Housesteads Roman Fort – the Grandest Station
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housecovervol2.qxd 17/06/2009 15:50 Page 1 HOUSESTEADS ROMAN FORT HOUSESTEADS ROMAN Housesteads is one of the most HOUSESTEADS ROMAN FORT – important forts on Hadrian’s Wall. Extensive excavations were THE GRANDEST STATION carried out between 1874 and 1981 by Newcastle University. Combining the results with those of excavations done between 1959 and 1961 by Volume 2 The Material Assemblages Durham University, we now have a complete plan of the Alan Rushworth north-east part of the fort. These excavations uncovered principally Buildings XIII, XIV and XV, plus stretches of ram- part between the north and east gates, along with a multitude of features and stratigraphic evidence, revealing not only the sequences but also large finds assemblages. In addition to shedding much light on the material culture of the fort’s occupants and the structural and chronological relationships between various parts of the fort, limited reinvestigation of Building XIV and excavation of the east end of Building XV enabled significant reinterpretation of the origi- nal conclusions reached by the Durham investigators, including some redating of structures. These excavations uncover the full 300-year period during which the fort formed an integral part of the Roman military frontier, for much if not all of that time the base of the cohors I Tungrorum mil- 2Volume Alan Rushworth liaria peditata. This report documents the excavations and gives full finds reports, and the analysis of the evidence has enabled the authors to provide a full history of this part of the fort. Front cover: Building XIII in 1976, from the west, with Chalet 8 in the foreground Back cover: Hearth H20:5:63 in north rampart Workshop 2 ISBN 978 1 84802 026 9 Product Code 51450 HOUSESTEADS ROMAN FORT – THE GRANDEST STATION Volume 2 The Material Assemblages HOUSESTEADS ROMAN FORT – THE GRANDEST STATION Excavation and survey at Housesteads, 1954–95, by Charles Daniels, John Gillam, James Crow and others Alan Rushworth with contributions by L Allason-Jones, D Allen, M C Bishop, R J Brickstock, P J Casey, I D Caruana, J G Crow, B Dickinson, J N Dore, D B Dungworth, W B Griffiths, K Hartley, M Henig, P R Hill, P Moffat, Q Mould, D J Smith, D Starley, R S O Tomlin, M Van der Veen, C Waddington, H Welfare and D A Welsby ENGLISH HERITAGE 2009 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPORTS Published by English Heritage, Kemble Drive, Swindon SN2 2GZ www.english-heritage.org.uk English Heritage is the Government’s statutory adviser on all aspects of the historic environment Copyright © English Heritage 2009 Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Images (except as otherwise shown) © English Heritage First published 2009 ISBN 978 1 84802 026 9 Product Code 51450 British Library Cataloguing in Publication data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Application for the reproduction of images should be made to the National Monuments Record. Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders and we apologise in advance for any unintentional omissions, which we would be pleased to correct in any subsequent edition of this book. The National Monuments Record is the public archive of English Heritage. For more information, contact NMR Enquiry and Research Services, National Monuments Record Centre, Kemble Drive, Swindon SN2 2GZ; telephone (01793) 414600 Brought to publication by David M Jones, Publishing, English Heritage, Kemble Drive, Swindon SN2 2GZ Edited by Val Kinsler, 100% Proof Indexed by Alan Rutter Page layout by Val Kinsler, 100% Proof Printed in England by Contents Introduction to Volume 2. vi 15 The samian ware by B D Dickinson Introduction du volume 2 . viii Introduction . 488 Einleitung in Band 2 . x Abbreviations . 488 The fort . 488 Volume 2 Discussion . 488 The samian potters’ stamps . 491 12 The stonework, brick and tile by D A Welsby Decorated ware . 493 The stonework, querns and large stone objects . 339 The vicus . 496 Introduction . 339 Potters’ stamps . 496 Catalogue . 339 Decorated ware . 496 Discussion . 349 Appendix . 498 Additional note on architectural stonework in the fort by P R Hill . 357 16 The coarseware by John N Dore Ceramic tile, brick and stone tile . 358 Introduction . 500 The imbrices . 358 Method . 500 Flat tiles and brick . 358 The format of the report . 500 Box tiles . 358 Catalogue . 501 The tegulae . 358 Bowls and dishes . 501 Stamped tiles . 361 Castor boxes . 514 Stone tile . 361 Jars . 514 Fired daub . 361 Mortaria . 528 Discussion by D Welsby and A Rushworth . 361 Stamped mortaria by K F Hartley . 532 Flagons . 533 13 The coins by R J Brickstock and P J Casey Amphorae . 534 Introduction . 363 Beakers . 534 Published collections . 363 Discussion . 363 17 The glass vessels by D Allen Overview . 364 Discussion . 568 The vicus . 365 Catalogue . 568 The fort . 367 Coloured and blue-green glass . 568 Hoards . 375 Colourless glass . 571 Knag Burn gate . 376 Housesteads milecastle (MC 37) . 376 18 The graffiti by R S O Tomlin Chapel Hill . 376 Incised on samian . 574 Counterfeits . 377 Incised on coarseware . 574 Coin moulds . 377 Catalogue . 377 19 The botanical evidence by M van der Veen . 576 20 The metalworking debris by D B Dungworth 14 The small finds by L Allason Jones, with and D Starley contributions by M Henig, W B Griffiths and Q Mould Introduction . 579 Discussion . 430 Classification of metalworking debris . 579 Catalogue . 431 Analysis of debris from copper alloy working . 581 Silver . 431 Analysis of copper alloy scrap/offcuts . 581 Copper alloy . 432 Analysis of copper alloy waste (droplets) . 581 Ironwork . 457 Examination and analysis of crucibles . 583 Lead . 466 Moulds . 584 Bone . 467 ‘Copper alloy slag’ . 586 The intaglios by M Henig . 468 Production of copper alloy military fittings . 586 Glass . 471 Conclusions . 587 Tile . 475 Ceramic objects . 475 21 The worked flint by C Waddington Jet and shale . 478 Catalogue . 589 Stone . 480 Discussion . 591 Stone missiles by W B Griffiths . 482 Bibliography . 592 Leather by Q Mould . 483 Index . 604 v Introduction to Volume 2 The material assemblages yielded by the 1974–81 however, do not seem to have had female dependants excavations are reported on in this volume (Chapters living with them, on the evidence of the small finds. 12–21). The scale of some of these categories of mate- This pattern did not change between the Principate rial evidence was very substantial (over 800 coins from and the later empire. In other words, no evidence was Housesteads as a whole, 13,522 coarse pottery sherds recovered to support the notion that the later Roman from the north-east quarter for example). The small garrison of the fort comprised a militia of hereditary finds numbering system for the 1974–81 excavations farmer–soldiers, living in ‘married quarters’ with their ran to over 9000 items (excluding pottery) and, families, as was initially argued. although many of these (nails, hobnails etc) have not Samian ware from the 1974–81 excavations is set merited description in this volume, Chapter 14 out in Chapter 15 together with a small assemblage includes over 400 objects worthy of discussion and cat- from the vicus recovered during the 1930s, which has aloguing. Much of this material was found in the lay- not previously been published. The assemblage offers ers of the ramparts progressively reinstated in the mid- strong indications that the fort was abandoned, or not to late 3rd century and widened in the 4th century. fully garrisoned, during the early Antonine period, The original provenance of this material is an impor- which provides an intriguing contrast to the picture of tant question. Put simply, was this material incorpo- unbroken occupation presented by the stratigraphic rated in the rampart deposits during the rampart con- evidence from Barrack XIII. struction works, as part of processes of rubbish dispos- Chapter 16 presents a full coarse pottery type series al, accidental breakage and/or casual loss, for instance, for the north-east quarter of the fort, with cross-refer- or was it brought into the fort with the material used to encing to occurrence in the stratigraphy. The assem- form the rampart? (For detailed discussion of this.