| Abstract: |
The aim of the work is to examine the development of constructed cult loci from the Late Iron Age to the late Roman period in southern Britain, focusing on the differential use of internal space. Following an initial review of the interpretative parameters used in the archaeological identification of constructed cult sites, the evidence for such loci within an Iron Age context is critically re-examined. The author argues that not only were such sites rare and geographically dispersed, but that they were confined in most cases to the ultimate pre-Roman and Roman transition periods. It is suggested that this development may have been at least partly induced by an internal increase in societal specialisation and political hierarchy, in addition to external influences from Roman Gaul. Contextual analysis of constructed cult sites has led the author to the conclusion that, at least within the Roman period, they were integral parts of the political, commercial, social and ideological world of those that surrounded them. Furthermore, it is argued that their virtual absence from certain areas implies that the concept of constructed sacred space as a whole did not generally find expression outside of those areas more influenced by Romanized ideology and social structure. At the core of the study is an analysis of the use of space within a selected number of Late Iron Age and Roman period constructed sacred sites. Information and plans of ninety-eight sites are given in |
