BRITANNIA
A JOURNAL OF ROMANO-BRITISH AND KINDRED STUDIES
VOLUME 45 (2014)
CONTENTS
ARTICLES
BRYN GETHIN and HUGH TOLLER, The Roman Marching Camp and Road at Loups
Fell, Tebay, 1–10
LAWRENCE KEPPIE,
Searching out Roman Inscribed and Sculptured Stones on the
Antonine Wall in 1723, 11–29
N. HODGSON, The British Expedition of Septimius Severus, 31–51
P. ELLIS and R. KING, Gloucester: The Wotton Cemetery Excavations, 2002, 53–120
JOHN CREIGHTON, The Supply and Movement of Denarii in Roman Britain, 121–163
JENNY HALL, With Criminal Intent? Forgers at Work in Roman London, 165–194
EMMA DURHAM, Style and Substance: Some Metal Figurines from South-West Britain,
195–221
SUSAN WALKER, Emperors and Deities in Rural Britain: A Copper-Alloy Head of Marcus
Aurelius from Steane, near Brackley (Northants.), 223–242
PAUL BOOTH, A Late Roman Military Burial from the Dyke Hills, Dorchester on Thames,
Oxfordshire, 243–273
NOTES
ROB ENGL, A Westerly Extension to Dere Street at Newbridge, Edinburgh, 275–279
MICHAEL FULFORD,
Shops, Stalls, Stores: Pre-Consumption Deposits and Centrally
Organised Distribution in Antonine Britain, 279–284
IAN J. MARSHMAN, A Roman Tile with an Intaglio Impression from Wallsend, 284–288
R. SHAFFREY and J.R.L. ALLEN, A Complete Whetstone of Wealden Lithology from the
Roman Site at Tackley, Oxfordshire, 288–293
R.P.M. SMISSON and P. GROVES, Gatcombe Roman Settlement: Geophysical Surveys
2009–2010, 293–302
DAVID WOODS, Cunobelinus’ ‘Wild Heart’ stater, 302–306
ROMAN BRITAIN IN 2013
I Sites Explored by E.M. Chapman, F. Hunter, P. Wilson and P. Booth, 307–395
II Finds Reported under the Portable Antiquities Scheme by S. Worrell and J. Pearce, 397–
429
III Inscriptions by R.S.O. Tomlin, 431–462
REVIEW ARTICLE
PHILIP KENRICK, Seeing Names on Pots, 463–467
REVIEWS
R. Abdy, E. Besly and F. López-Sánchez, The Gloucester Hoard and Other Coin Hoards of
the Britannic Empire. Coin Hoards from Roman Britain XIII (by Peter Guest), 469–
470
M.-J. Ancel, Pratiques et espaces funéraires: la crémation dans les campagnes romaines de
la Gaule Belgique (by John Pearce), 470–471
C. Andrews, Roman Seal-Boxes in Britain (by Nina Crummy), 471–472
P. Arrowsmith and D. Power, Roman Nantwich: a Salt-Making Settlement. Excavations at
Kingsley Fields 2002 (by Derek Hurst), 472–473
S. Butler and R. Cuttler, Life and Industry in the Suburbs of Roman Worcester (by Derek
Hurst), 474
O. de Cazanove and P. Méniel, Étudier les lieux de culte de Gaule romaine: Actes de la
table-ronde de Dijon, 18–19 septembre 2009 (by Eleanor Ghey), 474–475
R. Collins, Hadrian’s Wall and the End of Empire; the Roman Frontier in the 4th and 5th
Centuries (by Tony Wilmott), 475–476
A.S. Esmonde Cleary, The Roman West, AD 200–500: an Archaeological Study (by Adam
Rogers), 477–478
K.G. Evers, The Vindolanda Tablets and the Ancient Economy (by Andrew Gardner), 478–
479
R.D. Giles, Roman Soldiers and the Roman Army: a Study of Military Life from
Archaeological Remains (by Andrew Gardner), 478–479
I. Ferris, Roman Britain through its Objects (by Jenny Hall), 480
M.G. Fulford (ed.), Silchester and the Study of Romano-British Urbanism (by Will Bowden),
481
M. Fulford and E. Durham (eds), Seeing Red. New Economic and Social Perspectives on
Gallo-Roman Terra Sigillata (by Jane Timby), 482–483
M. Gleba and U. Mannering, Textiles and Textile Production in Europe from Prehistory to
AD 400 (by Mary Harlow), 483–484
G. Hey, P. Booth and J. Timby, Yarnton. Iron Age and Romano-British Settlement and
Landscape (by Eileen Wilkes), 484–486
K. Egging Dinwiddy and P. Bradley, Prehistoric Activity and a Romano-British Settlement at
Poundbury Farm, Dorchester, Dorset (by Eileen Wilkes), 484–486
F. Hunter and L. Keppie (eds), A Roman Frontier Post and its People: Newstead 1911–2011
(by Matthew F.A. Symonds), 486–487
A. Jones, Roman Birmingham 3. Excavations at Metchley Roman Fort 1999–2001 (by Roger
White), 487–488
A. Jones, Roman Birmingham 4. Excavations at Metchley Roman Fort 2004–2005 (by Roger
White), 487–488
R.H. Jones, Roman Camps in Scotland (by Nick Hodgson), 488–489
R.H. Jones, Roman Camps in Britain (by Nick Hodgson), 488–489
A. Koster, The Cemetery of Noviomagus and the Wealthy Burials of the Municipal Elite (by
Patrick Ottaway), 489–490
D.C. Steures, The Late Roman Cemeteries of Nijmegen, Stray Finds and Excavations 1947–
1983 (by Patrick Ottaway), 489–490
M. McCarthy, The Romano-British Peasant: Towards a Study of People, Landscapes and
Work during the Roman Occupation of Britain (by John Manley), 491
D. Mladenović and B. Russell (eds), TRAC 2010: Proceedings of the Twentieth Annual
Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference, Oxford 2010 (by Louise Revell), 492–
493
M. Duggan, F. McIntosh and D.J. Rohl (eds), TRAC 2011: Proceedings of the Twenty First
Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference, Newcastle 2011 (by Louise Revell),
492–493
P.J. Ottoway, K.E. Qualmann, H. Rees and G.D. Scobie, The Roman Cemeteries and Suburbs
of Winchester: Excavations 1971–86 (by Paul Booth), 493–494
A. Rogers, Water and Roman Urbanism: Towns, Waterscapes, Land Transformation and
Experience in Roman Britain (by Andrew Wilson), 494–495
J. Salido Domínguez, Horrea Militaria. El aprovisionamiento de grano al ejército en el
occidente del imperio romano (by Mike Dobson), 495–496
S. Ward, D.J.P. Mason and J. MckPeake, Excavations at Chester: the Western and Southern
Roman Extramural Settlements: a Roman Community on the Edge of the World:
Excavations 1964–1989 and Other Investigations (by Paul Bidwell), 496–498
R. Cuttler, C. Hewitson, S. Hepburn and K. Krawiec, Gorse Stacks: 2000 Years of Quarrying
and Waste Disposal in Chester (by Paul Bidwell), 496–498
R.H. White, C. Gaffney and V.L. Gaffney with A. Baker, Wroxeter, the Cornovii and the
Urban Process. Final Report of the Wroxeter Hinterland Project 1994–1997. Volume
2: Characterising the City (by Neil Holbrook), 498
BRITANNIA 2014 ABSTRACTS
Bryn Gethin and Hugh Toller: The Roman Marching Camp and Road at Loups Fell,
Tebay
A 15.2-ha Roman marching camp has been identified at the northern end of the Lune gorge
where the Roman road northwards from Ribchester emerges into the Eden valley and the
Cumbrian plain. The road runs here on an alignment that has not been determined before. The
camp lies astride the road and faced east. The remains of the camp and the road are described
and discussed.
Lawrence Keppie:
Searching out Roman Inscribed and Sculptured Stones on the
Antonine Wall in 1723
Correspondence addressed to the antiquary Sir John Clerk, 2nd baronet of Penicuik,
Midlothian, allows us to document the initial recording in 1723 of Roman inscriptions and
relief sculpture observed at several forts along the line of the Antonine Wall between the
Forth and Clyde, and the arrangements put in place to transport them to his home at Penicuik
House. Particularly valuable is a series of drawings, which are sometimes our only visual
record of the stones.
N. Hodgson: The British Expedition of Septimius Severus
Archaeological evidence has emerged over the last half century which helps shed light on the
British expedition (A.D. 208–11) of the emperor Septimius Severus and his sons, famously
but meagrely reported by the historians Cassius Dio and Herodian. Excavation at the Severan
supply-base at South Shields, full publication of excavations of the 1960s and 1970s at the
fortress of Carpow on the Tay, and more recently at Cramond, and recent work on the
indigenous societies encountered by the Romans, all offer new perspectives. The
archaeological evidence is reviewed in conjunction with the historical. A critical assessment
is made of: (1) the widespread belief that personal or political considerations brought Severus
to Britain rather than actual need for military intervention; (2) recent claims that the fortress
at Carpow was founded earlier under Commodus (A.D. 180s) and abandoned even before the
Severan expedition; (3) the widespread assumption that Severus wished to occupy Scotland
permanently and thus be the first conqueror of the whole of Britain; (4) the prevailing view
that Carpow and Cramond were abandoned and that all Roman activity in Scotland ceased
abruptly on Severus’ death in February 211, and that the campaigns brought about a period of
peace in third-century Britain.
P. Ellis and R. King: Gloucester: The Wotton Cemetery Excavations, 2002
The report summarises results from an excavation site within the Wotton cemetery on the
outskirts of Gloucester. A total of 20 cremations and 54 inhumations were excavated and are
the subject of a detailed human bone report. The earliest cremation urns were of pre-Flavian
date and could be paralleled by pots from the Kingsholm fortress. Cremation rite continued
into the early second century, but was then replaced by inhumation burials. These dated from
the later first/early second century till the fourth century. Part of a ditched enclosure, perhaps
with an earlier precursor, was laid out in the second century and survived, respected by
burials, into the later Roman period. The layout of this part of the Wotton cemetery is not in
the orderly rows expected for urban burial in the province and this circumstance is compared
both with other urban cemeteries and with practices known on rural sites. Analysis of the
human bone suggested working people were buried in this part of the cemetery. At least one
of the burials seems likely to have been a soldier and another may have been a person of
importance very late in the life of the town.
John Creighton: The Supply and Movement of Denarii in Roman Britain
Hoards of denarii are common in Britain and the number which have been recorded in detail
means that it is now possible to suggest reasonably accurately what a ‘normal’ hoard of a
particular date should look like. That being the case, we can then look for variation around
that norm and both investigate and speculate what that variation means. A methodology is
developed which suggests periods of faster and less rapid coin circulation which has
implications for consideration of monetisation. The model also enables us to view where
denarii entered circulation; unsurprisingly the army looms large in this picture. The
methodology is directly transferable to other provinces and other periods where there are
long-lived, relatively stable monetary systems.
Jenny Hall: With Criminal Intent? Forgers at Work in Roman London
Over 800 clay coin moulds, excavated from 85 London Wall in 1988, had been used for
casting copies of silver denarii and copper-alloy dupondii and asses which dated from Trajan
to Trebonianus Gallus. The discovery of the moulds in the ditch of Londinium’s defensive
wall led initially to thoughts that this was the concealment of incriminating evidence, but it is
now recognised that counterfeiting coins was rife and perhaps even uncontrollable. The wide
variety of moulds made it a complicated task to identify the numbers and types of coins used
to make the moulds. This article describes the types of moulds found, examines how the
moulds were produced, and discusses the prevalence of coin moulds at differing periods and
on differing sites in Roman Britain and on the Continent.
Emma Durham: Style and Substance: Some Metal Figurines from South-West Britain
A hoard found in Southbroom, Devizes in 1714 contained a group of copper-alloy figurines
executed in both classical and local styles and depicting deities belonging to the GraecoRoman and Gallo-Roman pantheons. The deities in a local style appear to form part of a
larger tradition of figurines, predominantly found in the South-West, which are characterised
both by a similar artistic style and by the use of Gallo-Roman symbolism and deities, such as
the torc, ram-horned snake, carnivorous dog and Sucellus. The unique composition of the
hoard in comparison with other hoards of similar date provides insights into the beliefs of
Roman Britain.
Susan Walker:
Emperors and Deities in Rural Britain: A Copper-Alloy Head of
Marcus Aurelius from Steane, near Brackley (Northants.)
A half-life-sized copper-alloy head of a bearded man was published in the Portable
Antiquities Scheme’s report of finds from Roman Britain in 2009. The head was purchased
by the Ashmolean Museum in 2011. In this paper evidence for the identification of the
subject as a portrait of the emperor Marcus Aurelius is reviewed by comparison with
metropolitan and other certainly identified heads of deities and portraits of the emperor. The
technique and likely function of the head are compared with those of similarly worked
Roman copper-alloy heads of emperors and deities found in South-East Britain. Finally, a
brief account is given of geophysical survey and trial excavation conducted in 2012–13 in the
field where the head was found. This offers a unique opportunity to explore the head’s
archaeological context.
Paul Booth:
A Late Roman Military Burial from the Dyke Hills, Dorchester on
Thames, Oxfordshire
Damage to part of the earthwork at Dyke Hills, Dorchester on Thames, provided the
opportunity to recover the badly disturbed remains of a late Roman burial which had
contained an elaborate belt set and an axe. This burial, of a type very unusual in Roman
Britain, is argued to be of early fifth-century date and to be directly comparable with wellknown burials recovered near by in 1874 which formed a starting point for the ‘soldiers and
settlers’ debates of the 1960s and beyond. The Dorchester burials are seen here as those of
late Roman military personnel, and their local and wider context is discussed.