School of Archaeology & Ancient History

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1 School of Archaeology & Ancient History Module AR3037 Britain in the Roman Empire Academic Year: Semester: 2 Time and location: Fri , Attenboro 206 Module coordinator: Professor David Mattingly djm7@le.ac.uk Room: 021 Office hours: Mon 9-11 am document prepared by: David Mattingly

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3 AR3037 Britain in the Roman Empire Module details Weighting: 20 credits Coordinator: David Mattingly Other tutors: Module outline: This module offers a detailed study of Roman provincial culture. The underlying theme of the course is the diversity of experience of life under Roman rule and case-studies will be drawn from all regions of Britain and from different levels in the social hierarchy. The study of Roman Britain is undergoing profound change at present as old assumptions are called into question and new more theoretical approaches are pioneered. This will be a course more about the experience of life under Roman rule than a straightforward historical narrative. It will also take a critical view of the nature of society in different parts of Britain and beyond the frontiers and assess how different groups of people were affected by contact with the empire. Aims: Learning outcomes: Method of assessment To build on the chronological and thematic awareness gained in AR 2033 To provide students with an advanced understanding of the culture of Roman Britain in the context of the archaeology and history of the Roman Empire To enable students to find independently new published evidence for subjects within Roman archaeology To further enhance critical skills in assessing both primary evidence and modern theories through group work and discussions On completion of this module, students will be able to: Demonstrate factual knowledge of the archaeology of Roman Britain Critically evaluate the evidence in a broader theoretical context Write concise summaries of scholarly works Undertake a piece of individual research and present the results in an oral presentation One examination (Seen Paper), 2 hours (50% of mark) One essay max. 3,000 words (40% of mark) One seminar presentation (10% of mark) 3

4 Teaching schedule Week 1 29/1/10 Roman Imperialism and the Historiography of Roman Britain Sources Pre-Roman Britain Week 2 5/2/10 The Military Community I: Conquest and garrisoning Week 3 12/2/10 The Military Community II: identity and culture Week 4 19/2/10 The Urban Community I: The Urban Experiment Week 5 26/2/10 The Urban Community II: identity and culture Week 6 5/3/10 No lecture Reading week Week 7 12/3/10 The Rural Communities I: Changing Landscapes of Britain Week 8 19/2/10 The Rural Communities II: identity and culture Week 9 Thur 25/3/10 Reconstructing Roman Leicester: seminar presentations Week 10 7/5/10 Different Economies and discrepant identities Final Review and exam preparation Note the different day for the seminar presentations. We shall also need to arrange an excursion early in term to De Montfort University to view a new computer model of Roman Leicester, which links with the seminar theme. 4

5 Assignments and deadlines Essay Assessment and deadlines: Regionalism in Roman Britain Each student will take a region of Britain (to be communicated to me for approval by so as to avoid too many of you choosing the same area and chasing the same books). As an example of what I mean by a region, I would take a block of territory equivalent to 2 or more modern counties the East Midlands, or South-western counties, or South Wales, etc.). The main theme of the essay should be either military deployment or rural settlement. The essay should be in two parts: first, write a brief synopsis of the region s [military or rural] history from the first century BC to early fifth century AD. The second part should provide an analytical commentary on this picture, focussed on what the archaeology reveals about the relationship of the indigenous population with the Roman empire. I expect to see some commentary also on the extent to which your selected region shows conformity/non-conformity with other parts of Britain under Roman rule (and where you detect variability some discussion of why this may have been so). The key underlying question is how far it is safe to make broad generalisations about military garrison patterns (and functions) or rural settlement for Britain as a whole or whether these things need to be analysed at the regional level. For bibliography, use the full bibliography on the Blackboard site and your own library skills! Essay length: 3000 words maximum Essay deadline: Tue 9 March 2010 Seminar Assignments (to be presented in class on Thursday 25 March session to be specially arranged) NB The seminar presentations class will need to be arranged on the Thursday of the last week of the Spring term and will require a 3 hour slot. All the seminar presentations will focus on issues of reconstructing Roman Britain. The assignments are linked to the Virtual Roman Leicester project being conducted between De Montfort University (DMU) and the University of Leicester. This involves creating a highly detailed computer model of the cityscape of Leicester in the Roman period, which will then be populated by avatars with distinct identities, representing different groups and strata in society. There are currently problems with the computer reconstructions of buildings (DMU have raced ahead to get a first version of the environment up and running). The class will visit the DMU lab for a demonstration of the existing model and will then undertake research to suggest improved ideas for the reconstruction of individual buildings and decorative elements. What I am looking for in the presentations is as follows: a) a critique of the existing state of the model/reconstruction at DMU b) a comparison with other reconstruction drawings of this type of building in Britain (parallels with other parts of the Roman empire can also be considered, but you need to show awareness that Britain was not necessarily the same as Italy!) c) propositions concerning scale, materials and finish of the building/decorative media in Leicester Each member of the class will be assigned a specific building type or decorative medium, drawing on the detailed bibliography below and on individual bibliographic research. These topics must be agreed with me well in advance, with only one person allowed to do each topic. Presentations will be short (c.5 minutes each), but will be expected to be well presented, with accompanying visual aids and handouts. I will be available for consultation regarding both content and presentation style. The following are suggested topics: Reconstructions of specific building types in Romano-British context Forum and basilica complexes Public baths Small baths Urban Defences and Gates Theatres Amphitheatres Markets Aqueducts and wells 5

6 Elite house (2 nd century) Elite house (4 th century) Shops and workshops Classical temples and precincts Romano-Celtic temples and precincts Mithraea Cemetery areas and funerary rites (1 st -2 nd centuries) Cemetery areas and funerary rites (3 rd -4 th centuries) Streets (widths, paving, drains, sewers, etc.) Half-timbered buildings and timber buildings Round houses Architectural elements and internal decoration Columns and Classical orders Mosaics Wall-paintings Roofing materials and chimneys Sculpture Furniture You are welcome to suggest your own ideas for broad themes or (better) focused sub-topics within these general areas. Bibliography for reconstructing Roman Britain Many general books on Roman Britain contain images offering reconstruction views of individual buildings and cityscapes. The following may also be useful starting points: De la Bedoyere, G The Towns of Roman Britain. Batsford, London. De la Bedoyere, G The Buildings of Roman Britain. Batsford, London. Drury, P.J Structural Reconstruction. Oxford. Johnson, P. and Haynes, I Architecture in Roman Britain. London. Sorrell, A Roman Towns in Britain. London BLACKBOARD Some course resources and materials have been mounted on Blackboard and it is hoped to develop other aspects of the Blackboard VLE as the semester progresses. Please be aware that Blackboard development is still comparatively young at Leicester. Your comments and suggestions are welcome! 6

7 Reading list A good deal of reading will be required of you in taking this course. The course is built around the structure of my book An Imperial Possession Britain in the Roman Empire (2006) and I recommend that you try to keep up with the relevant chapters of that ahead of each lecture. We shall also be using James and Millett, Britons and Romans and P. Salway (ed.). Short Oxford History of the British Isles. The Roman era. There should be copies of these and a range of other recommended books covering parts of the course in the University Bookshop and I suggest you purchase at least one or two of those titles. The bibliography below is designed to provide a broad range of reading options for each lecture on the course, as well as some advice about general works and reference materials, useful for essays, seminar presentations and dissertations! An even fuller bibliography is provided in the WEB and BLACKBOARD versions of this course handbook please consult the fuller resource. NOTE: this bibliography is intended to help you to find publications on a wide range of topics. You are not expected (and you cannot possibly) look at all of them. It is a directory and a not a list of what you should read. But you will be expected to do some additional reading each week on the topic of that week s class. INTRODUCTORY AND KEY BACKGROUND Key reading: Imperial Possession, pp General studies and important syntheses Creighton, J The Creation of a Roman Province. Routledge. (a very important new book) De la Bedoyere, G Roman Britain. A new history. Thames and Hudson, London. Frere, S.S Britannia: A History of Roman Britain, 3rd edn. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London (also 1991 paperback - Pimlico) James, S. and Millett, M Britons and Romans: advancing an archaeological agenda. CBA Res Rep 125, York. A key text Jones,G.D.B. and Mattingly, D An Atlas of Roman Britain. Blackwell, Oxford. [now reprinted by Oxbow books, 2002] Jones. R.F.J. ed Roman Britain: recent trends. Sheffield. Mattingly, D An Imperial Possession. Britain in the Roman Empire. Penguin (in p/b - also available at discount through Amazon!!!) Millet, M The Romanization of Britain. Cambridge Millett, M Roman Britain. Batsford, London. Potter, T.W and Johns, C Roman Britain. British Museums Pubs, London. Richmond, I.A Roman Britain. (rev. by M. Todd). Salway, P Roman Britain. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Salway, P The Oxford Illustrated History of Roman Britain. OUP, Oxford. P. Salway (ed.) Short Oxford History of the British Isles. The Roman era. Oxford Good p/b text Todd, M Roman Britain (55 BC-AD 400). London. Todd, M. ed Research on Roman Britain: Britannia Monograph 11, London. Todd, M. (ed.) Companion to Roman Britain. Blackwell, Oxford. (now in p/b) Wacher, J.S Roman Britain. J. Dent, London. Sources Birley A The Fasti of Roman Britain. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Birley, A The Government of Roman Britain. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Bowman, A. and Thomas, J. 1994/2003. The Vindolanda writing tablets (Tabula Vindolandensis II/III). London. Ireland, S Roman Britain: a sourcebook. Croom Helm. Jones, B. and Mattingly, D An Atlas of Roman Britain. Blackwell, Oxford. Keppie, L Understanding Roman Inscriptions. Batsford, London. RIB I = Collingwood, R.G. and Wright, J The Roman Inscriptions of Britain. Vol. I: Inscriptions on Stone. Oxford, Oxford University Press. RIB II = Frere, S.S. and Tomlin, R.S.O., The Roman Inscriptions of Britain. Vol. II: Instrumentum Domesticum. Fasc. 1 (1990)- 8 (1995), Sutton, Stroud. Rivet A. L. F. and Smith C The Place-Names of Roman Britain. London: Batsford. Stevenson, E.L Claudius Ptolemy. The Geography. Dover, New York. Roman Imperialism and the Historiography of Roman Britain Key reading: Imperial Possession, 3-20; Hingley 2000, pp Haverfield, F The Romanization of Roman Britain. 3rd edition. Oxford. 7

8 Haverfield, F.J The Roman Occupation of Britain (rev.edit. by G.Macdonald). Oxford. Hingley, R The legacy of Rome: the rise, decline and fall of the theory of Romanization. In Webster and Cooper 1996: Hingley, R Roman officers and English Gentlemen. The imperial origins of Roman archaeology. Routledge, London. Mattingly, D.J Dialogues in Roman Imperialism. Power, Discourse and Discrepant Experience in the Roman Empire (Journal of Roman Archaeology, Suppl. vol 23), Portsmouth, RI Mattingly, D.J. 1997b. Dialogues of power and experience in the Roman empire. In Mattingly 1997: Webster, J. 1996a. Roman imperialism and the 'post-imperial age'. In Webster and Cooper 1996: Webster, J. and Cooper, N. (eds) Roman Imperialism: post-colonial perspectives. Leicester. Woolf, G Beyond Romans and natives. World Archaeology 28.3: Understanding pre-roman Britain Key reading: Imperial Possession, 47-84; J. Creighton in James and Millett 2001, 4-11 Bevan, B Northern Exposure: interpretative devolution and the Iron Age in Britain. Leicester Archaeological Monographs 4. Champion, T. and Collis, J The Iron Age in Britain and Ireland. Recent Trends. Sheffield. Creighton, J Coins and Power in late Iron Age Britain. CUP, Cambridge. Collis, J. The Iron Age. In B. Vyner (ed.), Building on the Past: papers celebrating 150 years of the Royal Archaeological Institute: Cunliffe, B Iron Age Communities in Britain. 3 rd ed, Routledge, London. Gwilt, A. and Haselgrove, C. (eds) Reconstructing Iron Age Societies. Oxbow, Oxford. Haselgrove, C The Iron Age. In J. Hunter and I. Ralston (eds), The Archaeology of Britain. Routledge: Haselgrove, C., Armit, I., Champion, T., Creighton, J., Gwilt, A., Hill, J.D., Hunter, F. and Woodward, A Understanding the British Iron Age; an agenda for action. English Heritage, Salisbury.. Hill, J.D The Iron Age in Britain and Ireland: an overview. Journal of World Prehistory 9.1: Hill, J.D. and Cumberpatch, C. (eds) Different Iron Ages: Studies in the Archaeology of Iron Age Europe. BAR S 602, Oxford. James, S The Atlantic Celts: ancient people or modern invention. London. Mapping Roman Britain Key reading: Jones and Mattingly 1990, chapters 1-2; Mattingly, D.J Review of OS Historical map and guide of Roman Britain, 5 th edition. Britannia 33: Esmonde Cleary, S. 2000a. Britannia Superior. In Talbert 2000a: map 8 and Map-by-Map Directory p Esmonde Cleary, S. 2000b. Britannia Inferior. In Talbert 2000a: map 9 and Map-by-Map Directory p Esmonde Cleary, S [Text accompanying Ordnance Survey 2001]. Jones,G.D.B. and Mattingly, D An Atlas of Roman Britain. Blackwell, Oxford (chapters 1-2). Mattingly, D.J Review of OS Historical map and guide of Roman Britain, 5 th edition. Britannia 33: Ordnance Survey Map of Roman Britain. 1 st edition, Southampton. Ordnance Survey Map of Roman Britain. 2 nd edition, Southampton. Ordnance Survey Map of Roman Britain. 3 rd edition, Southampton. Ordnance Survey Map of Roman Britain. 4 th edition, Southampton. Ordnance Survey Map of Roman Britain. Revised 4 th edition, Southampton. Ordnance Survey Map of Roman Britain. 5 th edition, Southampton. Rivet, A.L.F. and Smith, C The Placenames of Roman Britain. Batsford, London. Tabula Imperii Romani Condate-Glevum-Londinium-Lutetia. London. Tabula Imperii Romani Britannia Septentrionalis. London. Talbert, R.J.A. (ed.). 2000a. Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton. THE MILITARY COMMUNITY Key reading: Imperial Possession, ; James in James and Millett 2001, Blagg, T.F.C. and King, A.C. eds Military and Civilian in Roman Britain. relationships in a frontier province. BAR 136, Oxford. Cultural 8

9 Bowman, A.K Life and Letters on the Roman Frontier. Vindolanda and its people. BMP, London Frere, S.S. and St. Joseph J.K Roman Britain from the Air. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Hanson, W.S Agricola and the Conquest of the North. Batsford, London. Hanson, W.S Roman Britain. The military dimension. In J. Hunter and I. Ralston (eds), The Archaeology of Britain. Routledge: Hanson, W.S. and Maxwell, G.S Rome's North West Frontier: the Antonine Wall. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. Holder, P.A The Roman Army in Britain. Batsford, London. James, S The community of soldiers: a major identity and centre of power in the Roman empire. In Baker et al. 1999: James, S Soldiers and civilians: identity and interaction in Roman Britain. In James and Millett 2001: James, S Writing the legions: the development and future of Roman military studies in Britain. Arch J 159 (2002): Jones,G.D.B. and Mattingly, D An Atlas of Roman Britain. Blackwell, Oxford (chapter 4). THE URBAN COMMUNITY Key reading: Imperial Possession, ; Millett and Burnham et al. in James and Millett 2001, Burnham, B.C. and Wacher, J.S The Small Towns of Roman Britain. Batsford, London. Creighton, J The Creation of a Roman Province. Routledge. De la Bedoyere, G The Towns of Roman Britain. Batsford, London. Greep, S. ed Roman Towns: The Wheeler Inheritance. A review of 50 years research. CBA, London. Hurst H. (ed.) The Coloniae of Roman Britain: New Studies and a review. Journal of Roman Archaeology, Suppl. 36. Ottaway, P Archaeology in British Towns from the Emperor Claudius to the Black Death. Routledge, London. Wacher, J.,S The Towns of Roman Britain. 2nd ed Batsford, London. Wilson, P. (ed) The Archaeology of Roman Towns. Studies in Honour of John S. Wacher. Oxbow Books, Oxford. THE RURAL COMMUNITIES Key reading: Imperial Possession, ; Taylor in James and Millett 2001, 46-59; Hingley and Miles, in Salway 2002: Applebaum, S Roman Britain. In H.P.R. Finberg ed. The Agrarian History of England and Wales. I.ii. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: Branigan, K. and Miles, D The Economies of Romano-British Villas. Sheffield. Dark, K. and P The Landscape of Roman Britain. Sutton, Gloucester. Dark, P The Environment of Britain in the First Millennium AD. Duckworth, London. Hingley, R Rural settlement in Roman Britain. Seaby, London. Hingley, R. 1991b. The Romano-British countryside - the significance of rural settlement forms. In R. Jones (ed), Roman Britain: recent trends. Sheffield: Hingley, R. and Miles, D The human impact on the landscape: agriculture, settlement, industry, infrastructure. In P. Salway (ed), Short Oxford History of the British Isles. The Roman Era. Oxford: Jones,G.D.B. and Mattingly, D An Atlas of Roman Britain. Blackwell, Oxford (Chapter 7). Miles, D. ed The Romano-British Countryside. BAR 103, Oxford. Rivet, A.L.F The Roman Villa in Britain. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London. Smith, J.T The Roman Villa. London. Taylor, J Rural Society in Roman Britain. In James and Millett 2001: Todd, M. ed. 1978a. Studies in the Romano-British Villa. Leicester University Press, Leicester. DIFFERENT ECONOMIES AND DISCREPANT IDENTITIES Key reading: Imperial Possession, ; Fulford, M The Economy of Roman Britain. In Todd 1989, Fulford, M Town and country in Roman Britain - a parasitical relationship? In D. Miles 1982:

10 Fulford, M. 1984a. Demonstrating Britannia's economic dependence in the first and second centuries. In Blagg and King 1984: Fulford, M The Economy of Roman Britain. In Todd 1989, Greene, K The Archaeology of the Roman Economy. Batsford, London. Jones,G.D.B. and Mattingly, D An Atlas of Roman Britain. Blackwell, Oxford (chapter 6). Jones, R.F.J Britain in the Roman Period: recent trends. Dept of Archaeology, Sheffield (esp papers by King, Jones, Reece and Fulford) King, A Diet in the Roman world: a regional comparison of the mammal bones. JRA 12: Taylor, J. du Plat and Cleere, H. eds Roman Shipping and Trade: Britain and the Rhine provinces. CBA Research Report 24, London. Tyers, P The Pottery of Roman Britain. Batsford, London. Romanization and Identity Key readings: Hill, Allason Jones, Evans and Dobney in James and Millett 2001, 4-45; Huskison, in Salway 2002: Cool, H Eating and Drinking in Roman Britain Cooley, A.E Becoming Roman, Writing Latin. Literacy and epigraphy in the Roman West. JRA Suppl. 48. Gardner, A An Archaeology of Identity. Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press. Hanson, W.S Dealing with Barbarians: the Romanization of Britain. Building on the Past. Papers celebrating 150 years of the Royal Archaeological Institute: Hingley, R The legacy of Rome: the rise, decline and fall of the theory of romanization. In Webster and Cooper 1996: Hingley, R Resistance and domination: social change in Roman Britain. In Mattingly 1997: 73- Huskinson, J Cul;ture and social relations in the Roman province. In P. Salway (ed), Short Oxford History of the British Isles. The Roman Era. Oxford: James, S Romanization and the peoples of Britain. In S. Keay and N. Terrenato (eds), Italy and the west. Comparative issues in Romanization. Oxbow, Oxford. Mattingly, D.J Vulgar and weak Romanization, or time for a paradigm shift? Journal of Roman Archaeology 15: Mattingly, D.J Being Roman: expressing identity in a provincial setting. JRA 17: Metzler, J., Millet, M., Roymans, N. and Slofstra, J Integration in the Early Roman West. The role of culture and ideology. Luxembourg. Millet, M The Romanization of Britain. Cambridge Webster, J Creolising Roman Britain. AJA 105.2: Webster, J. and Cooper, N. (eds) Roman Imperialism: post-colonial perspectives. Leicester. Woolf, G Becoming Roman: the origins of provincial administration in Gaul. CUP, Cambridge. Religion Key reading: Webster, J A negotiated syncretism: readings on the development of Romano-Celtic religion. In Mattingly 1997: Green, M.J The Gods of the Celts. Alan Sutton, Gloucester. Henig, M Religion in Roman Britain. Batsford, London. Webster, J. 1995b. Interpretatio: Roman word power and the Celtic Gods. Britannia 26: Webster, J A negotiated syncretism: readings on the development of Romano-Celtic religion. In Mattingly 1997: Webster, J At the end of the world: Druidic and other revitalization movements in post-conquest Gaul and Britain. Britannia 30: Art Key reading: S. Scott, Provincial art and Roman Imperialism. In Scott and Webster 2003: 1-7 and C. Johns, Art, Romanisation and competence. In Scott and Webster 2003: Henig, M The Art of Roman Britain. Batsford, London. Johns, C The Jewellery of Roman Britain. London. Neal, D. and Cosh, S Roman Mosaics of Britain. Volume 1, Northern Britain. London. Scott, S Art and Society in Fourth Century Roman Britain. Oxford. Scott, S. and Webster, J. (eds) Roman Imperialism and Provincial Art. CUP, Cambridge. 10