Internet Archaeology 1

The importance of amphorae to the archaeologist lies in their reflection of the large-scale movement of goods, principally foodstuffs, in the ancient world. While many are large, two-handled and with a rounded or spiked foot, there are exceptions to all these rules, and `amphora' is not a typological category, but rather a functional grouping. This paper is a survey of the principal classes of amphorae circulating in Britain during the Roman period (first century BC -- fourth century AD). The form, fabric, sources, contents and dating of each type are described in a series of Atlas Pages, accompanied by a series of computer-generated maps. The Atlas pages can also be accessed through a clickable map, based on the source of the amphoras, through a time-line, showing which types are circulating at any period, a visual index, as well as through a full text search. The supporting data include a bibliography and a database of the distribution of these amphoras in Britain. These pages are based on part of a forthcoming book, Roman Pottery in Britain, to be published by Batsford (London).

Introducing the new journal.

The Archaeobotanical Computer Database is an electronic compilation of information about remains of plants from archaeological deposits throughout the British Isles. For the first time, this wealth of published data, much of it post-dating Godwin's (1975) History of the British Flora has been brought together in a form in which the user can explore the history of a particular species or group of plants, or investigate the flora and vegetation of a particular archaeological period or part of the British Isles. The database contains information about the sites, deposits and samples from which the remains in question have been recovered, together with details of the plant parts identified and their mode of preservation. It also provides some interpretative guidance concerning the integrity of contexts and the reliability of dating as an aid to judging the quality of the data available. In this paper the compilers of the ABCD make use of the database in order to review the archaeological evidence for food plants in the British Isles. The paper begins with a definition of its scope, examining the concept of a "food plant" and the taphonomy of plant remains on British archaeological sites. It then summarises the principal changes in food plants from theprehistoric period to post-medieval times. The body of the paper is a detailed discussion of the evidence for the use of berries, other fruits, vegetables, pulses, herbs and flavourings, oil plants, cereals and nuts. Finally, the paper compares the archaeological evidence with that known from documentary sources. Readers will be able to view the archaeological evidence as distribution maps and will be able to explore aspects of the database online, enabling queries by taxa, site or worker. Instructions on obtaining electronic copies of the database tables and registering as an ABCD user are also included.

Landscape-based archaeological research has been transformed as the widespread introduction of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) has begun to revolutionise the way archaeologists manage and manipulate spatial information. As GIS-based applications begin to reach maturity and the role of GIS as a flexible mechanism for the articulation, exploration and analysis of landscape data becomes more fully realised, GIS is increasingly being seen as much as a place to think as a simple data management and mapping tool. Factors and drawbacks considered include: the lack of theoretical underpinning; the static nature of GIS; developing specifically archaeological tools for GIS; developing a synergy between VRML (virtual reality modelling language) and GIS.