Britannia 20

Argues that Plautius's three contingents of troops landed at ports on the Hampshire coast (Portchester, Havant, Bosham or Chichester Harbours) rather than in Kent as traditionally believed. F B

Eleven major sites in Britain, notably Bath, show a distinctive pattern of distribution by date for bronze coins of Domitian (AD 81-96), the highest number being of AD 86 and 87. Several forts of the northern frontier have mint-condition coins of 86 but none of 87, confirming their abandonment in late 86 or early 87. F B

The term covers a range of unrelated troops, some of them auxiliaries or legionaries assembled for specific purposes such as scouting (exploratores) and guarding routes. They were recruited, often from the fringes of the Empire, from the Flavian period onwards. Numeri forts have been identified in Dacia, N Africa, and particularly Germany, but not yet in Britain, though numeri were here in the 3rd century. F B

A BA barrow was surrounded by a 1st century AD polygonal temenos wall associated with about 500 coins and other votives. Round houses and four-poster granaries represent extensive occupation to c AD 100, after which enclosures and trackways radiating from the villa were laid out and houses built. The site was reorganized again in 2nd century with numerous stone buildings, including a ?bailiff's house and a large ?two-storey circular barn or communal lodging with a corn-drying oven. Occupation continued, often in round houses, until at least 4th century. Twelve wells have been bottomed, and nearly 3 000 coins have been recovered by the local metal-detector group. This is the first full excavation of a villa and its estate buildings. F B/Ed

The discovery on the foreshore at East Wear Bay of over 100 Late Iron Age/early RB greensand querns, of three different forms but all semi-rotary, indicates an industry from the lst to at least the 2nd century AD. F B

Four gold or silver rings with glass gems and 59 coins, found in two separate metal-detector forays, are probably from a single hoard deposited c AD 410.

Discusses the significance of singular and plural occurrences of numen/numini (divine power) for deities, and particularly for Augustus. F B

A late 3rd/early 4th century gold and sapphire ring with carinated 'oak leaf' shoulders, now in the Ashmolean, is identified as the Stonham Aspal ring found in 1811. F B

Eight shaft-type furnaces and large areas of slag indicate a 5ha 3rd/early 4th century bloomery, potentially with over 100 furnaces. F B

Building works revealed a late 1st century cremation cemetery, evidence of a late 1st century settlement (?fort), and a late 1st/2nd century vicus. F B

Short reports on a large number of sites.