to standing wall, from tree to roof timbers. The author examines
the different techniques involved in building in brick and in stone
and wood, and how these materials were obtained or manufactured. He
also discusses interior decoration and looks at the practical
aspects of water supply, heating and roads. Each type of building
required special tools and these are described, using both
surviving examples and modern parallels. The Romans constructed
many spectacular feats of engineering, producing magnificent
monuments such as the Pantheon and Pont du Gard. This book looks at
these large-scale public buildings but also at more modest homes
and shops. The result is a systematic examination of Roman
Building, with over 750 illustrations, including the author's own
drawings.
How did a major nucleated settlement respond to the Roman conquest?
Occupation of Silchester (Calleva) after the Roman invasion of
south-east Britain in A.D. 43 shows remarkable continuity from the
pre-Roman Iron Age oppidum. Although the settlement was crossed by
strategic Roman roads, the network of lanes and compounds, crowded
with round and rectangular buildings, otherwise remained little
changed until c. A.D. 85. The contents of rubbish pits and wells
give remarkable insights into the diet, occupations, identity and
ritualistic behaviour of the inhabitants, while the richly varied
provenances of the pottery and other finds reveal the local,
regional and long-distance connections of the community. Although
there is clear evidence of investment in the town in the reign of
Nero, the pre-existing settlement was not swept away until the
Roman street grid was established c. A.D. 85. This volume follows
on from the publication of Late Iron Age Calleva, Britannia
Monograph 32 (2018)
The late Iron Age oppidum of Calleva underlies the Roman town at
Silchester. Excavation (1997-2014) of a large area (0.3ha) of
Insula IX revealed evidence of a rectilinear, NE/SW-NW/SE-oriented
layout of the interior of the oppidum, dating from 20/10BC, with
the remains of the larger part of one compound separated from its
neighbours by fenced trackways. Within the compound was a large,
47.5m long hall surrounded by smaller, rectangular buildings
associated with groups of rubbish pits. A concluding discussion
characterises the oppidum, integrating and contextualising a series
of major contributions reporting the pre-conquest finds and
environmental evidence with the structural story.
This report publishes the 1937-8 excavations in Colliton Park,
Dorchester, Dorset, which revealed one of the best preserved late
Roman town houses so far discovered in Roman Britain. Extensively
decorated with mosaics, the building has recently been re-displayed
in a new cover building by Dorset County Council. In addition to
the town house and its mosaics, the report publishes the
surrounding buildings in the north-west quarter of the town, also
mostly of late Roman date, and associated occupation along with an
extensive collection of artefacts, including outstanding finds of
coins, glass, iron and Kimmeridge shale.
Characterising urban life, City in Transition is the second volume
reporting on the archaeology of the continuing excavation of
Silchester Insula IX, taking the story down to the early 2nd
century. In describing the evidence for the occupation of the 2nd
and 3rd centuries it follows on from Life and Labour in Late Roman
Silchester (2006), which published the late Roman occupation.
Geochemical and micromorphological analyses inform the
interpretation of the use of space within buildings and, together
with the study of an abundant material culture and environmental
record, provide a rich characterisation of the houses and their
occupants. The report sheds important light on the urban condition,
debating such themes as population density, status, occupation,
diet and domestic ritual.
The Roman Town at Silchester, Calleva Atrebatum, was a working
archaeological dig - the University of Reading Field School - which
took place every summer for eighteen years. Taking advantage of the
last opportunity to record 'life on the dig' in 2014, artist Jenny
Halstead spent the summer creating and collating material for a
beautiful and historic book. Jenny's superior draughtsmanship, her
eye for colour and her wide variety of techniques produce
evocative, lively images. The resulting book is a fitting and
enduring record of this historic episode in the life of an ancient
city.
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