Syllabus
*
1. Introduction and historical context General introduction to the topic of Roman Britain - topography of the British Isles, history of research, sources etc. Beginnings of Roman Britain - Caesar's invasions of Britain, Claudian conquest, Colchester (Camulodunum) as a model site of early Roman settlement in Britain and as testament of the Iceni uprising *
2. Pre-roman Britain Introduction to the British prehistory - changes in the Late Bronze Age, Iron Age of Britain in the context of continental La Tène culture (society in the imprint of material culture, comparative data from Wales and Ireland etc…) Britain just before the Romans - Roman interference on the Isles between Caesar and Claudius, cultural exchange(s), Roman imports on native sites, reign of last British kings Cunobeline and Caratacus *
3. Conquest of Roman Britain Archaeological finds in the context of second half of the 1st century AD - conquest of Wales and Northern England, “Caledonians”, Gnaeus Julius Agricola and Flavian conquest of Scotland in new perspectives etc… Flavian occupation of Scotland - “Stracathro” marching camps, search for Mons Graupius, Glen forts, Gask Ridge, Inchtuthil and Newstead *
4. Towns and infrastructure of Roman Britain Roman provincial towns in general - specificity north-western part of the Empire, principal buildings of Roman town Construction and development of provincial centres of Roman Britain - Colchester (Camulodunum), St Albans (Verulamium), London (Londinium), Wroxeter (Viroconium), Water Newton Infrastructure - Roman road system in Britain *
5. Rural settlement of Roman Britain Non-villa settlements - development of pre-roman “native” sites in the context of Roman countryside, typology of non-villa settlements, regional differences, Romanization Villa settlements - typology and specificity of Roman villas in Britain *
6. Limes in province Britannia Definition of boundary - Introduction to the Roman Frontier Studies British Limes - Gask Ridge (Blackhill Wood tower), Hadrian’s Wall (Housteads, Chesterholm), Antonine Wall (Rough Castle, Bar Hill) *
7. Landscape of Roman Britain Pre-roman landscape - Sources, data and analyses Roman landscape - Crops and cultivation changes, deforestation vs. reforestation, pollen analyses and their (careful) interpretation Tour de Britannia - Landscape in the broader context of human environment, recent trends in landscape archaeology *
8. Trade and external relationships of Roman Britain Economy of Roman Britain - imports and exports, Roman and non-roman production, material exchange between Britannia and the rest of Roman Empire Material culture - typology of pottery, amphoras, tiles, military tombstones and diplomas, ingots, bricks etc. *
9. Later Roman Britain Severan conquest of Scotland - archaeological and historical evidence, marching camps, forts in Scotland (Caprow) and Northern England (South Shields) Late antiquity in Britannia - 3rd and 4th century in European context, transformation of Roman towns, villas and Limes in late antiquity 410 AD - The end, beginning or actually nothing? *
10. Sub-roman Britain Roman Britain in the context of the end of Western Roman Empire - abandonment of Limes, transformation of towns, collapse of villa economy, advent of Christianity Sub-roman Britain - from Limitanei to War Bands, Romans, Saxons, Picts and the (many) others, sub-roman Britain in the context of folklore and collective memory, introduction to Anglo-Saxon archaeology *
11. Optional lecture a) Frumentationes pro Britannia - a complex view of the Roman economy in the context of material culture of Roman Britain with special focus on the pottery typology and its implications to the development of Roman Limes and town centres in Britannia b) To see and to be seen - GIS approach to archaeology in practice. Case study: The Antonine Wall/Odenwald Limes in the context of spatial analyses
Annotation
The lecture is dedicated to the topic of Roman Britain. Focus is put on the interpretation of archaeological sources in the context of historical and social records from antiquity. Previous knowledge of basics from subjects like
Roman provincial archaeology or Roman frontier studies is welcomed but not necessarily mandatory for the participants. The lecture is originally designed for the students of Classical archaeology but is also recommended for students of Latin and Greek studies as well as students of other branches of archaeology and historians in general. The course is divided into 11 independent lectures which extend each other and together offer students a valuable insight into the archaeology of one of the principal Roman provinces, Britannia. The course is taught in
English.