Roman Pottery Production In The Walbrook Valley

Excavations have uncovered important new evidence of the second century AD Roman pottery industry, with up to eight kilns and a probable potters' workshop recorded on the west side of a major tributary of the Walbrook stream. Two distinct phases of production can be seen, and a stock of unused Samian ware from a pit suggests that pottery may have been sold in a shop attached to the production centre. The pottery industry went into decline in the latter half of the second century, though scattered structures, pitting and dumping were associated with the site in the third and fourth centuries. Research shows that the Roman kilns were producing Verulamium region white ware, linking them to the Verulamium industry, one of the most important regional producers of highly Romanised wares and specialist products such as mortaria.

Excavations at Highgate Wood, London, over a period of eight years uncovered at least ten pottery kilns, waster heaps, ditches and pits, but only a few definite structures. This volume provides a very detailed analysis of the forms and fabrics of the pottery finds.

The Journal of Roman Pottery Studies continues to present a cross-section of recent research not just from the UK but also Europe. Volume 16 carries papers on a variety of subjects from Britain and the Continent, ranging from papers dealing with production sites to those looking at the distribution of types. There are case studies on kiln vessels from Essex, pottery production in Roman Cologne, excavations at Toulouse, as well as an examination of transport routes of samian ware to Britain. Also included are an editorial, obituaries and book reviews.

The ancient counties surrounding the Weald in the SE corner of England have a strongly marked character of their own that has survived remarkably well in the face of ever-increasing population pressure. The area is, however, comparatively neglected in discussion of Roman Britain, where it is often subsumed into a generalised treatment of the ‘civilian’ part of Britannia that is based largely on other parts of the country. This book aims to redress the balance. The focus is particularly on Kent, Surrey and Sussex account is taken of information from neighbouring counties, particularly when the difficult subsoils affect the availability of evidence. An overview of the environment and a consideration of themes relevant to the South-East as a whole accompany 14 papers covering the topics of rural settlement in each county, crops, querns and millstones, animal exploitation, salt production, leatherworking, the working of bone and similar materials, the production of iron and iron objects, non-ferrous metalworking, pottery production and the supply of tile to Roman London. Agriculture and industry provides an up-to-date assessment of our knowledge of the southern hinterland of Roman London and an area that was particularly open to influences from the Continent.

Roman archaeological sites in Britain produced huge quantities of pottery providing vast amounts of information about technology, trade, wealth, industry and lifestyle.

This is the first major analysis of the Roman pottery from excavations in Lincoln (comprising more than 150,000 sherds). The pottery is presented in seven major ware groups. Fine wares include a modest range of imports and are dominated by Nene Valley products. Oxidised wares are mostly local products with a few imports as are the shell- and calcite-tempered wares and reduced wares. The final three are the standard specialised wares: mortaria, mostly of German and Mancetter-Hartshill manufacture; amphorae (80% Spanish Dressel 20) and samian, mostly from Les Martres/Lezoux and 75% undecorated! The discussion explores the chronological range of the entire ceramic assemblage across the three discrete parts of the Roman fortress and later colonia.

Glass of the Roman World illustrates the arrival of new cultural systems, mechanisms of trade and an expanded economic base in the early 1st millennium AD which, in combination, allowed the further development of the existing glass industry. Glass became something which encompassed more than simply a novel and highly decorative material. Glass production grew and its consumption increased until it was assimilated into all levels of society, used for display and luxury items but equally for utilitarian containers, windows and even tools. These 18 papers by renowned international scholars include studies of glass from Europe and the Near East. The authors write on a variety of topics where their work is at the forefront of new approaches to the subject. They both extend and consolidate aspects of our understanding of how glass was produced, traded and used throughout the Empire and the wider world drawing on chronology, typology, patterns of distribution, and other methodologies, including the incorporation of new scientific methods. Though focusing on a single material the papers are firmly based in its archaeological context in the wider economy of the Roman world, and consider glass as part of a complex material culture controlled by the expansion and contraction of the Empire. The volume is presented in honor of Jenny Price, a foremost scholar of Roman glass.

Long-distance trade under Rome is well-understood. But the importance of local exchange has not been fully explored. The volume investigates how inland regions could become prosperous in late antiquity, especially when not integrated in long-range trading networks. Robust local economies emerge, stimulated by both taxation and local market systems.