Internet Archaeology 41: Romano-British Pottery in the Fifth Century

In western Britain, particularly the south-west, imported pottery of Mediterranean origin has provided an important means of recognising 5th and 6th-century sites. The ability to link these finds to typologies established in the Mediterranean has led to sherds of imported amphorae or fineware being considered as key chronological markers or indicators of long-distance connections. The arrival of new forms of pottery in the mid- to later 5th century, with a distinct western and coastal distribution, has been used to indicate the emergence of a new and separate post-Roman import system, characterised by a model of direct shipment from the east Mediterranean. This model has been reinforced by a relative absence of known, comparable finds along the Atlantic Seaboard. Recent publications from the Continent, however, are starting to fill this 'gap'. Revised patterns of ceramic distribution in western France and north-west Spain suggest that British sites were integrated into a more complex Atlantic system of trade or exchange. This article will discuss some recent publications on ceramic imports to Britain, particularly those that offer new interpretations of the date and character of this import system. It will highlight emerging evidence from the Continent, particularly south-western France and, specifically, relevant publications on Late Antique pottery in Bordeaux. This will allow new comparisons to be drawn between patterns of pottery importation and use in Britain, France and the wider Atlantic region in the 5th and 6th centuries.

Recent research on the prehistoric and Romano-British remains at Mucking, Essex, has revealed much about the long-term settlement sequence of that important site. A minor, but potentially important, aspect has been identification of a small later Roman pottery assemblage from the site, apparently dating to a period without major occupation. This paper explores the contextual associations of this assemblage, and argues that it may represent very early 5th-century activity arising from the earliest 'Anglo-Saxon' activity at Mucking.

In western Cornwall production of pottery in the local gabbroic fabric seems to have continued throughout the 5th century. Very small quantities reached sites in north-east Cornwall and south Devon. The date at which pottery use ended in the remainder of Devon cannot be established at present. In the final phase the pottery in use consisted almost entirely of South Devon ware and BB1 from south-east Dorset; at Exeter importation of both wares ceased at about the same time. Changes in the latest coarse ware forms are discussed, and the importance of post-Roman Mediterranean imports in dating the end of the Romano-British industries is highlighted.

This article discusses a late Roman Black Burnished form known as the Type 18 bowl. The lateness of this form was first discussed in 2004 but new discoveries have continued to reinforce the probably late fourth to early fifth century date assigned to this vessel. Imitations in other fabrics are also beginning to be identified with one such vessel found in association with early Anglo-Saxon pottery.