The fourteenth Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference was held at the University of Durham Department of Archaeology, March 2004. The papers present and discuss information drawn from as wide a range of geographical regions of the Roman Empire as the scope of theoretical and methodological approaches applied. An equally wide selection of subject matter is illustrated, including the ancient economy, historiography and modern perceptions of the Roman world, production, supply and consumption of material culture, social identities and the experience of social space and the landscape. Contents: Preface; The economy of Roman Britain: Representation and historiography (Kevin Greene) ; Reconstructing syntheses in Romano-British cremation (Jake Weekes) ; Metalworking and Late Roman power: A Study of towns in Later Roman Britain (Adam Rogers) ; Not at random: Evidence for a regionalized coin supply? (Fleur Kemmers) ; Regional identities and the social use of ceramics (Martin Pitts) ; Social and economic aspects of glass recycling (Daniel Keller) ; Interaction and exchange in food production in the Nijmegen frontier area during the Early Roman period (Annemiek Robeerst) ; Brickworks and ladders: Explaining intra-regional diversity of late prehistoric and Roman landscapes in the territory of the Parisi (Mick A Atha) ; Beyond the temple: Blurring the boundaries of 'sacred space' (Eleanor Ghey) ; The cupae of Iberia in their monumental contexts: A study of the relationship between social status and commemoration with barrel-shaped and semi-cylindrical tombstones (Charlotte Tupman) ; The quick and the dead in the extra-urban landscape: The Roman cemetery at Ostia/ Portus as a lived environment (E J Graham) ; Houses, GIS and the micro-topology of Pompeian domestic space (Michael A Anderson) ; Unifying aspects of Roman fortresses (Mark Driessen) .

The medieval moated site at Cedars Wood was investigated in 1980 and 1999, revealing occupation evidence from the Neolithic and Bronze Age, Roman and medieval periods. The latter forms the focus of this report although other finds are listed. Occupied from the 12th to 14th century, the site is thought to have belonged to the Broughton family and comprised an area of approximately one acre enclosed by a shallow moat. This report discusses the historical background to the site, the excavations and stratigraphy and the finds, revealing why the position and features at Cedars Field make it untypical of moated sites in the region. Summaries are given in English, French and German.

This is an account of the archaeological work begun in 1985 in response to the development of Stansted as Londons third airport. Originally it was conceived as a medieval landscape project, focusing on the three known sites in the area two of which were thought to be Domesday Manors supplemented by fieldwalking of the entire development area. By 1991 the fieldwalking programme, coupled with large-scale excavations and watching briefs, had transformed our understanding of the settlement landscape of north-west Essex, with the discovery of extensive archaeological deposits dating back to the Neolithic. The earliest occupation was characterized by Neolithic flint work, and the earliest identified structures were Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age, with one of the largest pottery collections of this date from Essex recovered from a single rubbish pit complex. Both enclosed and open settlements of Middle Iron Age date were excavated. One of these had an impressive entrance-way and substantial corner structures. A complete defended settlement of the Late Iron Age (75-25 BC) was recorded. It contained a sequence of roundhouses placed around a central square structure, interpreted as a shrine. There is evidence for internal planning of the enclosed space and for the economy of the settlement, including luxury imports. Roman settlement was represented by a series of sites with cobbled surfaces and enclosures, dating from the 1st to 4th centuries. A 1st to 2nd-century cremation cemetery comprised family groups of burials. Two of the burials contained spectacular grave goods including bronze, glass and pottery vessels as well as many other items. Environmental evidence demonstrated that agricultural activity continued in the Saxon period although no settlement sites were identified. Occupation flourished in the medieval period, with several sites containing buildings of 12th and 13th century date. The most important of these was a complete farmstead, including barn, dwelling-house, kitchen and byre. All of the medieval sites were abandoned in the late 13th to 14th century. Detailed analysis was undertaken on the upstanding post-medieval buildings, largely 17th century in origin, prior to their removal, and excavation of the below ground remains followed. The report ends by describing the construction of the Second World War airfield and its subsequent transformation as a major international airport.

This volume will be an invaluable asset to all archaeologists involved in fieldwork and site management. In the modern environment of developer-funded archaeology, commercial development and site preservation, there are more and more cases where archaeological sites are being impacted upon by various forms of construction. In order to understand and protect the historic environment wherever possible, archaeologists are faced with the crucial task of making decisions on how best to combine the needs of development whilst maintaining our archaeological heritage. Yet the majority of archaeologists have only limited knowledge of the great range of construction practices and how these can impact upon archaeological deposits and structures. This book has been researched and produced with these problems in mind, to inform and assist archaeologists in making decisions where sites may be threatened by development. Extensive information on the range of construction techniques as well as a range of suggested strategies to mitigate the impact of the techniques outlined. The information on construction types and impacts is supported by an annotated literature review, case studies, a series of technical appendices of engineering processes and a data base of mitigation/preservation in situ case studies collected from the British archaeological community.

In 1987, Colin Renfrew's Archaeology and Language challenged many perceptions about how one language family spread across large parts of the world. In doing so he re-invigorated an important exchange between archaeologists and historical linguists. At precisely the same time, a quite separate field, human genetics, was making considerable steps forward in the elucidation of human ancestry. These three parallel lines of enquiry into genes, words, and things have, over the ensuing two decades, entirely transformed our perceptions of the human past. This volume brings together contributors to that transformation from around the world, to honour Colin Renfrew with a series of key papers. They include a number of impressive synthetic statements, as well as case studies at the frontiers of three different branches of research. They range from global accounts of human dispersal through to archaeological, genetic and linguistic studies, illustrating what has been achieved over the past two decades, and the most promising avenues of research for the future.

The ancient walled town of Butrint sits at the crossroads of the Mediterranean. In its heyday it could command sea-routes up the Adriatic Sea to the north, across the Mediterranean to the west, and south through the Ionian islands. It also controlled a land-route into the mountainous Balkan interior. For much of its long history it occupied a hill on a bend in the Vivari Channel, which connects the Straits to the large inland lagoon of Lake Butrint. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992, Butrint covers an area of around 16 ha, but geophysical survey has shown that at times it was almost twice this size. The site itself is made up of two parts: the acropolis and the lower city. The acropolis is a long narrow hill, whose sides are accentuated by a circuit of walls that separate it from the natural and artificial terraces gathered around the flanks of the hill. The lower city occupies the lower-lying contours down to the edge of the Vivari Channel. This book brings to life this extraordinary Byzantine town, with chapters on the historical sources, various aspects of the archaeological excavation and survey, finds of pottery and environmental remains.

The Cistercian monastery of St Mary Stratford Langthorne once stood on land south of the new Jubilee Line station at Stratford. Excavations 1973-94 recorded large parts of the monastic church, cemetery and related buildings. Topics include the precinct arrangement, architecture and decoration, and the way of life of the inhabitants. The expansion of the monastic church from a simple cruciform building in the mid 12th century into an aisled presbytery with ambulatory and eastern chapel in the 13th century is notable. The excavated burials (647) are the largest sample from a Cistercian site in Europe and provide evidence for burial customs, patterns of cemetery use and the physical characteristics of the population, including medical care.

In 1991 Spitalfields Market in London's East End was relocated, paving the way for one of the largest and most complex excavations ever launched in London, taking place on a site measuring almost thirteen acres. This superb book tells the story of the excavation and the 2000-year history of the area from the Roman period to the present day. Details on the finds recovered, and the methods and recording systems used, are interspersed with a narrative history of the site. The book begins with the Roman burial ground and the remains of a wealthy Roman woman and her sarcophagus which became the focus of a memorable episode of Meet the Ancestors . The book then moves on to the medieval period and the 12th-century hospital which was founded at Spitalfields along with its church, infirmaries and other buildings, and burials. Finds from this period are supplemented with broader discussion of life in medieval London, such as disease and medicine, and the changing landscape around the site. During the Reformation, the hospital and priory were closed but the story of the site continued. The land was taken by the Crown, parts of the site were leased, most notably as artillery ground, with new housing and cottage industries to follow. Finds dating to the English Civil War, evidence relating to the transformation of the site from an aristocractic enclave to a suburb of immigrants, the redevelopment of the area in the 17th and 18th centuries, through to the opening of Spitalfields Market in 1682, brings us full circle.

North west England has largely been neglected in studies of medieval landscapes in favour of the Midlands and East Anglia although it has much to offer. Described here as a `frontier landscape' encompassing the modern regions of Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester, the author discusses changes to the medieval landscape and why these occurred. He outlines and characterises the major period of expansion and economic boom that took place in the north west from 1086 to 1349 and asks why political and military matters seen to have had such an important role in landscape change. Issues of perceived marginality are also discussed as Higham looks in turn at the local population and their environment, land use and agrarian practices, woodland, forest and pasture, buildings, farms and estates, markets and fairs and the Church and the landscape. A great addition to the series.

Walking through the British countryside often leaves you with numerous questions and no means of finding the answers in one, readily accessible place. This new encyclopedia by Richard Muir contains almost 1,000 entries which provide explanations of terms, features and concepts connected with the history and archaeology of the landscape. Short definitions and descriptions are joined by longer discussions of themes, concepts and approaches such as the origins of the village green, the parish, milestones, and the meaning of words Dalloch, souterrain and watergate. A useful aid for those investigating the landscape and a handy reference for those who seek a more informed landscape experience.

Funded by English Heritage, the Humber Wetlands Project (1992-2000) sought to identify, survey and study the archaeology of an extensive wetland area of the Humber basin lowlands. This book draws on the findings of that project, placing them within the context of other research carried out in the area and evidence from other regions. The well-preserved archaeological remains document the occupation and exploitation of the area over thousands of years and, in this book, Robert Van de Noort traces how human use and perceptions of the wetlands has changed over the last 10,000 years. What he reveals is that the area has been exploited as a locale for settlement, for its natural resources, its waterways and its role as a spiritual place associated with ancestor cults, since prehistory. The archaeological evidence pointed to profound changes in the use and perception of the wetlands with the arrival of the Romans and with perhaps a retreat to higher ground during the medieval period in response to sea-level changes.

The Peak District has been inhabited by humans for tens of thousands of years, beginning the process that irreperably changed the shape of the landscape. This volume focuses on this relationship between human settlers and farmers and the landscape showing how both have been affected by the other. Following a brief examination of the earliest evidence for hunter-gatherers, principally stone artefacts and cave sites, the authors focus on the activity that, more than anything else, has shaped the landscape that we see today, agriculture. The study searches for evidence of the earliest farmers in the remains of fields, structures, sacred monuments and burials, including over 500 barrows. The authors trace fluctuations in farmers' fortunes, especially during the Iron Age when the climate changed for the worse. Supported by maps, photographs and illustrations, the book discusses the impact of hillforts and the Romans, the increase in mining, Christian monuments, the creation of villages, the uses of woodland, common ground and enclosed areas, the introduction of turnpike roads and the industrial monuments of the 18th and 19th centuries. This is more of a chronological survey than an in-depth study of the Peak District although the narrative is informative if rather impersonal.

Archives and Excavations aims to stimulate a new approach to the history of excavation by drawing attention to a vast and important area of research that has been neglected for almost a century.

This book provides a detailed description of the three ancient temples unearthed between 1954-1961 near Barbar on the northern part of Bahrain island in the Persian Gulf. Two of the structures, from the centuries around 2000 BC, reveal traditions going back to Sumerian temples. A number of spectacular objects were found here, including cylindrical alabaster jars, a human-shaped copper mirror handle and the most famous object from the Barbar Temples, a bull's head of copper. Structurally, a chamber was found over a freshwater spring, indicating the presence of a water cult and perhaps forging a connection to Enki, the Mesopotamian god of the subterranean freshwater ocean, apsu. The temple-apsu is well known from cuneiform sources, but has been extremely difficult to identify in Mesopotamian excavations. The Barbar well chamber may be such an apsu, as the authors point out among their highly detailed descriptions and analysis of the finds.

A truly multi-disciplinary book allowing the reader to gain insights into an exceptionally diverse set of topics such as hunting, burial, sword-production and rock art, from the Mesolithic to the Middle Ages.

The four seasons of excavation at Tell Kosak Shamali yielded around 33,000 flaked stone artefacts from the Chalcolithic perid. These discoveries have allowed archaeologists their first oportunity to study lithic manufacturing activities and their development over this period in the Upper Euphrates valley, Syria. The tools are described and documented within their chronological context, and their functional and morphological properties discussed. There are also chapters devoted to bone objects and small finds, as well as some archaeobotanical and archaeozoological observations. This book is a companion title to Volume I, which documents the Chalcolithic architecture and earlier prehistoric remains.