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Roman Society  e‐NewsISSN 2047‐6292

Issue VSummer 2013

Archaeology’s Annual Public Lecture.More than two hundred gathered atBingham Hall in Cirencester to hearProfessor Ray Laurence (University ofKent) speak on Childhood in RomanPompeii.

The Society has hosted a number ofevents in the last six months. Twoevening lectures have been held inLondon: in March, Professor DuncanKennedy (University of Bristol) offereda paper entitled Does Augustine put hisfinger on time? and in January we wereparticularly pleased to welcomeProfessor Werner Eck (University ofCologne), one of our recently electedHonorary Members, who spoke onAugustus’ ‘Brave New World’: RomanSociety’s reaction to the so‐called sociallegislation.

Roger Bland giving the Joan Pye lecture 

The subject of Pompeii is certainlyextremely topical, given the BritishMuseum’s new exhibition, Life andDeath in Pompeii and Herculaneum. InApril, seventy‐five members of theRoman Society visited the Museum tohear an excellent lecture by theexhibition’s curator, Dr Paul Roberts,followed by entry to the exhibitionitself.

WELCOME

Dear members, we would like to extenda warm welcome to you for issue V ofEpistula. This issue is packed with thelatest news from a range of inspiringprojects such as Operation Nightingale,where injured soldiers can regain theirconfidence through a passion forArchaeology to new initiatives whichaim to reveal the diversity of RomanBritain to a much wider and youngeraudience than has hitherto beenpossible (Romans revealed).

This issue provides information aboutconferences which may be of interest tomembers and a host of new books.Special thanks to Fiona Haarer for herhard work collating contributions forthis issue and to all of those memberswho have offered news, reviews andinformation for Epistula, you are aconstant inspiration.

Best wishesAndrew Birley and Neil HolbrookEditors

SOCIETY NEWS ‐ A SUMMARY

In November, in collaboration with theRoman Research Trust, the Joan PyeLecture was held. Dr Roger Bland(British Museum) gave a lectureentitled: How coin finds are changingthe face of Roman Britain: thecontribution of the Treasure Act andPortable Antiquities Scheme.

In another new partnership, the Societywas pleased to support Cotswold

Epistula V, 2

Society News

The 23rd TRAC conference at King’s College

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

14 September: Roman Vindolanda Fort & Museum – Aspecial celebration of the 1800 anniversary of theconstruction of the last fort at Vindolanda.

3.30pm Meet for excavation tour followed by your owntour of the Museum.6.00pm Evening Lecture by Dr Andrew Birley: GallicSoldiers in Roman Britain and at Vindolanda – a specialrelationship?7.30pm Wine and canapés in the Vindolanda Museumwith Dr Birley and the Museum curatorial staff.

Further information and a booking form are available onthe Roman Society website:http://www.romansociety.org/events/exhibitions‐visits.html

The Roman Society is pleased to offer complimentarytickets to the first TEN members to book. Members maybring guests but tickets for guests must be paid for.

2 November: Health and Medicine in the Roman World,British Museum. In collaboration with the Association forRoman Archaeology.

Ralph Jackson: Doctor and Patient in the Roman WorldNicholas Summerton: Roman Eye Medicine –manufacture and use.Eberhard Sauer: Healing Springs and Spring VenerationBryn Walters: Spring‐line Healing Centres in RomanBritain.

British Museum Membership Special Offer for RomanSociety Members

The visit to the Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibition washeavily over‐subscribed and so the Society is especiallypleased that the British Museum has agreed to offermembership at a reduced rate to Roman Societysubscribers. Members of the BM enjoy free entry (withno queuing) to exhibitions and the opportunity to attendtwo Roman‐themed Members’ evenings in June andSeptember. This is in addition to the usual benefits(regular mailings, free subscription to the BritishMuseum Magazine, discounts in the shops, cafes andrestaurant, and access to the private Members’ Roomoverlooking the Great Court). For more details, see:

http://www.britishmuseum.org/membership.aspx

To become a member from just £44, see:https://www.edirectdebit.com/bmfpromo2011/form.aspx and enter the code ROMAN13.

The 23rd TRAC (Theoretical Roman ArchaeologyConference) was held at King’s College London in April.

One hundred and ninety delegates gathered from all overthe world, especially continental Europe and the USA, toenjoy over sixty papers and posters organised into tensessions. Professor Simon James (University of Leicester)opened the conference with a lecture: Imperial Romeand the Trousers of Time: Civilians, Soldiers, Barbariansand the Forging of New Romes, 100BC to AD 300. Themain themes of the conference included migration,funerary commemoration, Roman religion, the economy,production and consumption of material cultureincluding small finds and glass, historiography and thereception of Roman archaeology. A selection of paperswill be published in April 2014.

Tim Darvill chairs questions following Ray Laurence’s lecture

News

Epistula V, 3

Further information and a booking form are available onthe Roman Society website:

http://www.romansociety.org/events/conferences.html

9 November: 150 Years of Roman YorkshireThe Roman Antiquities Section YAS and the RomanSociety present a day‐conference celebrating 150 yearsof the Yorkshire Archaeological Society with papers byleading experts that will review past understanding andpresent current research.

Further information and a booking form are available onthe Roman Society website:

http://www.romansociety.org/events/conferences.html

The Roman Society is pleased to offer complimentarytickets to the first TEN members to book. Members maybring guests but tickets for guests must be paid for.

12 November: London Evening Lecture5.30pm Senate Room, Senate House.Charlotte Higgins will give a lecture to mark thepublication of her new book Under Another Sky:Journeys in Roman Britain.

30 November: Assessing the Contribution ofCommercial Archaeology to the Study of Romano‐BritishTowns. University of Reading.A day conference to discuss and debate the contributionof developer archaeology to the study of the majorRomano‐British towns. Organised by the Department ofArchaeology, University of Reading in collaboration withEnglish Heritage, Cotswold Archaeology and the RomanSociety.

Further information and a booking form are available onthe Roman Society website:

http://www.romansociety.org/events/conferences.html

Fiona Haarer (Secretary)

The unveiling of a blue plaque in Spalding on 15December 2012 to honour Mr Peter Connolly FSA(1935‐2012)

Peter Connolly, author, illustrator, historian andexperimental archaeologist and a Roman Societymember for over 35 years sadly died in May 2012 and

was honoured with the placing of a blue plaque on hishome at 22 Spring Street, Spalding in Lincolnshire. TheSociety was pleased to contribute towards the costs andis grateful to Mr Ed Fordham, who grew up in Spalding ‐they first met when Peter visited his primary school togive a talk ‐ for proposing the idea and making thearrangements. Ed described how he was encouraged byPeter’s enthusiasm for the classical world andparticularly for Ancient Rome which led him to study thesubject at University. Sue Willetts from the Joint Libraryof the Hellenic and Roman Societies represented theSociety and spoke briefly about Peter’s involvement withthe library and his meticulous approach to his research.On a bright December day it was pleasing to see a groupof about 50 people including family members, friendsand local residents as well as several representativesfrom the Ermine Street Guard. Ed had devised aprogramme of speakers who knew Peter well to talkabout aspects of his life and work, before asking Peter’ssister, Mrs Tricia Druce to unveil the plaque.

Ed began by reading out a message from Dr AndrewBurnett, then Deputy Director of the British Museumand President of the Roman Society from 2008‐12:‘Tributes come in many forms and the British Museum isfull of ancient memorials dedicated to the Gods andShades. They are in honour of men and women from theancient world and their voices reach out to us over thegenerations. A memorial to Peter Connolly is a splendidand appropriate continuation of this tradition. Therecan be few people who have worked on the collectionsof the British Museum who have altered and improvedour perceptions of the ancient world as much as Peter.He was a constant fund of information, as well as abrilliant communicator of that information to a verybroad audience, from the most academic to the moregeneral. I personally benefited from his expertise whichwas always generously shared.’

This was followed by another generous tribute from DrCarol van Driel (from the University of Amsterdam) whowas unable to attend but sent the following message,‘Peter richly deserves this honour, though he would havebeen astonished by all the attention. I don’t think heever realised how influential his work has been ‐ heenthused generations of young people with his vision ofthe ancient world and forced the professionalarchaeologist to think seriously about how thingsactually worked. Peter did not just imagine andillustrate, he wanted every detail correct and to this hehad to know how things worked. This passion for

News

Epistula V, 4

accuracy drove him to build his legendary site modelsand to reconstruct complex – and until then –mysterious equipment like the cavalry saddle, and to re‐create ancient fighting techniques … Such experimentsmade his illustrations a fascinating source of informationand help to explain the archaeological record of militaryequipment ‘.

Peter’s background was as an illustrator but he had along standing interest in the classical world and inparticular the Roman army from his National Servicedays. Contact with H. Russell Robinson, Keeper of theArmouries at the Tower of London, led to Peter’sinvolvement with Brian Dobson’s Roman Army School atDurham and he illustrated Russell Robinson’s book ‘Thearmour of Imperial Rome’ with superb line drawingsincluding the ‘exploded’ drawings of the Corbridgearmour.

Sue Willetts explained how Peter began to use the JointLibrary on the 5th floor in Gordon Square from the mid1970s and benefited particularly from advice and helpfrom library staff member, Mr Frederick Jenkins. Inaddition he made good use of the Institute ofArchaeology Library where he met other Romanenthusiasts such as Mark Hassall and Margaret Roxanwho became life‐long friends. He was elected a Fellowof the Society of Antiquaries in 1984 and awarded aFellowship of the Institute of Archaeology in 1985.

Chris Haines, MBE, from the Ermine Street Guard waspleased to explain how Peter supported their events andhow honoured they were when he agreed to becomePresident in 2002. Peter’s enthusiasm for experimentalarchaeology led to discoveries about the constructionand use of the Roman saddle and weapons such as thepilum.

Mr Robert West, Chairman of the Civic Society spokeabout Spalding’s pride and delight in being able tohonour such a well known local resident.

Mr Joe Millington, Classics teacher from SpaldingGrammar School, recounted his delight in 1980 when hemoved to Spalding to find that Peter, whose books hehad long admired, was living practically opposite theschool in a house he shared with drawing boards, forges,reconstructed armour, swords and shields, saddles, 3Dmaps, art work as well as thousands of books. He told usabout Peter’s in‐depth knowledge of the Latin textsrelating to Julius Caesar’s campaigns and how he usedthe text alongside the archaeology in his research. Byusing all the available information, Peter was able tocreate his wonderful illustrations which incorporated somuch of this research. Chris Nelson, a sixth former readout (in Latin) from Caesar’s Gallic Wars (Book 5, Chapter44) which describes how a centurion drew his swordfrom the left‐hand side, unlike the legionary soldier, whodrew it from the right. Peter’s son, Matthew, couldhardly believe his luck when he was given this exactpassage to comment on in the unprepared section of hisLatin ‘A’ level.

After the tributes, the plaque was unveiled by Peter’ssister Tricia and we moved on to the Grammar Schoolfor refreshments and then to Bookmark, Peter’sfavourite bookshop for lunch where we were greeted bya very fitting display of Greece and Rome at War, onlyrecently republished, as well as copies of all of Peter’sother books in the café area which we could browseover as we recounted our happy memories of such adelightful and talented man.

Sue Willetts, May 2013 with thanks to the speakers forcopies of their tributes

The unveiling of the blue plaque in Spalding, December 2012

Blue Plaque in tribute to Peter Connolly (1935 – 2012)

News/Research

Epistula V, 5

RESEARCH

A new look at diversity in Roman Britain

Recent research identified a significant number ofmigrants in the burial record of Roman Britain,particularly late Roman York and Winchester. Theresults of osteological and forensic ancestryassessment, combined with isotope analysis, indicatedthat up to a third of the individuals sampled could beclassed as non‐local, with a smaller number possiblyfrom outside the UK. Contrary to popular perception,women and children were found to be amongst thesemigrants and immigrants came from both warmer andcolder climates.

It became clear that these results have significance forthe way in which the Roman period is taught in BritishSchools, with ‘The Romans’ generally portrayed asItalian men. The findings will now be made available toa nationwide audience of Key Stage 2/3 pupils, theirfamilies and teachers.

A new website, www.romansrevealed.com, designedby the Runnymede Trust in collaboration with theUniversity of Reading and children’s author CarolineLawrence, provides a teaching resource for children tolearn about diversity in Roman Britain. The interactivewebsite bridges the gap between academic researchand school teaching, widening the impact of this

Roman Society Dissertation Prize for RomanArchaeology

The Roman Society’s dissertation prize will be awardedagain in 2014 to the author of the best undergraduatedissertation in the field of Roman archaeology in thetwo years prior to the Society’s biennial RomanArchaeology Conference. The successful applicant willreceive £250, a year’s subscription to Britannia andfree admittance to the conference where the award ismade.

Entries are invited from students at British universities,and should be submitted through and with the supportof the relevant university department. Only one entryper department can be considered. The award will bejudged by the Society’s Archaeology Committee.

The prize will be awarded at the Roman ArchaeologyConference in Reading in March 2014. Applicantsshould ensure a hard copy of their dissertation plus aletter of recommendation from the university reachesthe Roman Society’s Secretary by 1 November 2013.Dissertations submitted for degrees awarded inacademic years 2011‐12 and 2012‐13 may besubmitted. The dissertation will be returned afterjudging. The successful applicant will be notified inFebruary 2014.

Dissertations should be sent to:

Dr Fiona HaarerSecretaryRoman SocietySenate HouseMalet StLondon WC1E 7HU

Research

Epistula V, 6

research. It allows users to explore life in Roman Britainthrough four individuals, two each from the sites ofWinchester and York. It includes facial reconstructionsand ‘life stories’ of the individuals by CarolineLawrence. Children can ‘excavate’ selected skeletons.Through videos, they can also hear from the researchteam, enabling them to learn about the workarchaeologists do.

For more information visit:www.romansrevealed.com

Hella Eckardt and Helen McGauranDepartment of Archaeology, University of Reading

Ancient and Modern Medicine

Graeco‐Roman medicine is still relevant to today`sdoctors. Seeking to understand a patient’s healthconcerns and expectations is as important in the 21st

century as it was two thousand years ago. However,over the years, many ancient medicines and treatmentapproaches were been discarded and their benefitsforgotten. For example, since the mid‐1990s I havebeen able to prescribe pain relief as self‐adhesive skinpatches for my patients in the form of Fentanyltransdermal patches. At the time many of us thoughtthis was a major innovation in the management ofpain, avoiding some of the side‐effects associated withthe oral treatments. However Adrian Harrison and hiscolleagues at Copenhagen have recently reconstructedthe so‐called `Olympic Victor`s Dark Ointment`described by Galen and found it to be a remarkablyeffective transdermal analgesic (1). Interestinglyanother group in Spain has patented Inulin sulphate asa treatment for osteoarthritis, something that wasoriginally described by Celsus in the first century (2).

Collyrium eye stamps are found throughout theWestern Roman Empire and over two dozen have beendiscovered in Britain. They were probably used forimpressing the name of the maker and the purpose ofan eye treatment onto a small ovoid‐shaped block ofmedication (collyrium) (3).

There is a wealth of information that can be obtainedabout the likely constituents of collyria from theinscriptions on the collyrium stamps, chemical analysesof excavated collyria (e.g. from graves) together with

the recipes described by authors such as Galen andCelsus. Armed with this data and with some verygenerous financial support from Dame Mary Perkins atSpecsavers, I am now working with Sally Pointer, RalphJackson and Adrian Harrison in order to manufacturehalf a dozen collyria. We will then assess their physicalproperties and microbiological efficacy (in vitro!) incomparison with a couple of commonly prescribedophthalmological antibiotics that I use as a generalpractitioner– fusidic acid and chloramphenicol.

At the ARA/Roman Society Symposium on Health andMedicine in the Roman World (to be held at the BritishMuseum on 2 November; see Society News above) wewill present the results of our work in addition todemonstrating the actual process of collyriamanufacturing, stamping and usage.

1. Harrison AP, Hansen SH and Bartels EM.Transdermal opioid patches for pain treatment inAncient Greece. Pain Practice 2012; 12: 620‐625.

2. Patent EP 1917018 B1. Inulin sulphate treatmentfor osteoarthritis.http://google.com/patents/EP1917018B1?cl+en(accessed 30.4.13).

3. Summerton N. Medicine and Health Care in RomanBritain. Princes Risborough: Shire Publications Ltd,2007.

Dr Nick Summerton, General Practitioner

Research

Epistula V, 7

The Lateran Project

Extending beneath 5,097 m2 of the Papal basilica of S.Giovanni and its adjoining baptistery, the Lateran scavicontain exceptionally well preserved elements of awide range of important structures dating from theearly Imperial period to the middle ages. The earliestphases preserve substantial parts of palatial housing,but the site also includes the barracks and principia ofthe Castra Nova, home to the Emperor’s horse guardsand the foundations of the Constantinian basilica.

Fresco from ‘Domus 1’.  The team have now documented graffiti on the bottom of the decorated panel, apparently made when military builders took over the site to construct 

the Castra Nova (Antonio Lopez Garcia/Lateran Project/Vatican Museums)

Work in the principia in progress.  While some parts of the scavi are very compact others are remarkably spacious.  Here the team is working from a scaffolding set up on the floor of one of the consolidated basement rooms in the principia to access the building’s original ground floor. 

(Antonio Lopez Garcia/Lateran Project/Vatican Museums )

The Lateran Project directed by Ian Haynes (NewcastleUniversity); Paolo Liverani (Università degli Studi diFirenze) and Giandomenico Spinola (Musei Vaticani),supported by the British School at Rome, and incollaboration with Salvatore Piro (ITABC, CNR) andIwan Peverett (SBNE, Northumbria) continues tosurvey and analyse these buildings. Work in 2012 and2013 focussed on detailed structural analysis,reappraisal of the phasing of the early domus housingon the site, documenting the principia and completinga comprehensive laser scanned survey of the earliestphases of the famous baptistery site. Salvatore Piroled an extensive ground penetrating radar surveyoutside the excavated area and data from this arebeing used alongside the results of the building surveyto illuminate the evolving topography of the Lateranarea.

Ian Haynes, University of Newcastle

From the Field

Epistula V, 8

Soldiers and students dig Roman Wales

In freezing conditions, from 23 March‐6 April a team ofsoldiers, veterans and civilians excavated buildings atWhitewall Brake in South Wales, inside the Army’sCaerwent Training Area, overlooking the walls of VentaSilurum. We are investigating this scheduled ancientmonument to help Cadw and the MOD betterunderstand and manage it. What we found wasintriguing; but how we found it was equally important.

University of Leicester archaeology students excavating the hypocaust room, while a soldier checks the spoil heap for 

metal artefacts.

The site is scattered with imported white buildingstones giving it its modern name. Our work hasrevealed massive masonry walls over a span of 50m,and a hypocaust room once boasting a polychromemosaic. Pottery and coins suggest third‐fourth centuryusage. Despite geophysics as well as excavation, the siteremains stubbornly enigmatic. Residence? Shrinecomplex like nearby Lydney? But why so few portablefinds? These questions require more fieldwork—in itselfalso an objective of the project.

The Operation Nightingale logo on textile

This dig is part of the award‐winning ‘OperationNightingale’, conceived by Army medical sergeant andarchaeology graduate Diarmaid Walshe. Run by theDefence Archaeology Group, ‘Op Nightingale’ aims tohelp injured soldiers—mostly veterans of Iraq andAfghanistan—recover through engaging them inarchaeological field research. It works: I have seen howthis can help soldiers who have lost their fitness,vocation, and self‐confidence to continue rebuildingtheir physical and psychological health, and to find arenewed sense of purpose through a novel activityinvolving field skills in which soldiers already have ahead start. Op Nightingale also involves them workingclosely with civilians, here with site director PhilipAbramson (archaeologist with MOD’s DefenceInfrastructure Organisation), and a team ofundergraduates from the University of Leicester.Military : civilian collaboration is key to the process,helping soldiers reflect on future career options,including university; several are now taking degrees atLeicester. The soldiers also have a lot to teach studentstoo, e.g. looking after themselves in sub‐arctic fieldconditions!

At Whitewall Brake, despite the cold, a brilliantatmosphere of hard work, profound discussions of verydifficult experiences but also sheer fun was generatedbetween the soldiers and civvies on the project,offering everyone an intensely memorable experience.Many Op Nightingale soldiers want to come back formore—and so do the students!

From the Field

Epistula V, 9

For further information on Operation Nightingale go toDefence Archaeology Group: http://www.daguk.org/

Simon James, University of Leicester

Ashtead Common (Surrey) Roman villa and tileworks

Since 2006 a project has been in progress to study theabove site with the aim of gaining a betterunderstanding of the unusual villa and separate bathhouse excavated in 1924‐9 by A W G Lowther and A RCotton. The project has involved further fieldwork andthe gathering of all surviving contemporaryphotographs and documentation. Three reports werepublished with commendable speed but it is clear thatuseful information was omitted, some of which can besupplied from press reports probably written byLowther himself. A measured survey and limitedexcavation by J N Hampton in the 1960s has been ofconsiderable value to the current project as it placesthe villa and separate bath‐house relative to nearbyclay pits and a triangular earthwork, to east and westrespectively.

Annual excavations from 2006 have established thatthe earthwork is prehistoric in origin but probably hadRoman period use; that between it and the Lowthervilla is an earlier building, perhaps a proto villaprobably starting in the AD 70s or 80s; that the latervilla has at least three main periods, the first of whichis a chalk‐floored building on a different footprint, thesecond a stone‐founded building, and the thirdprobably a lifting of the floor level and extension ofthe second.

Ashtead Common villa room 6: excavations in progress in 1926, showing part of the hypocaust with the box flue‐tile jacketing that started from sub‐floor level and continued 

round the entire room.

Excavations in 2012 showing the same corner, with the horizontal sub‐floor channels in room 4 visible beyond.

The Op Nightingale Whitewalls Brake excavation team spring 2013, comprising serving soldiers and veterans of the Regular and Territorial Army, almost all dealing with physical and/or psychological injuries, plus civilian archaeologists and students 

from the University of Leicester. The writer is second from right

From the Field

Epistula V, 10

More has been learnt about the tilery including thediscovery of two large superimposed tile kilns (forphotograph see previous Epistula), witharchaeomagnetic dating for the last firing in the early3rd century. A radiocarbon date for the main quarryhas confirmed a Roman date and research is inprogress to study the distribution of the well‐knownrelief‐patterned tiles from the site. Furtherinformation appears in the annual round‐ups inBritannia and on the Surrey Archaeological Societywebsite: http://www.surreyarchaeology.org.uk/

David Bird, Surrey Archaeological Society

Recent research on Bigbury Camp and its Environs,Canterbury, Kent

As reported in Britannia 40, 2009, 276 and 43, 2012,350‐1, recent survey of the woodland covering BigburyCamp and the South Blean has added detail to ourknowledge of the defences of the hill fort andconsiderably altered our understanding of its widercontext. This work was prompted by the need to clearareas of the existing coniferous woodland in thereserve held by the Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT), whokindly funded the work of the CanterburyArchaeological Trust in the preliminary walk‐oversurvey. This has been followed up by a further surveyof the South Blean carried out for KWT by NicolaBannister and local volunteers.

The interior of Bigbury Camp, recently cleared of trees and its northern defences, on the right, looking north to 

Homestall Wood earthworks, hidden in the woodland on the skyline.

The 15 ha Bigbury Camp hill fort occupies high groundwest of the Stour valley, overlooking the site of theRoman city of Canterbury on the flood plain, 3kmdistant. Clearing of the trees within the northernannex of the hill fort suggests that a later hollow wayhad obscured out‐works of the north‐easterndefences. A re‐entrant in the inner northern defences,the site of an existing track, must be the site of agateway, previously unidentified, linking an annex tothe plateau fort. Excavation of a fence‐hole in theseinner defences produced pottery and a copper alloyharness‐ring of Iron Age date, confirmed by a radio‐carbon date in the third‐fourth centuries BC.

The eastern side of the Homestall Wood earthwork ‐the nearer figure stands in the ditch, the further on the 

peak of the eroded bank. 

A LiDAR survey by the Forest Research Unit forLandscape Modelling and the Blean Partnership hasrevealed further details of both hill fort and itsenvirons. Discontinuous linear earthworks extendingup to 6 km along the ridge southwest of the hill fortare as yet undated but on a scale to suggest aterritorial oppidum associated with the camp andextending along the ridge overlooking the Stour.Earthworks close to the A2, the Roman Watling Street,may define the northern side of this territory whichcovers at least 700 ha.

This survey has also identified a polygonal enclosureof 35 ha on high ground at Homestall Wood, north ofBigbury, this strong point defined for most of its circuitby a single bank and ditch 13m in total width.Although presently undated and of uncertain origin itis more comparable to Roman Republican camps thanthe native strongholds in south‐east Britain.

Christopher Sparey‐Green

From the Field

Epistula V, 11

A New Figurine of a Cockerel from Cirencester

In November 2011 Cotswold Archaeology excavated part ofthe western cemetery of Roman Cirencester in advance ofdevelopment. Some 70 burials were found, including onequite extraordinary one. This was the grave of a 2 to 3 year‐old child of unknown sex. The child was buried wearinghobnailed shoes and was accompanied by a pottery feedingvessel and an enamelled bronze figurine of a cockerel. Thecockerel stands 125mm high and the breast, wings, eyesand ‘comb’ are inlaid with enamel, which now appears blueand green. There is a separately moulded tail plate, alsoenamelled, with ‘openwork’ decoration. The beak is shownopen, in the act of crowing.

The cockerel is one of eight of its type known, whichinclude four from Britain, and all could have originated fromthe same workshop. It is the only British example to havecome from a grave and the only one from any location tohave survived with a tail. The two which are closest in formare from Cologne in Germany and Buchten in theNetherlands. In these examples the enamelling survives inthe original colours of yellow, blue and red and it isprobable that the Cirencester example was originally just asbrightly coloured. Britain produced some of the finestenamelled objects and the four enamelled cockerels fromthe continent all come from Germany and the LowCountries suggesting that they were traded via the Rhine.The main period for the British enamelled metalwork wasthe 2nd and earlier 3rd centuries AD. The most likely datefor the Cirencester cockerel, based on other finds from thecemetery, is the middle decades of the 2nd century AD.

Roman Cockerel complete

E.R. McSloy, Cotswold ArchaeologyEd.mcsloy@cotswoldarchaeology.co.uk

Cockerel assemblage of parts

From the Field

Epistula V, 12

Teston Roman Villa, Kent

In 1872 Arthur Fremling found in his hop gardens theremains of a Roman bath house and the find wasdescribed as being ‘about four English miles fromMaidstone, on the left side of the river, are to be seenthe remains of a villa’.

In October 1991 Canterbury Archaeological Trust(CAT) were called to a site in Teston, just west ofMaidstone to investigate Roman remains uncoveredby Southern Water whilst constructing a new sewer.It became apparent that a Roman building had beenimpacted on and CAT’s work uncovered walls that forthe most part had been robbed out. Last year ageophysical survey took place down slope from theCAT discoveries and possible masonry walls wereidentified.

Excavation at Teston Roman Villa

Subsequently the Kent Archaeological Field Schoolwere invited by the owner to investigate the site anda field walking weekend in March identified an areaof disturbed Roman masonry below that of the CATdiscovery and above that of the geophysical survey.Hand digging of test pits identified a substantialdeposit of Roman building material, and on openingup the trench the south wall of the villa stretching for39 m was exposed, with substantial towers orpavilions at each end. Rooms with hypocausts wereexposed to the north which stretched into theadjoining field and towards CAT’s investigations in1991.

Marble tessarae from a mosaic pavement were foundin the hypocausts along with copious amounts ofpainted plaster and window glass. Decorated samianware sherds date the construction of the towers orpavilions to the 2nd century AD whilst NorthThameside ware dated the main range to late 1stcentury AD. Coins recovered from the site range fromNerva to Honorius. Anglo Saxon pottery foundadjacent to the main range shows occupation in the7th century AD.

Dr. Paul WilkinsonSWAT Archaeologyinfo@swatarchaeology.co.uk

From the Field

Epistula V, 13

A 1st century BC helmet burial found near Canterbury

In October 2012, Andrew Richardson at CanterburyArchaeological Trust received a telephone call from ametal detectorist. The man (who wishes to remainanonymous) explained that he had found what hebelieved to be a ‘Celtic bronze helmet’. A meeting wasarranged and Andrew saw not just the helmet, butalso a brooch and clear evidence of burning. Themetal objects were declared Treasure under theTreasure Act (1996) and the British Museum iscurrently working on the Treasure Report. CanterburyArchaeological Trust and Dover Archaeological Groupreturned to the site of the find later in October toexcavate its context opening a 2m x 2m trench thatrevealed an oval pit cut into the chalk into which theinverted helmet was placed. The only British parallel interms of the type of helmet is an example (albeit inmuch poorer condition) from a rich inhumation grave,dated circa 50 BC, excavated in 2008 near BognorRegis by Thames Valley Archaeological Services.

The helmet and brooch. The small detached spike may have been originally attached to the top of the helmet.

The Canterbury helmet itself does seem bestparalleled by helmets of the ‘Coolus‐Mannheim’ type.Such helmets have been found in Gaul, in Germany,and in Italy. The brooch found with the helmet datesto circa 90‐50 BC and could have been made either inBritain or on the continent. The University of Kent 3Dscanned the helmet and printed a 3D facsimile of thehelmet that is on display at the Canterbury RomanMuseum (Butchery Lane, Canterbury).

Andrew Richardson would be grateful for furtherinformation on other cremation burials in a helmet; heis currently following up on leads given to him on twoexamples, one from Belgium and one from Poland.

Please contact him at andrew.richardson@canterburytrust.co.uk

. 

View of the excavation showing the burial pit (centre). Note the plough ruts either side of the pit. Scale 50cm

Ray Laurence, University of Kent

Roman Ruins of Tróia (Portugal)

In 2011 a visiting circuit opened to the public in theRoman Ruins of Tróia (Grândola, Portugal), one of thelargest fish‐salting production centres of the RomanEmpire. The site is located on a sand spit between theAtlantic Ocean and the estuary of the Sado River,today known as the peninsula of Tróia. In Roman timesit was located in the civitas of Urbs Imperatoria Salacia(Alcácer do Sal), in the province of Lusitania.

The Roman vestiges spread for a mile along theshoreline and its most characteristic elements are thefish‐salting vats. These are grouped in fish‐saltingworkshops and were certainly used to prepare saltedfish and fish sauces such as garum, liquamen andhallec.

From the Field / Conference Reports

Epistula V, 14

The production centre, with 25 fish‐salting workshopsidentified, developed into an urban agglomerate withhouses, baths, cemeteries and an early Christianbasilica and was occupied from the early 1st centuryuntil the 6th century.

The archaeological works necessary for the installationof the visiting circuit included excavation in two largefish‐salting workshops that revealed significantinformation. A construction level of the Tiberianperiod was the first foundation level registered in thissite which was traditionally considered to date fromthe Claudian period.

Refuse levels on the bottom of remodeled fish‐saltingvats showed a period of abandonment in the secondhalf of the 2nd century AD. The filling of other vatscontained remains of the last fish‐salting production,mostly sardine, in the bottom. Debris layers from thefirst half of the 5th century overlaid these productionlevels, confirming the abandonment of production inthat period.

The ruins of Tróia

Ines Vaz Pinto

CONFERENCE REPORTS

The tenth Shifting Frontiers in Late Antiquity conference

The tenth Shifting Frontiers in Late Antiquityconference took place at the University of Ottawa,Canada, from 21 to 24 March 2013. The meeting washeld under the aegis of both the Society for LateAntiquity and the Canadian section of the Associationpour l’Antiquité Tardive, based in France, and took asits focus ‘Shifting genres in Late Antiquity’. There wereabout 70 participants who had come from Europe,Africa, North America and Australasia; there were 44papers and three plenary lectures. The panelsorganised over the four days covered such topics asmartyr acts, literary sources (e.g. Procopius, churchhistorians and chronicles), legal evidence, technicalgenres, epigraphy, monuments, and Christianliterature more generally. A consistent theme thatemerged was the need to reconsider the nature ofliterary genres in particular and how works should beread in the light of this. Papers were given in Frenchand English; the programme offered versions of all theabstracts in both languages.

The first plenary lecture was delivered by Eric Rebillardof Cornell University, who spoke on North Africanmartyr acts and how they should be read. The secondwas given by Wendy Mayer of the Australian CatholicUniversity, who lectured at Carleton University (which,alongside Trent University, supported the conference)on links between medicine and the church fathers inthe fourth century. John Matthews of Yale Universitywas the final plenary speaker; his wide‐ranging lecturedealt with the issue of autobiography and self‐awareness in Late Antiquity. The conference also heldan exhibition of coins from the extensive collection ofRichard Burgess; a catalogue was included in theconference book, which itself may be found on‐line athttp://www.ruor.uottawa.ca/en/handle/10393/23938

The first Shifting Frontiers conference to be heldoutside the U.S. provided a forum for useful exchangesparticularly between scholars from Europe and NorthAmerica, as well as allowing for greater Canadianparticipation than usual. The next Shifting Frontiers inLate Antiquity conference is due to take place inMilwaukee, Wisconsin, in March 2015.

Geoffrey Greatrex

Conferences

Epistula V, 15

Roman Archaeology ConferenceFriday 28 to Sunday 30 March 2014 at the Universityof Reading

This is coming together with a lot of session proposalsalready in and being sifted through. It is clear wealready have a good coverage of Britain, Italy andmany provinces besides, including thematic sessionson Zooarchaeology and Ceramics and Small Finds. Thisyear, as well as the Theoretical Roman ArchaeologyConference (TRAC) joining us, we will also be hostingthe meeting of the Study Group for Roman Pottery aswe try and bring together all those with an interest inRoman archaeology under one roof.

The call for TRAC sessions and papers will be issuedsoon, so please watch out for this on their great newwebsite at http://trac.org.uk These papers should, ofcourse, have a strong theoretical element to them.

The conference website will be live shortly, a link towhich will be placed on the Roman Society website.In the meantime if you have any queries, please feelfree to contact: j.d.creighton@reading.ac.uk

Between Words and Walls: Material and Textual Approaches to Housing in the Graeco‐Roman World

August 29 and 30, 2013. Birkbeck College, Universityof London

What was the relationship between housing as it wasexpressed in words and how it materialised in walls?The past decade has seen a transformation in thestudy of housing, both by archaeologists andClassicists. This conference seeks to build on recentdevelopments in this field, and specifically to examinethe interface between archaeological and textualtypes of evidence. The study of ancient houses,households, and families has long been vexed byepistemological problems of how to combine anunderstanding derived from texts (literary anddocumentary) with that derived from archaeologicalmaterial (e.g. house plans and related assemblages).

This conference aims to develop methodologies thatprivilege neither historical nor archaeologicalapproaches. Rather, we want to focus on the ancienthousing as a social and cultural phenomenon that wecan approach through the lens of diverse types ofmaterials and approaches.

We welcome contributions which seek not to prove ordisprove either textual or archaeological accounts, butwhich engage in a meaningful way with therelationship between these types of materials.

http://www.bbk.ac.uk/history/about‐us/events/between‐words‐and‐walls‐material‐and‐textual‐approaches‐to‐housing‐in‐the‐graeco‐roman‐world

The Art of Making in Antiquity: Stoneworking in theRoman World

For the last two years the Art of Making in Antiquityproject (located at King’s College London and fundedby the Leverhulme Trust) has been researching theproduction of stone monuments from around theRoman Empire. Focusing on tools, materials andprocesses we have created a website that will givenew insights into the working practices of Classicalstone workers and carvers.

To celebrate the completion of the project and markthe launch of the website, there will be a conference,entitled, ‘Art in the Making: Stone Carving in theClassical World’, on Friday 28th June 2013 in theAnatomy Theatre & Museum on the Strand Campus.Papers will concentrate on the technical aspects ofClassical sculptural and architectural production, andtheir interpretation in terms of the craftsmenresponsible. For more information visit our blog atwww.artofmaking.ac.uk and follow the link to theEvents page. The conference costs £10 (includinglunch) and we would welcome your participation. Ifyou would like any further information please contactWill Wootton at will.wootton@kcl.ac.uk

Conferences and Meetings 

Epistula V, 16

RAI Conference 2013: The Impact of Rome on the British Countryside

University of Chester, 11‐13 October 2013

The 2013 conference is being held in partnership withthe University of Chester at the Riverside Campus.Leading British archaeologists will present the resultsof their work over the last decade. One focus will beon the recent geophysical surveys which have takenplace in both southern and northern England allied toselective excavations, while the contribution of findsin rural contexts will also be examined.

Venue: University of Chester, Riverside Campus

Friday, 11 OctoberKeynote speaker: Professor Nico Roymans (VrijeUniversiteit Amsterdam). Re‐assessing thetransformation of rural society in the RomanRhineland

Saturday, 12 OctoberDr Roger WhiteProfessor Dominic PowleslandProfessor Martin MillettDr Nick HodgsonDr Tom MooreSally Worrell

Sunday, 13 OctoberNeil HolbrookDr Ioana OlteanProfessor Brian RobertsVisit to the Grosvenor Museum and tour of Chester

Monday, 14 OctoberAdditional guided visit to North Wales. Led by FionaGale, Denbighshire County Archaeologist

For more information go to:http://www.royalarchinst.org/conferences

Portable and Personal: Small Finds from Iron Age toMedieval Europe

Call for Papers for the Interdisciplinary Workshop

During the last decade, the potential of portable andpersonal small finds in answering questions of identityhas been realized by more and more archaeologistsand the theoretical potential of objects of everydayuse also started to be recognised amongst scholars.However, these changing attitudes seem to beconfined to small research groups, which are focussedin their study on finds related to a particular region orchronological period. The current fragmentation of theresearch on small finds can develop into a problem, ifwe take into account that scholars of one groupstudying a particular find sometimes face challenges,which have been solved by another group for adifferent sort of find. Such lack of scholarlycommunication prevents the exchange of ideas andhinders creativity and new developments in theoverall understanding of the role of portable andpersonal objects. With this workshop, we aim topromote cross‐disciplinary research and harness itspositive creativity to understand a myriad of‘socialscapes’ of objects in use and the variety of rolesthat portable finds (might) have had in the Prehistoric,Ancient and Medieval worlds. The aim is therefore toencourage the holistic study of small finds, facilitatethe exchange of ideas between scholars and constructa basis for comparative analysis.

Three themes dominate the workshop and will bereflected in its structure:

1. Theory The papers of this section should highlightthe combination of theory with method by not onlyfocusing on the theoretical potential of the finds butalso letting theory come alive. We propose to explorethe following theories to reveal variations andpotentials in the cultural vocabulary of personal andportable objects, and case‐studies are, therefore,invited to test them: a) The fashion theory. b)Conspicuous consumption theory. c) Cultural andsocial biographies of artefacts.

Conferences and Meetings 

Epistula V, 17

2. Iconography The papers of this section are expectedto focus on the symbolic meanings of small finds anddiscuss the subtlest details in artefacts as a key toexplore the imagery significance and aesthetic worthof objects.

3. Context This section approaches the portable andpersonal artefacts in their contextual use. Here, wewould like to challenge the labelling and uncriticaladoption of functional categories to interpret the useand role of objects appearing in uncommon contexts,and to analyze fata morgana/mirages objects, i.e.those that have left no archaeological traces outsideof texts and pictures.

If you are interested in participating, please send us atitle and 350‐words abstract of your paper by 1st ofJune 2013. The workshop will take place in the secondweek of November – first week of December 2013 inthe Netherlands. Please indicate whether this period isconvenient to you if you have teaching responsibilities.We are currently applying for a grant to cover theaccommodation and travel costs for all speakers.When we receive funding, we will pick a suitable date.We aim to publish the proceedings of the workshop.Contact details: portablepersonal@outlook.com

Dr Tatiana Ivleva (Leiden University) and Dr StefanieHoss (University of Cologne)

Please feel free to contact us with any questionsrelating to the workshop .

International Congress Lusitanian Amphorae –Production and Diffusion – Call for Papers

10‐13 October 2013, Tróia, Portugal

An international conference focused on Lusitanianamphorae and all themes related, even though priorityhas been given to production and long term diffusion.

A review on the production sites known to this dayand a workshop with samples from these sites willallow a better knowledge and a direct contact withLusitanian amphorae. Diffusion of these amphorae atRome, Ostia, Southern France, Tarragona, Seville,Cadiz and Galicia will be presented by invited scholars,but all who have data on Lusitanian amphorae arewelcome to participate and present them.

This conference will also be an opportunity for a visitto the site of Tróia, one of the largest fish‐saltingproduction centres of the Roman Empire (see above).

The conference is organized by the Center forArchaeological Studies of the Universities of Coimbraand Oporto (CEAUCP) and troiaresort, the touristiccompany responsible for the site.

For more information go to:http://events.history.ac.uk/event/show/10195

Association for Environmental Archaeology in Italy –second seminar to be held in Rome in June onclassical archaeology and zooarchaeology

Associate Professor Michael McKinnon will speak atthe second ‘AEA in Italy’ seminar this year, on 27 June,at 6‐7.30pm, in the Lecture Room at the AmericanAcademy in Rome, to be followed by drinks at the AARbar. Professor McKinnon will speak on‘Zooarchaeology and Classical Archaeology: How toBalance the Line between the Sciences and theHumanities.’ This seminar follows the well‐attendedinaugural presentation of what we hope will become aregular series. Our first seminar was held at theBritish School at Rome, on 7 March 2013, whereProfessor Elda Russo Ermolli, of the University ofNaples (Federico II) spoke on pollen analysis.

Michael MacKinnon has degrees in Biology,Anthropology, and Archaeology. Currently, he isAssociate Professor of Classics in Winnipeg, Canada,but he has held posts as a Rome Scholar at the BritishSchool at Rome and the Malcolm Wiener ResearchProfessor at the American School of Classical Studiesat Athens. He has worked at over 50 projects in Italy,Sicily, Tunisia, Greece, Albania, Portugal, Spain, Egypt,Turkey, and Romania, particularly as azooarchaeologist, but seeking to do this throughintegration of archaeological, textual, andiconographic evidence.

The address is: Via Angelo Masina 5, 00153, RomaITALIA, T) + 39 06 58461.

Conferences / Learning / Books

Epistula V, 18

A third ‘AEA in Italy’ seminar is planned forOctober 2013, while it is hoped a further serieswill be possible in 2014. The series is aimed athighlighting and promoting the role ofenvironmental archaeology in Italian archaeology.For any information about the upcoming or anyfuture seminars, please write to Robyn Veal,rjv33@cam.ac.uk. We would be interested tohear from potential speakers who may bepresent in Italy in late October. Seminars aregiven in English, but some knowledge of Italianwould be desirable, as questions are taken inItalian and English, however, translationassistance is of course available.

Dr Robyn Veal www.robynveal.com Anniversary Research FellowMcDonald Institute for Archaeological ResearchUniversity of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3ER, UKResearch Fellow, Hughes HallM +44 (0) 7800 856 092 (UK)   M +39 3392686802 (Ital)

Forthcoming Events – Roman Study Days

Roman Villas – exploring the remains of twocontrasting Roman villas in the Sussexcountryside: the great palace of Fishbourne andthe more modest (but equally historicallyrevealing) establishment at Bignor. Romanspecialist Oliver Gilkes will lead the day –introducing the debates which surround thesevillas: were they farms or great houses? Britishowned or run from Rome by absentee landlords?Includes tours of Fishbourne and Bignor, anartefact handling session and a light lunch. £100,Friday 27 September 2013.

Roman LondonBased at the Museum of London, this is a rarechance to see some of the hidden remains ofRoman Londinium, introduced of two of themuseum’s former Curators – Jenny Hall and JohnShepherd. The day is split between the Romangalleries at the museum, and a walking tour ofthe remains of Roman London itself, includingvisits to Cripplegate Fort (for which we gainspecial access), London’s Amphitheatre andBillingsgate house and bath. £100, Thursday 25July and Tuesday 3 September 2013.

The Rape of Ganymede by Zeus mosaic at Bignor

The Venus mosaic at Bignor

To book, ring 01722 713800, visit www.andantetravels.co.uk or email jenni@andantetravels.co.uk

BOOKS

As has been stated in previous issues of Epistula, thissection is not intended to compete with the reviewsections in Britannia and JRS, but is for notes and news ofrecent and forthcoming books by, or of interest to,members. We would be particularly interested to hear ofreports published by excavation units, as these can bepoorly advertised and, as a result, often only sporadicallyavailable.

An Atlas of Ancient Geography Biblical and Classical(John Murray, 1872‐1874)

Map‐lovers should want to acquire the Barrington’sremarkable Victorian forerunner An Atlas of AncientGeography Biblical and Classical (John Murray, 1872‐1874), edited by William Smith and George Grove, now(May 2013) reissued for the first time, with Introductionby Richard Talbert.

Learning/Books

Epistula V, 19

The publisher, I. B. Tauris, London, has alreadyreissued Smith’s famous Dictionaries of Antiquities,Biography and Mythology, and Geography. The Atlas isthe rarest and most handsome of all.

Richard Talbert

The papers published here derive from a colloquiumheld in Metz in June 2011, which sought to develop adeeper understanding of these issues by bringingtogether a group of both medievalists and ancienthistorians from all over the world. The resultingcollection reflects the latest research and sets out newpaths for comparative historical enquiry around five

main themes: Delegation of power and pluralism;Delegation of power and hierarchy; Control of officersand audit; The medieval office; Delegation of powerand hierarchy in the Church.

Further information at this link:http://www.univmetz.fr/ufr/sha/crulh/publications/46hierarchiepouv.html

Agnès BérengerProfesseur d'histoire romaineUniversité de Lorraine, site de Metz

email: agnesberenger@laposte.net

CENTRE DE RECHERCHE UNIVERSITAIRELORRAIN D’HISTOIRE

UNIVERSITE DE LORRAINE – PLATEFORME DE METZ

46Hiérarchie des pouvoirs,

délégation de pouvoiret responsabilité des administrateurs

dans l’Antiquité et au Moyen Âge

Actes du colloque de Metz, 16-18 juin 2011édités par Agnès Bérenger et Frédérique Lachaud

2012

Agnès Bérenger et Frédérique Lachaud (éd.), Hiérarchiedes pouvoirs, délégation de pouvoir et responsabilitédes administrateurs dans l’Antiquité et au Moyen Âge,Metz, Publications du CRULH, 2012.ISBN : 2‐85730‐053‐0Prix : 22 Euros

The past twenty years have seen a revival of scholarlyinterest in the study of ancient and medievaladministrative history. Important work has already beendone on the methods of control exercised overadministrators, the nature of the mandate and on theconnection between ‘order’ and ‘jurisdiction’ in theChurch. At the same time, scholars have offered rivalinterpretations both of general questions, such as thechronology of the evolution of administrativeorganization, and of specific issues, such as the hierarchyof administrative powers, the delegation of power andthe responsibility of administrators.

Books

Epistula V, 20

The Antiquarian Rediscovery of the Antonine Wall

by Lawrence Keppie

RRP £30.00. Publication Date: 30 November 2012

The Antonine Wall (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) hasbeen visible across the central belt of Scotlandbetween Forth and Clyde since its construction by theRoman legions over 1,850 years ago.

This book takes up the story from the time of itsabandonment in the reign of Marcus Aurelius andcharts developments in our knowledge about itthrough the Middle Ages and after, up to the earlyyears of the twentieth century, by which time theearliest scientific excavations had taken place. Theauthor considers the place of the Wall in Scottish mythand legend, and the accounts of numerous travellersalong its line. Extensive use is made here of littleknown or hitherto unpublished archival sources. Thebook is profusely illustrated.

Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae Volume 1€ 149,95

The first volumes of the Corpus InscriptionumIudaeae/Palaestinae cover the inscriptions ofJerusalem from the time of Alexander to the Arabconquest in all the languages used for inscriptionsduring those times: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin,Syrian, and Armenian. The 1,120 texts have beenarranged in categories based on three epochs: up tothe destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70, to thebeginning of the 4th century, and to the end ofByzantine rule in the 7th century.

Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae Volume 2€ 179,95

The second volume of the Corpus InscriptionumIudaeae/Palaestinae covers the inscriptions ofCaesarea Maritima and the coastal region of theMiddle Coast from Tel Aviv in the south to Haifa in thenorth from the time of Alexander to the Muslimconquest.

The approximately 1,050 texts comprise all thelanguages used for inscriptions during this period(Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic, Samaritan, Syrian, andPersian) and are arranged according to the principalsettlements and their territory. The great majority ofthe texts belongs to Caesarea, the capital of theprovince of Judaea/Syria Palaestina. No other place inJudaea has produced more Latin inscriptions than thisarea, reflecting the strong Roman influence on thecity.

Books

Epistula V, 21

All three books are available from :http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/42384

Clay saccarii from Roman Ostia: a study on trade,social identity and cult

By Elena Martelli

BAR S2467 2013: Sulle spalle dei saccarii ‐ Lerappresentazioni di facchini e il trasporto di derrate nelporto di Ostia in epoca imperial. £30.00.

This work examines a group of clay figurinesrepresenting porters carrying sacks (saccarii)recovered mainly in Ostia and other harbours, anddated to the Roman Imperial period. The saccarii wereresponsible for the loading and unloading of goodsfrom ships to river boats and warehouses. A detailedanalysis of these porters suggests that the saccariiplayed a more important role in the Ostian multi‐layered society than what was originally thought, andwere probably united in a guild.

A contextual analysis of the clay saccarii wasundertaken combining Italian iconographic traditionand British archaeological approaches to findsdistribution and social identity, describing both theitems and their place of recovery in detail.

In a new interpretation, the clay saccarii are believedto represent the religious symbol of the porters’ guild(collegium saccariorum).

The probable location of these clay figurines in shrinesand niches placed in busy streets, taverns andworkshops, frequented by the saccarii and the othermembers of the Ostian heterogeneous community,gives an insight into the exhibition of social identityand religious beliefs through material culture by agroup of overlooked workers in Roman Imperial Ostia.

Available from www.archaeopress.com

Collins, R. & Symonds, M. F. A. (eds.) 2013. BreakingDown Boundaries: Hadrian’s Wall in the 21stCentury, JRA Supplementary Series 93, Portsmouth:JRA

The aim of the volume is to highlight the immensewealth of data available from Hadrian's Wall, andhow it can be used to investigate a number of issuesin Roman archaeology beyond the specialism ofRoman frontier studies.

Contributions include:• R Collins and MFA Symonds, Challengingpreconceptions about Hadrian's Wall

• EM Greene, Before Hadrian's Wall: Earlycommunities at Vindolanda and on the northernfrontier

• J Huntley, 'The world is a bundle of hay':Investigating land management for animal fodderaround Vindolanda, based on plant remains

Books

Epistula V, 22

• MFA Symonds, Gateways or garrisons? Designing,building, and manning the milecastles

• L Allason‐Jones, The vicus at Housesteads: A casestudy in material culture and Roman life

• Andrew Birley, The fort wall: A great divide?• L Roach, From the Severans to Constantius: the lostcentury

• R Collins, Pleading the fifth (century): Patterns ofcoin use at the end of empire

A link to the contents is:http://www.journalofromanarch.com/supplements/S93.pdf

The colloquia of the HermeneumataPseudodositheana

The colloquia of the HermeneumataPseudodositheana are a set of little stories anddialogues about daily life in the Roman Empire,written for ancient Greek speakers learning Latin. Likemodern language textbooks, they contain scenesillustrating shopping, dining, and banking; unlike theirmodern counterparts they also include bathing,litigation, and fighting.

Their potential to tell us about the experiences ofordinary Romans has so far been greatly underutilizedbecause of the poor state of the text and lack of anytranslation. A modern edition with full translation,commentary, and explanation of these texts‘fascinating history by Eleanor Dickey has recently beenpublished by CUP and are available from:

http://www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/isbn/item7281227/?site_locale=en_GB

Late Antiquity on the Eve of Islam

Edited by Averil Cameron,The Formation of the Classical Islamic World

This volume reflects the huge upsurge of interest inthe Near East and early Islam currently taking placeamong historians of late antiquity. At the same time,Islamicists and Qur’anic scholars are also increasinglyseeking to place the life of Muhammad and the Qur’anin a late antique background. Averil Cameron, herselfone of the leading scholars of late antiquity andByzantium, has chosen eleven key articles thattogether give a rounded picture of the most importanttrends in late antique scholarship over the lastdecades, and provide a coherent context for theemergence of the new religion.

A substantial introduction, with a detailedbibliography, surveys the present state of the field, aswell as discussing some recent themes in Qur’anic andearly Islamic scholarship from the point of view of alate antique historian. The volume also provides aninvaluable introduction to recent scholarship, makingclear the ferment of religious change that was takingplace across the Near East before, during and after thelifetime of Muhammad. It will be essential reading forIslamicists and late antique students and scholarsalike.

Books / Contribute and Subscribe

Epistula V, 23

A Roman frontier post and its people: Newstead1911‐2011

Edited by Fraser Hunter and Lawrence Keppie

This new book, with contributions by a range ofexperts, is a celebration of the landmark excavation ofthe fort at Newstead (Trimontium) in the ScottishBorders, looking back to James Curle and his work,and forward to how our understanding of the site ischanging.

Roman Society members may purchase the book for£21.50 plus £5.00 post and packing (UK delivery only)by placing an order on the websitewww.nms.ac.uk/books and using the coupon codeFHNEW when completing the order form. Alternativelyyou may telephone the publisher on 0131 247 4026.This offer is valid until 30 August 2013.

ISBN 9781905267750 (hardback, 288pp, 163 illus). Edinburgh, 2012. RRP £30

Late Roman Silver: the Traprain Treasure in context

The Traprain Law treasure from east Lothian in south‐east Scotland is the most dramatic hoard of lateRoman Hacksilber yet found.

The interpretation of these bent, broken and crushedsilver fragments has long been debated. Were theyloot broken up by uncultured barbarians, or someform of diplomatic gift? This volume publishes theproceedings of a conference held in Edinburgh on the90th anniversary of the hoard’s discovery. It places thephenomenon in the wider context of late Roman silveruse, and considers Britain either side of the frontier inthe late fourth and fifth century. A synthesis of RomanHacksilber provides fresh insights into its roles, whileimportant yet relatively unknown hoards and groupsof material from Britain and the continent arepresented

Edited by Fraser Hunter and Kenneth Painter

Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. £50www.socantscot.org

CONTRIBUTE 

The success of the e‐Newsletter depends oncontributions from members and if you have an itemof interest related to the study of Rome and theRoman Empire please send it to:office@romansociety.org

Issues will be sent out to all subscribers in June andDecember. The deadlines for contributions are 30 Apriland 31 October. Contributions submitted after thedeadlines have passed may not be considered for thenext issue.

Books / Contribute and Subscribe

Epistula V, 24

Contributions should include a title and normally nomore than 300 words of text (as a WORD (.doc or.docx) or rich text (.rft) file), plus an image andreferences / web links where further details areprovided (please note that contributions are likely tobe edited). Please send images in .jpeg .tiff or .pdfformat – please do not send images embedded inWORD files.

SUBSCRIBE / UNSUBSCRIBE EPISTULA is sent to all members of the RomanSociety who have provided email addresses. Non‐members may subscribe too, and to receive the e‐Newsletter, send an email tooffice@romansociety.org with the header «EPISTULA subscribe» (to cancel use the header «EPISTULA unsubscribe»). EPISTULA will also be available via the Society‘s website: http://www.romansociety.org/index.html