The Ruin of Roman Britain: An Archaeological Perspective

366 Pages·2013·10.03 MB·English

by  James Gerrard

TheRuinofRomanBritain
HowdidRomanBritainend?Thisnewstudydrawsonfresharchaeo-
logicaldiscoveriestoarguethattheendofRomanBritainwasnotthe
productofeitheraviolentcataclysmoraneconomiccollapse.Instead,
the structure of late antique society, based on the civilian ideology
ofpaideia,wasforcedtochangebythedisappearanceoftheRoman
state. By the fifth century elite power had shifted to the warband
andtheedgesoftheirswords.InthisbookDrGerrarddescribesand
explains that process of transformation and explores the role of the
‘Anglo-Saxons’inthistimeofchange.Thisprofoundideologicalshift
returned Britain to a series of ‘small worlds’, the existence of which
hadbeenhiddenbytheglobalisingstructuresofRomanimperialism.
Highly illustrated, the book includes two appendices, which detail
Romancemeterysitesandweapontrauma,andpotteryassemblages
fromtheperiod.
james gerrard isaLecturerinRomanArchaeologyatNewcastle
University. He previously held a position at the McDonald Institute
forArchaeologicalResearchinCambridgeandworkedextensivelyin
commercialarchaeology.HisresearchfocussesontheendofRoman
BritainandparticularlytheimpactofthefalloftheWesternRoman
Empireontheuseandproductionofmaterialculture,andhehaspub-
lishedwidelyonlateRomanpottery,coinsandhoarding,includingthe
internationallysignificanthoardofmetalvesselsdiscoveredatDrap-
ers’GardensintheCityofLondonin2007.Hispublicationsinclude
Debating Late Antiquity in Britain ad 300–700 (with Rob Collins,
2004) and a major excavation monograph,A Roman Settlement and
Bathhouse at Shadwell (with A. Douglas and B. Sudds, 2011). He is
a member of the Institute for Archaeologists, the Study Group for
RomanPottery,andaFellowoftheRoyalNumismaticSociety.

The Ruin of Roman Britain
An Archaeological Perspective
james gerrard
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
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Firstpublished2013
PrintingintheUnitedKingdombyTJInternationalLtd.PadstowCornwall
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LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata
Gerrard,James(JamesFrederick)
TheruinofRomanBritain:anarchaeologicalperspective/JamesGerrard.
pages cm
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-107-03863-9(hardback)
1.GreatBritain–History–Romanperiod,55B.C.–449A.D.
2.GreatBritain–Antiquities,Roman. 3.Romans–GreatBritain. I.Title.
DA145.G45 2013
936.104–dc23 2013011222
ISBN978-1-107-03863-9Hardback
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DisManibus

Contents
Listoffigures [pageviii]
Acknowledgements [xiv]
1 Introduction [1]
2 Violenceandwarfare [15]
3 Economiccollapse [73]
4 Elitedisplayinthefourthcentury [118]
5 Elitedisplayinthefifthandsixthcenturies [156]
6 Civitates,kingdoms,estatesandregions [208]
7 TheruinofRomanBritain [245]
8 Finalthoughts [274]
AppendixACemeterysitesandweapontrauma [277]
AppendixBPotteryassemblages [281]
Ancientsources [287]
Bibliography [289]
Index [338]
vii
Figures
1.1 Asilver-giltbroochinthefifth-centuryNydamstylefrom
Gillingham,Kent((cid:2)C Pre-ConstructArchaeology
Ltd) [page9]
2.1 ThelateRomanDioceseoftheBritains(afterWhite2007,
Fig.17) [29]
2.2 PlanoftheValentinianicfortificationatAltrip(Germany)
(aftervonSchnurbeinandKo¨hler1989,Abb.6) [31]
2.3 Mapoftheso-calledSaxonShore(afterEsmonde-Cleary1989,
Fig.11) [33]
2.4 PlanoftheRomanfortatBrancaster(afterJohnson1976,
Fig.20) [34]
2.5 PlanoftheRomanfortatRichborough(afterJohnson1976,
Fig.30) [34]
2.6 PlanoftheRomanfortatPortchester(afterJohnson1976,
Fig.38) [35]
2.7 ReconstructiondrawingoftheshorefortatPortchester
((cid:2)C EnglishHeritage) [36]
2.8 PlanoftheRomanfortatPevensey(afterJohnson1976,
Fig.36) [37]
2.9 MapofnorthernBritainshowingfourth-centuryfortifications
(afterEsmonde-Cleary1989,Fig.10) [38]
2.10 PlanofthefortatBirdoswaldonHadrian’sWall(afterWilmott1997,
Fig.8) [39]
2.11 Planofthelatefourth-century‘signalstation’atFiley(afterOttaway
1997,Fig.1.57) [41]
2.12 PlanofthewallsofPe´rigueux(France)(afterJohnson1983b,
Fig.78) [45]
2.13 AfragmentofaprojectingtowerunderexcavationatChichester
((cid:2)C Pre-ConstructArchaeologyLtd) [46]
2.14 PlanofthewallsofLondon(afterMaloney1983,Fig.100) [48]
2.15 PlanofthewallsofCaerwent(afterWacher1990,Fig.170) [50]
2.16 PlanofthewallsofMildenhall(Cunetio)(afterCorney1997,
viii Fig.3) [52]