This paper develops an argument for the agency of objects, looking at the effects objects have on people. Groups of related objects, such as pots or metal ornaments, create stylistic universes which affect producers and users of new objects, bound by the canons of style. For an object to be socially powerful in a recognized manner, the form of the object lays down certain rules of use which influence the sensory and emotional impacts of the object. Formal properties of artifacts are influenced by the genealogy of the object class, including historical continuities and changes, and also its perceived source. The forms of objects, the historical trajectories of the class of objects and their perceived sources combine to have social effects on people, shaping people as socially effective entities. Britain’s incorporation into the Roman Empire between 150 BC and AD 200 provides an excellent case study through which to look at the changing corpora of objects, which had continuities and changes in form, a set of subtle attributions of sources and a complex range of social effects.

What Do Objects Want

Revell examines questions of Roman ethnic identity and explores Roman imperialism as a lived experience based around the paradox of similarity and difference. Her case studies of public architecture provide an understanding of how urbanism, the emperor and religion were part of the daily encounters of these communities. Revell applies the ideas of agency and practice in her examination of the structures that held the empire together and how they were implicated within repeated daily activities. Rather than offering a homogenized 'ideal type' description of Roman cultural identity, she uses these structures as a way to understand how encounters differed between communities, thus producing a more nuanced interpretation of what it was to be Roman. Bringing an innovative approach to the problem of Romanization, Revell breaks from traditional models, cutting across a number of entrenched debates such as arguments about the imposition of Roman culture or resistance to Roman rule.

/pdf/roman-imperialism-and-local-identities-5809cpxnzt.pdf

Roman imperialism and local identities

This challenging book encourages those with an interest in Roman Britain to think broadly and to engage actively in shaping the future priorities of research into the subject. The volume reconsiders many assumptions about relations between Romans and the indigenous population and the authors explore themes as diverse as: the Iron Age/Roman and Roman/Medieval transitions; Romanisation; material culture and identity; rural society; urbanism; zooarchaeology; and soldiers and civilians. Within these themes the contributors seek to break down the relative insularity of Romano-British studies, and to open it up to new external perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches.

Britons and Romans : advancing an archaeological agenda

OWING to the late date at which excavations were resumed at Ur this year, Dr. C. L. Woolley's first report on the season's work has only just been received and is published in the Times of March 16. The operations of the joint expedition this year are to be directed to the exploration of a cemetery of the Jemdet Nasr period of about 4,000 B.C., which lies at a depth of 54 ft. below the surface and involves the removal of about 5,000 tons of accumulated rubbish. The three weeks‘ work which had been completed at the time Dr. Woolley wrote has produced a remarkable example of sculpture in the round in the form of a woman's figure in alabaster with lapis lazuli inlay forming a fillet outlining the face, lapis lazuli and shell eyes, bituminous inlay for the eyebrows, which meet above the nose, and hair in dark paint. The statue is ten inches high. It is not only the earliest known example of sculpture in the round at Ur, dating from about the last quarter of the fourth millennium, but it is also remarkable as being the first statue to be found in a grave. It lay in a soldier's grave, close to his head and touching the blade of a bronze axe which he carried over his shoulder. This grave is situated in what would appear to have been a military cemetery in the latter half of the Boyal Cemetery period. This at least is the inference which Dr. Woolley draws from the number of battle axes, adze-shaped axes and daggers which have been found in this area. An interesting feature in the economy of the city is conjectured to interpret the existence in the very heart of the town of an area which throughout the history of Ur was a mere rubbish heap. A section shows that while this rubbish heap was continually receiving additions, it was at the same time constantly being removed to provide material for the terraces on which new buildings were erected.

The excavations at Ur

This paper presents the first detailed review of all archaeobotanical records from Roman Britain. It reveals that some 50 new plants food (mostly fruits, herbs and vegetables) were introduced into this country during the Roman period. These introductions represent a major diversification of the plant component of the British diet at this time, adding important nutrients, variety of flavours, ways of expressing cultural identity, as well as social status. The geographical, chronological and social dispersal of these foods is analysed and three dispersal patterns and at least four consumer groups are identified. Methodological issues are discussed and gaps in the data highlighted. The role of these foods in expressions of cultural identity is briefly discussed, as is the impact of their introduction on the productive capacity of the agricultural economy.

New Plant Foods in Roman Britain — Dispersal and Social Access

Samian: the resource

Samian pottery (terra sigillata) is one of the best-quality data sources available for research in the Roman period Its wide distribution, standardised typology and comparatively close dating combine to make this artefact class particularly amenable to analytical approaches Examination of its archaeological occurrence reveals dimensions of patterning that provide a unique and exciting window upon the character of society and cultural practice during the Roman era

Earlier phases of the project conducted in the late 1990s, funded by English Heritage, included a pilot survey which had verified the reliability and utility of the project methodologies, and a research synthesis which brought new light to bear on this familiar material type of the Roman era The findings arising from these stages have been published previously (Willis 1997; 1998) The results of this project, as presented here, demonstrate how study of this material resource can contribute, and in a number of areas transform, our knowledge of the period

The project has had a strong synthesising and analytical imperative, with the intention of bringing together existing knowledge of samian to ensure fuller use of this valuable asset The potential has hitherto been somewhat 'hidden', being compartmentalised within site reports and other publications, there having been only limited opportunities in the past for the distillation of the archaeology of samian beyond dating (Samian is a key indicator of chronology in the early and mid Roman period in North-West Europe and will remain so A developing archaeological awareness of the era, however, will be strongly enhanced through examination of other facets of samian data) Samian distribution and group composition is here shown to be a source of valuable information, which may be effectively harnessed to shed light upon a series of aspects of Roman Britain, with resonance beyond the province of Britannia
Project aims and results

This study was directed towards making the best use of samian evidence as a key resource for exploring a range of questions in Roman archaeology The study collates a large body of data and applies hitherto under-utilised methods in an endeavour to extract archaeological information from this material, particularly in the key areas of dating, the social distribution of samian and cultural practice One avenue in respect of dating has been to explore the extent to which trends in the composition of groups of samian, in terms of forms present, may be used as a guide towards establishing the date of a group without having to depend heavily upon the dating of stamps and diagnostic decorated sherds, which may be comparatively rare It is intended that the resulting guide, presented here, proves to be an accessible and straightforward tool for the non-specialist user

The project, moreover, aimed to move beyond the essential role of samian in providing 'dates', to exploit its evident high potential for elucidating aspects of cultural and economic life during the Roman era Findings from analyses undertaken in a series of such areas are published here The research, indeed, sheds light on a wide variety of aspects of Roman Britain The nature, for instance, of samian supply to Britain is examined

It was intended that the project dataset would provide a flexible tool which readers themselves were able to access so that they may pursue their own questions (view database online), and/or with which they may compare their own samian groups, by reference to a corpus of data collected from a range of sites across Britain covering all appropriate periods (go to the ADS archive to download spreadsheets)

In one highly significant finding, the collected data demonstrate how the character of site samian assemblages is strongly related to site type, status, function, exchange connections and identity Previous work for the project has indicated that the incidence of samian is often patterned The present study further defines the extent to which there are 'normal patterns' (or parameters) of samian occurrence by time, region and site type A framework guide to the 'normal patterns' identified by the project and with which specific site assemblages and stratified groups can be compared is presented as a summary in section 1312 of the article

While focusing on samian, the project has aimed to locate samian within its broader context Hence project objectives and discussion of findings are integrated with the present general research aims in the study of the Roman era in western Europe Throughout the study it was intended that the work be directed and relevant to themes in the archaeological investigation of the period, rather than be just specific to samian studies: this is appropriate since samian is part of a wider nuanced record of life in Roman Britain Samian is here considered in a wide range of fields; it is striking how richly patterned and illuminating this evidence proves to be

Samian Pottery, a Resource for the Study of Roman Britain and Beyond: the results of the English Heritage funded Samian Project. An e-monograph

A category of small vessels fashioned in samian ware has conventionally been interpreted as representing inkwells. This identification seems valid given their typological characteristics. The type is fairly rare in Roman Britain, as in other western provinces. Nonetheless, it is well known through illustration and is sufficiently frequent to be familiar to those who study the period. Given the likely close form-function relationship of this type, its distribution is assessed in this paper as an archaeological index of the locations of writing and recording in Britannia using ink. Indeed, study of samian inkwells offers a seemingly reliable indicator of such activity. This prospect is almost unique given the rarity of other types of direct and indirect evidence for writing in ink from Roman Britain. Analysis shows, for the first time, that there is a clear pattern to the occurrence of samian inkwells. Most examples come from sites associated with the Roman military, with a sizeable proportion also recorded from major civil centres; elsewhere they are particularly infrequent. Examination of the spatial occurrence of these finds from within sites reveals a notable pattern. Many come from contexts at or close-by to locations where writing in ink might be expected. This is testimony to the rich potential of the archaeological record of this era to inform upon cultural practices.

The Context of Writing and Written Records in Ink: The Archaeology of Samian Inkwells in Roman Britain

This paper presents some of the results of an English Heritage funded study of the distribution of samian pottery (Terra Sigillata). It aims to highlight the value of samian pottery as a resource for exploring a range of archaeological questions beyond its essential role in providing dating evidence. The work to date has comprised a pilot study designed to assemble an initial database of stratified samian groups, to test methodologies and to explore the character of samian distribution. Some substantive patterns identified from the database are reproduced here and discussed. The opportunity is also taken to clarify baseline trends in the occurrence of samian within Roman pottery assemblages, and to place patterns in the incidence of this ware within the wider context of Roman Britain. A number of other aspects of archaeological value, for instance, the nature of samian from rural sites and the potential use of samian in ritual actions, are also evaluated. A written report and (hardcopy) database were prod...

Samian Pottery in Britain: Exploring its Distribution and Archaeological Potential

A Roman Villa at the Edge of Empire: Excavations at Ingleby Barwick, Stockton-on-Tees, 2003-2004

The article presents the results of the HRB-funded survey of a sample of the Ave valley undertaken between 1994 and 1998. Introductory sections describe the geographical background and summarise the approaches followed. The field-walking results are then presented with especial emphasis on the ceramics. The field-walking evidence is used to identify a series of newly discovered sites which are assessed. The results of geophysical surveys of several of these sites are also presented. Information about the settlement patterns is presented based on a GIS analysis of both previously known sites and the results of the field-walking. Patterns in the changing distribution of settlement are discussed in relation to local social dynamics and the Roman annexation and exploitation of the region. The article is supported by databases which present the results of the field-walking and ceramic analyses. The article is jointly authored by: Martin Millett, Francisco Queiroga (Universidade Fernando Pessao, Porto), Kris Strutt, Jeremy Taylor and Steven Willis. The nature of a field-walking survey which produces a sequence of related databases (for field and finds) attached to a sequence of maps is particularly appropriate for electronic publication. Attempting such a publication in electronic form seems a worthwhile project in itself aside from the importance of the results.

The Ave Valley, northern Portugal: an archaeological survey of Iron Age and Roman settlement

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