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University of Southampton Research Repository ePrints Soton Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", University of Southampton, name of the University School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination http://eprints.soton.ac.uk UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON FACULTY OF ARCHAEOLOGY School of Humanities The Economic and Social Status of RomanoRomano----BritishBritish Rural Villas in Southern England by Jonathan Dicks Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2011 ABSTRACT The nature of rural settlement patterns and the economy during the Roman occupation of Britain from the Claudian invasion of AD 43 to the end of the fourth century in Hampshire and West Sussex formed the focus of this research. The objective is to define a method of measuring the attributes of Romano- British ceramic assemblages that can be linked to the socio-economic status of the original owners and their villas. It is the hypothesis of this study that domestic ceramic vessels can be used as a reliable indicator of social status. A tenet of this hypothesis is that the higher social and economically wealthy Romano-British villa owners would be in possession of greater amounts of ceramic fine table wares. The pottery assemblages and the architectural features of twenty villas in West Sussex and Hampshire were analysed in order to test this hypothesis. The quantities of fine wares were measured by Estimated Vessel Equivalents (EVEs) and the Romanised architectural features present were quantified by their presence. The economics of the Roman Empire was integrated with wealth and power which in itself was reflected in the fashions of the material culture together with the aspirations to acquire status. Social mobility during the Rome Empire relied on wealth and the consequent display of that wealth. The way a person could demonstrate a change in status was to acquire and display higher quality material culture. This can be seen to be demonstrated in the display of Romanised architectural features present in Romano-British villas coupled with the evidence of high value ceramic fine wares present in the cultural artefacts. This demonstration of wealth can be seen as representing the status of an individual within society and by comparison the fewer high value status symbols would indicate a lower status or class of an individual. The differences in the quantity of these ceramic fine wares obtained by the villa owners can, therefore, be seen as an indicator and a measure of their relative social status. It is this theory that is the basis for the development of the methodology and the creation of a testable model. i ii Contents 111 IntroductionIntroduction................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................. 111 1.11.11.1 Research ObjectivesObjectives................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ........................................3. 333 1.21.21.2 Study AreaArea................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................... ......4444 1.31.31.3 Roman Administration ................................................................................... ................................ ............................................................................................. ................................5555 1.41.41.4 Civitas and Land TenureTenure................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................... ............................6666 1.51.51.5 Romanisation of the LandscapeLandscape................................................................................................................... .............................................................................. ...12121212 1.61.61.6 Farms and Villas ................................................................................... ................................................................................................ ..............................................13.... 131313 1.71.71.7 Roman Material Culture ................................................................................... ................................ ......................................................................................... ........................19191919 1.81.81.8 Study ScopeScope................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................21........... 212121 1.91.91.9 SummarySummary................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................... ......21212121 222 Background ................................................................................... ............................................................................................. ................................23232323 2.12.12.1 Objectives ................................................................................... ................................................................................................ ................................................................23............. 232323 2.22.22.2 Urban VillasVillas................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................24........... 242424 2.32.32.3 Study AreaArea................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................24............. 242424 2.42.42.4 The RomanoRomano----BritishBritish Pottery IndustryIndustry................................................................................................................... ..................................................26...... 262626 2.52.52.5 EDXRF Fabric AnalysisAnalysis................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................ ..............................31313131 2.5.1 Method of Fabric Analysis ................................................................................... ................................ .................................................................................. ..........32323232 2.5.2 Selection of MaterialMaterial................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................... ............................33333333 2.5.3 Alice Holt Grey Wares ................................................................................... ......................................................................................... ........................33333333 2.5.4 Black Burnished Ware 1 ................................................................................... ................................ ...................................................................................... ..................33333333 2.5.5 New Forest Wares ................................................................................... .............................................................................................. ..................................34343434 2.5.6 Portchester D/Overwey ................................................................................... ................................ ...................................................................................... ..................34343434 2.5.7 Rowland’s Castle Grey Ware ................................................................................... ................................ ..............................................................................