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An Analysis of Roman Ceramic Building Material from York and Its Immediate Environs

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An Analysis of Roman Ceramic Building Material from York and Its Immediate Environs An Analysis of Roman Ceramic Building Material from York and its Immediate Environs By J. M. McComish MA by Research The University of York Archaeology August 2012 Roman tile from York and its environs Abstract This study comprises the analysis of 8.11 tonnes of Roman tile from York and its immediate hinterland. The tile was recovered from 215 archaeological investigations undertaken by York Archaeological Trust, together with the tile from excavations at Heslington East undertaken by the Department of Archaeology of the University of York. The tile was analysed in terms of the chronological and spatial variations present, the results being examined in relation to three widely debated research themes, namely the nature and speed of Romanization, the role of the Roman army, and the economic relationship of the town to its hinterland. Given that the use of tile was introduced to Britain by the Romans, and that it formed a key element of classical architecture, the speed of its adoption has been used to show that the process of Romanization occurred slowly in the York area, with many of the buildings outside the fortress reflecting state-sponsored building-campaigns, rather than the spontaneous growth of a Romanized town. Tile, in conjunction with Ebor Ware pottery, was produced by the military, primarily to supply its own needs, and the study has shown that the army were by far both the largest producers and consumers of tile in York, with 99 percent of tile stamps being military. Although a civilian tile industry must have existed in York, as a small number of civilian tile stamps are present, this industry clearly failed to develop on any scale, suggesting that there was insufficient demand for tile to support such an industry. The study is accompanied by appendices cataloguing each form of tile, the fabrics and fabric groups present, and the surface markings seen, together with details of the stratigraphic sequences for twenty-one representative sites selected for detailed chronological analysis. 1 Roman tile from York and its environs Contents Contents ........................................................................................................................ 2 List of figures ................................................................................................................. 6 List of tables ................................................................................................................ 14 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... 22 Authors Declaration .................................................................................................... 23 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 24 1.1 Previous approaches to the collection and study of tile .............................. 26 1.2 The approach of the research ....................................................................... 28 2 The aims of the study in relation to broader research questions ....................... 30 2.1 The development of archaeological theory.................................................. 30 2.2 Archaeological theory in relation to the present study ............................... 36 3 Summary of the history of Roman York ............................................................... 39 4 The production and use of Roman tile................................................................. 47 4.1 The production of tile in Roman Britain ....................................................... 47 4.2 Production of tile in Roman York .................................................................. 57 4.3 The use of ceramic building material ........................................................... 62 5 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 66 5.1 The dataset ................................................................................................... 66 5.2 The selection of sites for detailed stratigraphical analysis ........................... 66 5.3 Problems inherent to the data and issues relating to interpretation .......... 71 2 Roman tile from York and its environs 5.4 The format of the dissertation text .............................................................. 75 6 Results .................................................................................................................. 76 6.1 The tile forms and fabrics ............................................................................. 76 6.2 Chronological variations in tile production and use ..................................... 81 6.3 Spatial variations across the study area ....................................................... 91 7 Discussion and conclusions ................................................................................ 103 7.1 Romanization .............................................................................................. 103 7.2 The role of the army/state .......................................................................... 105 7.3 The Roman economy of York as seen from the perspective of tile........... 106 7.4 Concluding remarks .................................................................................... 110 Appendices ................................................................................................................ 114 Appendix 1 Summary of the YAT collection review of 2005 .............................. 114 Appendix 2 Sites included in the study ............................................................... 116 Appendix 3 Recording methodology .................................................................. 122 3.1 The YAT methodology for recording Roman tile ........................................ 122 3.2 Use of the YAT records for the present study ............................................ 125 3.3 Use of ArcGIS in the present study ............................................................. 127 Appendix 4 Forms of Roman tile ......................................................................... 129 4.1 Description of the various forms of tile ...................................................... 133 4.2 Chronological variations in tile ................................................................... 250 4.3 Tiles associated with hypocausts and baths ............................................... 258 4.4 Tile as an aid to the interpretation of selected buildings ........................... 262 3 Roman tile from York and its environs 4.5 The location of tile kilns in York .................................................................. 270 4.6 Method of manufacture ............................................................................. 271 4.7 Data-tables for Appendix 4 ......................................................................... 274 Appendix 5 Fabrics .............................................................................................. 280 5.1 Fabric descriptions ...................................................................................... 280 5.2 Fabric groups .............................................................................................. 319 Appendix 6 Surface markings .............................................................................. 325 6.1 Signatures ................................................................................................... 325 6.2 Stamps ........................................................................................................ 338 6.3 Tally marks and batch numbers .................................................................. 359 6.4 Graffiti ......................................................................................................... 361 6.5 Other surface marks ................................................................................... 362 Appendix 7 Phasing information for Appendices 8-11 ....................................... 364 Appendix 8 The site of St Leonard’s Hospital, within the legionary fortress ..... 367 8.1 Summary of the stratigraphy at the site of St Leonard’s Hospital ............ 367 8.2 The tile from the site of St Leonard’s Hospital ........................................... 372 Appendix 9 The Wellington Row excavations, within the colonia ..................... 378 9.1 Summary of activity at Wellington Row ..................................................... 378 9.2 The tile from the Wellington Row site ........................................................ 387 Appendix 10 Various sites to the south-west of the colonia ................................ 396 10.1 Summary of the to the south-west of the colonia .................................. 398 10.2 The tile from the sites to the south-west of the colonia ........................ 403 4 Roman tile from York and its environs Appendix 11 Various sites to the south-east of the legionary fortress ................ 412 11.1 Summary of the sites to the south-east of the fortress ......................... 415 11.2 The tile from the sites to the south-east of the fortress ........................ 420 Appendix 12 Various sites to the east of the legionary fortress .......................... 425 12.1 Summary of the sites to the east of the fortress .................................... 428 12.2 The tile from the sites to the east of the fortress ................................... 432 Appendix
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