Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-07T23:00:18.170Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Halls or yards? A problem of villa interpretation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2011

J.T. Smith
J.T. Smith
Affiliation:
RCHM, Fortress House, 23 Savile Row, London WI
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Professor Branigan, in his recent article ‘Villa Settlement in the West Country’, interprets the plans of six British villas as a series of rooms ranged around a small courtyard which he calls an intra-mural yard. They will be discussed later; for the moment it is enough to point out that no evidence is adduced in support of the interpretation. Branigan, however, not content to leave the matter there, goes on to say that the intra-mural yard is ‘a design which is common among the smaller villas in northern Gaul’ and points to six plans in support of this notion. Again, no evidence is offered. Now what is so astonishing is that three of the villas cited as evidence for this bland statement were interpreted as hall-type villas in 1921 by Franz Oelmann in the classic article which established the existence of the type, and have been so regarded ever since. The reversion to the orthodoxy of nearly sixty years ago is not defended, Oelmann's arguments are not refuted, nor does his article even appear in the bibliography; we are expected to take Branigan's word that it is so. For all that there are no arguments to attack, the point at issue is of such fundamental importance for villa studies in all the northern provinces that I propose to pass in review the essential facts on which judgement has to be based.

Type
Articles
Information
Britannia , Volume 9 , November 1978 , pp. 351 - 358
Copyright
Copyright © J.T. Smith 1978. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Branigan, K., ‘Villa Settlement in the West Country’, in Branigan, and Fowler, P. J. (eds.), The Roman West Country (Newton Abbot, 1976).Google Scholar

2 Oelmann, F., Die villa rustica bei Stahl und Verwandtes’, Germania 5 (1921) 64–73.Google Scholar

3 G. Kropatscheck, ‘Das römische Landhaus in Deutschland’, VI Bericht der Römisch-Gennanischen Kommission (1910-11), 51-78.

4 Weerth, E. Aus'm, ‘Kleine römische villa bei Stahl im Kreise Bitburg’, B.J. 62 (1878), 1–7.Google Scholar

5 Kropatscheck, op. cit. (note 3), fig.

6 Swoboda, K., Römische und romanische Paläste (Vienna 1918)Google Scholar; 2nd edn., 1924, 3rd edn., 1969.

7 Oelmann, F., ‘Haustypen in Bibracte’, Germania iv(1920), 58.Google Scholar

8 Oelmann, op. cit. (note 2).

9 Oelmann, F., ‘Die römische villa bei Blankenheim in der Eifel’, B.J. 123 (1916), 210–26.Google Scholar

10 Steiner, P., ‘Die römische villa von Bollendorf’, Trierer Jahresbericht 12 (1923), 1–59.Google Scholar

11 Schumacher, K., ‘Römische Meierhöfe im Limes Gebiet’, Westdeutsche Zeitschrift 15 (1896), 1–17.Google Scholar

12 Schumacher, K., Siedlungen und Kulturgeschichte der Rheinlande … ii, Die römische Periode (Mainz 1923).Google Scholar

13 J. Curschmann, ‘Die älteste Besiedlung der Germarkung Dautenheim bei Alzey’, Mainzer Zeitschrift 17-19 (1921-24), 79-107.

14 F. Drexel, ‘Burgerliche Siedlungen’, in F. Koepp et al, Germania Romana (2nd edn., 1, section ii (paginated separately)).

15 Goossens, W., ‘Die römische villa bei Vlengendaal’, Internationales Archiv für Ethnographie 24 (1918), 1–22.Google Scholar

16 Remouchamps, A. E., ‘Opgraving van een romeinsche villa te Ubachsberg’, Oudheidkundige Mededeelingen, N.R., 4 (1923), 65–77.Google Scholar

17 Oelmann, F., ‘Ein gallorömischer Bauemhof bei Mayen’, B.J. 133 (1928), 51–140.Google Scholar

18 Ward, John, Romano-British Buildings and Earthworks (London 1911), ch. vi.Google Scholar

19 Haverfield, F. J., ‘Romano-British Hampshire’, V.C.H. Hampshire i (1900), 265–372.Google Scholar

20 Ward, op. cit. (note 18).

21 Collingwood, R. G.The Archaeology of Roman Britain (London 1930).Google Scholar

22 Ibid., 116.

23 Winbolt, S. E., ‘Romano-British Sussex’, V.C.H. Sussex iii (1935), 1–70.Google Scholar

24 Wheeler, R. E. Mortimer, ‘Romano-British Kent’, V.C.H. Kent iii (1932), 1–70.Google Scholar

25 Collingwood, op. cit. (note 21).

26 Ward-Perkins, J. B., ‘The Roman villa at Lockleys, Welwyn’, Antiq. Journ. xviii (1938), 339–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

27 Fremersdorf, F., ‘Der römische Gutshof … zu Köln-Braunsfeld’, B.J. 135 (1930), 109–45.Google Scholar

28 Fremersdorf, F., Der römische Gutshof Köln-Mungersdorf (Rom.-Germ. Forschgn. 6, Berlin 1933).Google Scholar

29 Radford, C. A. Ralegh, ‘The Roman villa at Ditchley’, aOxoniensia i (1936), 24–69.Google Scholar

30 D. Ashcroft, ‘Report on the Roman Villa at Engleton …’, Historical Collections for Staffordshire (1938), 267-93.

31 Grenier, A., ‘L'archéologie du Sol’, = Déchelette, J. and Grenier, A., Manuel d'Archeologie gallo-romaine vi (1 and 2) (Paris 1934).Google Scholar

32 Paret, O., Die Siedlungen der römischen Württemberg, (Stuttgart) = Hertlein, F., Paret, O., Goessler, P., Die Römer in Württemberg iii, (1932).Google Scholar

33 Grenier, op. cit. (note 31).

34 Maeyer, R. de, De Romeinsche Villa's in België (Antwerp 1937).Google Scholar

35 Boon, G. C., ‘The Roman villa in Kingsweston Park …’, Trans. Bristol & Glos. Arch. Soc. lxix (1950), 5–58.Google Scholar

36 Ibid.

37 Sykes, C. M. and Brown, G. A., ‘The Wraxall villa’, Proc. Somerset Arch. Soc. 105 (1960-1961), 37–51.Google Scholar

38 Bennett, C. M., ‘Cox Green Roman villa’, Berkshire Arch. Journ. lx (1963), 62–92.Google Scholar

39 Webster, G., ‘The Roman villa at Barnsley Park, Gloucestershire’, Trans. Bristol & Glos. Arch. Soc. lxxxvi (1967), 74 ff.Google Scholar

40 P. E. Gascoigne, ‘Clear Cupboard villa, Farmington, Gloucestershire’, Ibid, lxxxviii (1969), 34 ff.

41 H. S. Gracie, ‘Frocester Court Roman villa, Gloucestershire’, Ibid, lxxxix (1970), 15-86.

42 Rivet, A. L. F., Town and Country in Roman Britain, 2nd edition (London 1964).Google Scholar

43 Collingwood, R. G. and Richmond, I. A., The Archaeology of Roman Britain (London 1969).Google Scholar

44 Applebaum, S., ‘Roman Britain’, in Finberg, H. P. R. (ed.), The Agrarian History of England and Wales 1 (ii) (Cambridge 1972), 3–277.Google Scholar

45 Oelmann, op. cit. (note 2), 68.

46 R.C.H.M., County of Gloucester I, Iron Age and Romano-British Monuments in the Cotswolds (1976).

47 Ibid.

48 Ibid., 55; but cf. comments on p. xl.

49 France, Anatole, Penguin Island (1st edn. 1908); English translation by Evans, A. W. (Thinker's Library).Google Scholar

50 Oelmann, op. cit. (note 17), reconstruction of the pre-Roman house.

51 Oelmann, op. cit. (note 2), 70.

52 Smith, J. T., ‘Romano-British aisled houses’, Arch. Journ., cxx (1963), 1–30.Google Scholar

53 Oelmann, op. cit. (note 2), 72.

54 Thomas, E., Romische villen in Pannonien (Budapest 1964), 119–21Google Scholar.

55 Ibid., 44f.

56 Fremersdarf, op. cit. (note 28), Taf. 14.

57 Smith, J. T. ‘Villas as a key to social structure’, in Todd, Malcolm (ed.), Studies in the Romano-British villa (Nottingham 1978).Google Scholar

58 The functions of porticus have never been properly discussed and certainly varied considerably.