Bull Board Celtic Stud 39

The Welsh lawbook Llyfr Iorwerth presents, in its section dealing with royal rights and administration, a detailed model for landscape organisation. This is much more elaborate than the outline model presented in Llyfr Cyfnerth. The `Iorwerth model' casts a light on administration and territorial dispositions at the time of its adoption and suggests how society and the economy were then envisaged. The `Cyfnerth model' is much less illuminating on all these topics. This paper seeks to account for the contrast between the two by considering the nature and function of the Iorwerth model as well as its probable age and origins.

Excavations occasioned by the roots of a falling tree opening a hole in the rampart revealed that it was stone faced with a rubble core which was heavily vitrified in places. A calibrated radiocarbon date gives 1210--900~BC as a terminus post quem for its construction.

This extensive report on the excavations of the Roman auxiliary fort at Neath, West Glamorgan commences with `The 1958 excavations' by Brenda Heywood (171--83. ) It is concluded that a timber fort dating to the Flavian period was superseded, after a possible short abandonment, by a stone structure of Trajanic or Hadrianic date. The occupation of which may have lasted up until the Antonine period. Reports on `The samian ware' by Grace Simpson (183--9), `The coarse pottery' by Peter Webster (189--96), `The glass finds' by Dorothy Charlesworth and J Price (196--9) and `The metalwork' by George Boon (199--201) are included. Further excavation took place in 1984, 1985 and 1989, when various buildings, roads, ramparts and walls were examined. This work is summarised by A G Marvell (201--44. ) `The coins' are described by S H Sell (244), `Bronze mirrors' (245--6) and `Objects of bronze' (246--9) by G Lloyd-Morgan, `An iron dagger scabbard' (249--50) by I Scott, `An iron signet ring' (250--2) by M Henig and `Objects of iron' (252--5) by M Dawson. Anonymous notes are included on `Objects of lead' (255), `A pipeclay figurine' (256) and `The samian ware' (256--62). Brenda Dickinson comments on `The stamped samian ware' (262--3), D R Evans on `The coarse pottery' (263--76), including a note on a Firmalampe of Gaulish origin by Donald Bailey (271). D Brennan comments on `The glass' (276--83), J Parkhouse on `Stone artefacts' (283--5) and the `Worked bone and shale objects' by S Greep (285--8). In the `Discussion' (288--92) A G Marvell summarises the major periods of activity, proposing that the first fort was founded c 75 to c 80 with a second fort constructed between c 80 and c 90, lasting until c 110--115. A short period of abandonment followed with re-occupation c 117 to 120--125 when the fort was consolidated in stone. Further phases of activity took place between c 140 and c 170 and again between c 275 and c 320.