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Military and Civilian: Reconfiguring the End of Roman Britain in the North

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

David Petts
David Petts*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Durham University, UK
*
email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study explores the impact of recent discoveries on our understanding of the transition from the Roman to early medieval periods in northern England. Using the Tees Valley as a case study, it shows how modern interpretations of this process have focused primarily on the afterlife of the military sites in the region. However, the increased identification of significant Roman civilian settlements forces us to reconsider the dominant narratives and rethink the underlying processes that influenced the move from Roman-controlled frontier society in the fourth century to a fifth century society comprising both culturally Anglo-Saxon social groups and sub-Roman successor polities. A wider consideration is also given to how the changing patterns in the use of space and in refuse disposal strategies can be used to shed light on wider patterns of changing social identity in the later fourth century AD.

Cet article examine les incidences des découvertes récentes sur notre compréhension de la transition des périodes romaines à celles du début du Moyen-âge en Angleterre septentrionale. En utilisant la Tees Valley comme étude de cas, on montre comment les interprétations modernes de ce processus se sont surtout concentrées sur l'évolution des anciens sites militaires de la région. Toutefois, suite à l'identification d'un nombre croissant d'implantations civiles romaines d'une certaine importance, nous sommes obligés de reconsidérer le discours dominant et de repenser les processus sous-jacents qui ont influencé le passage d'une société aux frontières contrôlées par les romains au 4e siècle à une société comprenant aussi bien les groupes sociaux de culture anglo-saxonne que les régimes politiques successeurs post-romains. Nous examinons également comment aborder les changements dans l'utilisation de l'espace et des stratégies d'élimination des déchets afin d'éclaircir plus généralement le changement de l'identité sociale à la fin du 4e siècle AD. Translation by Isabelle Gerges.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Dieser Beitrag untersucht den Einfluss jüngster Entdeckungen auf unser Verständnis des Übergangs von der römischen zur frühmittelalterlichen Periode im Norden Englands. Anhand des Tees-Tales als Fallstudie wird gezeigt, wie moderne Interpretationen dieses Prozesses vorrangig das Nachleben der Militärstandorte in der Region betont haben. Nichtsdestotrotz macht es die zunehmende Identifizierung bedeutender römischer Zivilsiedlungen notwendig, diese beherrschenden Schilderungen neu zu bewerten und die zugrunde liegenden Prozesse, die den Wechsel von einer Grenzgesellschaft unter römischer Kontrolle im 4. Jh. zu einer Gesellschaft des 5. Jhs., die kulturell gleichermaßen angelsächsische Gruppen wie auch Gemeinschaften in spätrömischer Nachfolge umfasste, zu überdenken. Eine umfangreiche Erörterung ist zudem der Frage gewidmet, wie die sich ändernden Merkmale der Raumnutzung und der Müllentsorgungsstrategien genutzt werden können, um die weiteren Parameter sich verändernder sozialer Identität im späten 4. Jh. AD zu beleuchten. Translation by Heiner Schwarzberg.

Keywords

roman civilian settlementsroman military sitesAnglo-Saxon settlementEnglandcultural changeimplantations civiles romainessites militaires romainsimplantation anglo-saxonneAngleterrechangement culturelrömische Zivilsiedlungenrömische Militärstandorteangelsächsische SiedlungenEnglandkultureller Wandel
Type
Articles
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , 2013 , pp. 314 - 335
Copyright
Copyright © European Association of Archaeologists 2013 

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