Samian Studies Challenges and
Opportunities in
an Electronic Age
Where are we at?
• Philosophy - why study samian?
• People
- who is available
• Publication - how to publish in future?
Philosophy
• General artefact studies have been neglected
over the last 25 years
• Archaeologists, particularly in ‘rescue’
situations, increasingly fail both to
understand, study and/or consider their
artefacts
• This has led inevitably to a decline in
research and specialists
Why Study samian?
• To date archaeological sites
• To evaluate social and cultural status
• As a unique example of proto-industrialisation
• Because of the huge statistical populations available
• As an insight into provincial Iconography
• As a insight into provincial onomastics
Dating
• There is no substitute for samian as a
dating medium for the first 250 years of
the Principate
BUT there are differing views!
• ‘Répetons cependant que les fourchettes
mentionnées pour chaque marque ne sont pas
des butoirs intangibles et nous avions, dans ce
sens, exclu la recherche de datations trop
précises qui nous parait une démarche illusoire
don’t la rigidité est génatrice d’erreurs. Il va de
soi que ces hypothéses doivent été corrigées,
voire bousculées, des lors qu’on a la chance de
disposer d’un faisceau d’indices permettent en
faire.’
Genin, 2008
Social and Cultural Aspects
• Samian as a measure of acculturation
• Samian vessels in use (eating and
drinking)
Proto-industrialisation
• The organzation of the industry
• Markets
• Competition between production
centres
• Transport and distribution
The numbers
• Only coinage (and perhaps brooches)
exceed samian in data available for
quantitative analysis
• la Graufesenque alone seems to have
produced millions of vessels
• Consequently, detailed statistical
analysis can be validly pursued
Iconography
• The corpora of poinçons do not deal with the
development of artistic schemes:
– The evolution of types
– Groups of figures
– The use of different types at different regional
production centres
Onomastics
• What can the names tell us about
status?
• What can the names tell us about
familial relationships?
• What can the names tell us about the
Gallicisation of the industry?
People
• What sort of person studies samian?
• Who is currently in the field?
• What can be done to ensure
continuity?
People- the personae of corpora
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Dragendorff
Loeschcke
Ritterling
Déchelette
Ludowici
Hermet
Oswald
Stanfield
Simpson
Hartley
Rogers
Academic
Academic
Academic
Industrialist
Industrialist
Curé
Civil Servant (registrar)
Civil Servant (Admiralty)
Private consultant
Academic
Computer specialist
The Current Crop -Britain
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Bird
Dickinson
Dannell
Hopkins
Mills
Pengelly
Pitts
Monteuil
Ward
Webster
Wild
Willis
R SR
R
R
R SR
SR
SR
R
R SR
SR
R
SR
R SR
Iconography
Stamps & Signatures
General
Lezoux
R=Researcher
SR=Site Reports
Lezoux (C1)
Methodology; social
General?
Methodology; social
The Current Crop -Continent
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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•
•
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•
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Bet
Bourgeois
De Clerq
Deschieter
Delage
Driessen
Gabucci
Huld – Zetsche DE
van der Linden NE
Martin
Niemeijer
Menichelli
Mees
DE
Polak
NE
Tilhard
Thomas
Viegas
FR
FR
SR
SR
FR
NE
IT
?
SR
FR
NE
IT
R
R
FR
FR
PT
?
R SR
BE
BE
R
SR
R
Trier
R SR
SR
R
General
General
R
R
SR?
Lezoux
Piedmont
Montans
Pisa
Espalion, W. France
Rheinzabern; Trier?
Continuity
• The evidence is that there are two
specialisations, which are mutually
dependent:
• General experience of samian directed
towards site reporting leading to the ability
to engage in:
• Research and the production of corpora
Site Reporting
• This is the ‘bread and butter’ of samian
studies
• Recent experience indicates that the
speciality cannot be ‘taught’ in a formal way
• The speciality cannot survive unless general
archaeology supports proper standards of
reporting
Publication
• Samian in archaeology:
– The need to publish samian (as other
artefacts) in archaeological reports is no
longer considered mandatory
– There are no publication standards for
dealing with samian
Research & Corpora
• Most corpora are now very dated
• Most are based on drawings, which
lack precision
• Many are not generally accessible
What is being done?
• The revision to Oswald’s ‘Index’ will be
completed by 2010
• The Mainz website will contain all South
Gaulish stamped and signed decorated
vessels, and decorated vessels with ovolos
• Manuel Thomas is working on the
Rheinzabern poinçons
Priorities
• Acceptance of a minimum publication
standard by commissioning authorities
• Mentoring for upcoming specialists
• ‘Fast-track’ support for a successor to
Brenda
• Support for the Mainz project
• Archiving of original records
• Centres of Excellence?
Summary:
• Prime Needs:
– Recognition by MIFA, EH and Units of the
need to publish samian to a minimum
standard
– Support for specialist development
– An extension to the Mainz project for other
production centres
Why is the Mainz database
approach so crucial?
• Future studies cannot be based upon
traditional physical collection of data
across the western Roman provinces
• The database is on the Web
• It can be updated remotely