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The Transformation of Administrative Towns in Roman Britain by Lara Bishop BA, Saint Mary‟s University, 1997 MA, University of Wales Cardiff, 2001 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Greek and Roman Studies Lara Bishop, 2011 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. Library and Archives Bibliothèque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-82454-2 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-82454-2 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l'Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distrbute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriété du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette thèse. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privée, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont été enlevés de thesis. cette thèse. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. ii Supervisory Committee The Transformation of Administrative Towns in Roman Britain by Lara Bishop BA, Saint Mary‟s University, 1997 MA, University of Wales Cardiff, 2001 Supervisory Committee Dr. Gregory D. Rowe, (Department of Greek and Roman Studies) Supervisor Dr. J. Geoffrey Kron, (Department of Greek and Roman Studies) Departmental Member iii Abstract Supervisory Committee Dr. Gregory D. Rowe, (Department of Greek and Roman Studies) Supervisor Dr. J. Geoffrey Kron, (Department of Greek and Roman Studies) Departmental Member The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether the Roman administrative towns of Britain continued in their original Romanized form as seen in the second century AD, or were altered in their appearance and function in the fourth and fifth century, with a visible reduction in their urbanization and Romanization. It will be argued that British town life did change significantly. Major components of urbanization were disrupted with the public buildings disused or altered for other purposes, and the reduction or cessation of public services. A reduction in the population of the towns can be perceived in the eventual disuse of the extramural cemeteries and abandonment of substantial areas of settlement or possibly entire towns. The cause of this will be shown to be related to the towns‟ relationship with the imperial taxation and revenue system, and the accelerating pattern of British involvement in revolts and usurpations. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee .................................................................................................... ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. v Dedication ......................................................................................................................... vi Prologue ............................................................................................................................. 1 Section One: Background: Structures and Narrative, Literary and Archaeological Sources, and Scholarly Debate......................................................................................... 3 Historical Background to Roman Britain and Its Towns ......................................... 3 The Literary Sources for Sub-Roman Britain ......................................................... 55 The Archaeological Evidence ..................................................................................... 72 Review of the Literature on Late Towns and the End of Roman Britain ............. 82 An Overview of Roman Towns in Britain .............................................................. 118 The Historical, Political, Economic, and Social Background to Change and Decline in the British Towns .................................................................................... 139 Section Two: Public Buildings in Towns .................................................................... 157 Civic Buildings .......................................................................................................... 158 Public Amenities........................................................................................................ 167 Section Three: Public Services and Infrastructure.................................................... 186 Waterfronts ............................................................................................................... 186 Roads .......................................................................................................................... 187 Sewers and Drainage ................................................................................................ 191 Water Supplies .......................................................................................................... 192 Waste Disposal .......................................................................................................... 192 Section Four: The Disposal of Human Remains ........................................................ 196 Changes and Decline in Standards in Urban Cemeteries ..................................... 196 The Disuse of Urban Extramural Cemeteries in Roman Britain ......................... 203 Burial within the Towns ........................................................................................... 209 Section Five: Changes in Domestic and Commercial Settlement ............................. 220 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 220 London ....................................................................................................................... 224 Lincoln ....................................................................................................................... 235 Cirencester ................................................................................................................. 245 Verulamium ............................................................................................................... 257 Colchester .................................................................................................................. 270 Canterbury ................................................................................................................ 277 Winchester ................................................................................................................. 288 Chichester .................................................................................................................. 295 Section Six: A Brief Comparison with Evidence from the Continent ...................... 301 Concluding Remarks .................................................................................................... 311 Appendix ........................................................................................................................ 314 Map of Roman Britain: Towns and Forts .............................................................. 314 Literary Sources ........................................................................................................ 315 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 320 v Acknowledgments I would like to thank the following people who helped me to complete this thesis: Evan Garland, for his patience and support, and for his assistance with the map; Gregory Rowe, for his unwavering belief that the thesis could be completed; Geoffrey Kron, for pushing me to consider possibilities beyond my original concept of the thesis; and Cedric Littlewood, for his encouragement. vi Dedication This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my father, Allison Bishop. Prologue The fate of the towns