Series: Britannia Monograph series

This report publishes the 1937–8 excavations in Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset, which revealed one of the best preserved late Roman town houses so far discovered in Roman Britain. Extensively decorated with mosaics, the building has recently been re-displayed in a new cover building by Dorset County Council. In addition to the town house and its mosaics, the report publishes the surrounding buildings in the north-west quarter of the town, also mostly of late Roman date, and associated occupation along with an extensive collection of artefacts, including outstanding finds of coins, glass, iron and Kimmeridge shale.

When Roman objects are discovered in rivers across the north-western provinces of the Roman Empire, they are often interpreted as the accidental losses of travellers or as rubbish deposits revealed by fluvial erosion; this is in contrast to prehistoric assemblages, which are usually seen as ritual offerings.Our project challenges these assumptions by publishing an entire riverine artefactual assemblage for the first time and placing it into its archaeological context. British material has not previously been studied at all, and on the continent only exceptional assemblages like the large vessel hoard from Neupotz or high status objects like swords have been studied. To remedy this situation, we are publishing all the finds from the Tees at Roman Piercebridge (3,619 objects) as a Britannia monograph, including objects such as fishing weights and furniture fittings as well as gold jewellery and coinage. Interpretative chapters explore the significance of the different categories of finds while the individual objects are all recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme website (www.finds.org.uk). We employ Correspondence Analysis to compare the composition of the riverine assemblage to those excavated at nearby sites, and demonstrate that its chronological and functional profile differs significantly from settlement sites, making ritual deposition of at least some finds highly likely. There are also chapters on Roman riverine deposition and the significance of bridges across the Roman world, as well as the archaeological context of the discovery.

Elginhaugh is the most completely excavated timber-built auxiliary fort in the Roman Empire. This report provides an assessment of all the structures, with particular emphasis on the identification of stable-barracks and the implications for the identification of garrisons based on fort plans, while extensive examination of the annexe makes a substantial contribution to the debate about the function of these attached enclosures. Because the occupation is so closely dated (AD 79–87), the site provides a very precise dating horizon for the wide range of artefactual material reported on. Of particular importance is the evidence for the local manufacture of coarseware and mortaria, including the identification of a new mortarium potter. An extensive programme of environmental analysis provides insight into issues of local environment and food supply. Finally, there is unique evidence that the site continued to function as a collection centre for animals after the garrison had departed

Recension of Sir Ian Richmond's excavations with St Joseph of the Agricolan fortress occupied AD 83-6. Includes 'redoubt' and 'officers' temporary compound', 49-acre construction camp and stone quarry site as well as the fortress; all discussed in context of Roman Scotland. Specialist reports.

The late Iron Age oppidum of Calleva underlies the Roman town at Silchester. Excavation (1997–2014) of a large area (0.3 ha) of Insula IX revealed evidence of a rectilinear, NE/SW–NW/SE-oriented layout of the interior of the oppidum, dating from 20/10 B.C., with the remains of the larger part of one compound separated from its neighbours by fenced trackways. Within the compound was a large, 47.5 m long hall surrounded by smaller rectangular buildings associated with groups of rubbish pits. A concluding discussion characterises the oppidum, integrating and contextualising a series of major contributions reporting the pre-conquest finds and environmental evidence with the structural story.

This volume focuses upon the people of rural Roman Britain – how they looked, lived, interacted with the material and spiritual worlds surrounding them, and also how they died, and what their physical remains can tell us. Analyses indicate a geographically and socially diverse society, influenced by pre-existing cultural traditions and varying degrees of social connectivity. Incorporation into the Roman Empire certainly brought with it a great deal of social change, though contrary to many previous accounts depicting bucolic scenes of villa-life, it would appear that this change was largely to the detriment of many of those living in the countryside.

This is the first detailed publication on Roman Carmarthen, Moridunum, tribal capital of the Demetae of West Wales. It covers seven excavations carried out by the Dyfed Archaeological Trust between 1978 and 1993. Small rescue excavations located the Roman auxiliary fort west of the later town. The largest site at Priory Street encompassed the intersection of two Roman streets, flanked by a sequence of buildings (early 2nd to late 4th century) with evidence of smithing and baking. Important evidence was produced on the processes of laying out a Roman town. A substantial building, possibly a mansio, on the south side of the town was also sampled. The finds assemblages are valuable for comparison with other towns and especially in the context of the supposedly lightly romanised hinterland. The numerous illustrations include splendid reconstruction drawings by Neil Ludlow

The introduction outlines the various schools of mosaics, the construction methods, the use of 'nets' in design. Geometric schemes are discussed, and then follows a catalogue of 87 mosaics (mainly those found after 1959) and drawings at 1/10 scale. The drawings are primarily records of surviving patterned pieces, but are also reconstructed to show basic schemes. Colour photographs on microfiches.

This volume draws together for the first time all the fieldwork known to have taken place at Silchester from the earliest located trenches in the 1720s up until the modern campaigns of Fulford. It integrates this work with a new geophysical survey of 217ha to provide a new overarching narrative for the town. The volume starts with a historiography of work on the city from the earliest antiquarian investigations. This sense of changing interpretations of the site permeates all the later discussion, showing how new discoveries have transformed understandings. The core of the volume contains the empirical data, mapping the past excavations alongside evidence from aerial photography, fieldwalking, LiDAR and geophysics. The final sections provide essays in interpretation, with thematic reviews of: the defences; the development of the oppidum; the military connection; the mortuary landscape; trade and industry; and public entertainment. Finally a narrative overview examines how the town’s remains have been interpreted within an historical setting.