~ CA lo4-4-­ o~L, . q)c; ·'-ct \ CIREN~ESTER THE ROMAN TOWN DEFENCES, PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND SHOPS E£k> L2-l- CJA lOlk~ q3b'24f COTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST LTD. CIRENCESTEREXCAVATIONS V CIREN CESTER THE ROMAN TOWN DEFENCES, PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND SHOPS edited by N eil Holbrook WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM A. Barber, J. Bayley, A. Boarder, N. Cooper, T. Darvill, B. Dickinson, N. Faulkner, F. Green, P. Guest, G. Hargreaves, N. Holbrook, B. Langton, A. McWhirr, M. Maltby, J. Miles Paddock, J. Pamment Salvatore, C. Parry, R. Reece, V. Rigby, A. Thomas, J. Timby, L. Viner, J. Wacher, G. Walker, L. Wheeler and K. Wilkinson PRINCIPAL ILLUSTRATOR P. Moore Cotswold Archaeological Trust Cirencester 1998 '· © Authors and Cotswold Archaeological Trust, 1998 Headquarters Building, Unit 9, Kemble Busines~ Park, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL 7 6BQ, England ©Original site archive, Cotswold District Council, 1998 ISBN 0 9523196 3 2 The publication of this volume has been generously supported by English Heritage All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Cotswold Archaeological Trust Ltd Cover illustration: Conjectural reconstruction of the forum of Corinium showing the Jupiter Column. Copyright: Corinium Museum Produced by Past Historic, Kings Stanley, Gloucestershire Printed in Great Britain by J.W. Arrowsmith Ltd., Bristol CONTENTS List of Figures ix List of Tables xiii The Site Codes XV Note on the Presentation of the Dating Evidence xvii INTRODUCTORY SECTIONS PREFACE: THE DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN ARCHAEOLOGY IN CIRENCESTER AND FURTHER AFIELD by A.D. McWhirr INTRC>DUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS by N. Holbrook ., 6 THE TOPOGRAPHY AND HYDROLOGY OF THE CIRENCESTER AREA by N. Holbrook and K. Wilkinson 8 THE ROAD NETWORK IN THE VICINITY OF CIRENCESTER by G.H. Hargreaves 11 Appendix: Course of the White Way by G.H. Hargreaves and A.W.F. Boarder 17 FURTHER EVIDENCE FOR MILITARY OCCUPATION by N. Holbrook 18 THE STREET SYSTEM by N. Holbrook and J. Pamment Salvatore Introduction 19 Elements Pre-Dating the Main Grid 19 Creation of the Street Grid 19 Chronology of the Street Grid 22 Later Developments 23 Aspects of Water Supply and Drainage 25 Abandonment of the Street System 26 Gazetteer 26 Cricklade Street by A. Barber and G. Walker 31 THE TOWN DEFENCES by J.S. Wacher and J. Pamment Salvatore Earlier Observations and Investigations 35 The Town Gates 37 Verulamium Gate (JSW) 37 Dating Evidence for the Gate by N. Holbrook 44 Appendix: Re-Assessment of the Reports on the Molluscs Recovered from the Verulamium Gate by K. Wilkinson 46 Bath Gate (JPS) 49 Architectural Fragments by N. Holbrook 51 The Linear Defences 54 City Bank, Watermoor (JSW) 54 South-East Defences (JPS) 56 South Defences (JPS) 58 10 City Bank Road (JPS) 58 121 Watermoor Road (JPS) 59 The Sands, Watermoor (JPS) 59 36 Stepstairs Lane (JPS) 59 VI CIRENCESTER EXCAVATIONS V Watermoor Hospital (JSW) 62 Quems Road (JPS) 64 Waitrose, Sheep Street by B. Langton 67 Appendix: The Geoarchaeology of the Sheep Street site, 1994-5 by K. Wilkinson 70 Sheep Street (JPS) 71 Former Town Station Yard (JPS) 73 North-West Defences (A. McWhirr and JPS) 76 North-East Defences 77 Town Wall and Rampart by JPS and G. Walker 80 North-East Defences (Site AB) (JSW) 84 Architectural Fragments from the Town Wall by N. Holbrook 89 Dating Evidence for the Linear Defences by N. Ho Ibrook 89 Discussion of the Town Defences by JPS 94 THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS THE BASILICA AND FORUM by N. Holbrook and J. Timby 99 Basilica Period I 101 Basilica Period 2 104 Basilica Period 3 108 Basilica Demolition 111 Subsequent Investigations of the Basilica Ill The Forum 113 Pre-Forum Levels 113 Forum Period I 113 Period 2: Reconstruction of the Forum 113 Period 3 115 Period 4 116 General Discussion 119 THE PUBLIC BUILDING IN INSULA VI by J. Timby,T. Darvill and N. Holbrook Introduction 122 Period 1: Military 122 Period 2: Deposits Pre-Dating the Public Building 124 Period 3: Public Building VI. I 129 Period 3a: Later Activity within the Courtyard 135 Ermin Street 138 Architectural Fragments 138 Discussion 139 Appendix 1: Palaeobotanical Analysis of Samples from 2-8 Chester Street by F. Green 140 Appendix 2: The Slags and Metal-Working Residues from 2-8 Chester Street by J. Bayley 140 THE THEATRE by N. Holbrook and A. Thomas 142 THE AMPHITHEATRE by N. Holbrook I45 Historical Background by L. Wheeler I45 The Excavations 147 Period 1 147 Period 2 157 Period 3 161 Period4 166 Period 5 169 Period 6 169 Discussion 171 THE SHOPS THE SHOPS IN INSULA 11 (THE POSSIBLE MACELLUM) by N. Ho1brook 177 Introduction 177 Period 1 177 Period 2 180 CONTENTS VII Period 3 Construction l8I Period 3 Occupation I83 Discussion I86 Other Discoveries in insula 11 I88 SHOPS V.I-V.5 IN INSULA V by N. Holbrook Introduction I89 Period I I89 Period 2 I93 Period 3 Construction 20I Periods 2/3 Occupation and Modification 203 Period 3a 205 Discussion '"209 W A TERMOOR HOUSE, W A TERMOOR ROAD: EXCAVATION 1992 by C. Parry 2II SHOPS IN THE WESTERN CORNER OF INSULA V by N. Holbrook 2I7 Period I: Military 2I7 Period 2: Deposits Pre-Dating the Construction of Stone Shop V.6 2I8 Period 3: Construction and Modification of Stone Shop V.6 2I8 The Rooms 22I Period 4: Late Occupation after the Demolition of Shop V.6 226 Shop V.7 ' 228 Discussion 230 SHOPS AND HOUSES IN INSULA VI by N. Holbrook and J. Timby Introduction > ~- 230 Period I . 232 Period 2 236 Period 3 240 Discussion 244 ,• THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC EVIDENCE .·• THE COINS by R. Reece and P. Guest ,_247 The Excavated Coins Considered as Groups (RR~ 247 Discussion of the Distribution ofthe Coins in and around the Town (PG) 262 The Catalogue and its Use in the Future (RR) 268 The Hoards (RR) 29I THE FINDS EVIDENCE by L. Viner Introduction 294 Conservation 294 The Functional Categories 295 Objects of Military Equipment by J. Miles Paddock 305 Metal-Working in Roman Cirencester by J. Bayley 307 General Discussion 3,09 Catalogue of Illustrated Objects 313 THE SUPPLY OF POTTERY TO ROMAN CIRENCESTER by N. Cooper 324 Introduction 324 Problems and Approaches 324 Summary of Fabrics 325 Ceramic Phase I (c.45/50-75) 325 Ceramic Phase 2 {c.75-I00/120) 327 Ceramic Phase 3 {c.I00/120-160)" 329 Ceramic Phase 4 ( c.l50-1601170) 33I Ceramic Phase 5 (c.200-250) 332 Ceramic Phase 6 {c.250-300) 334 Ceramic Phase 7 (c.300-350) 336 Ceramic Phase 8 (c.350-400) .. 339 Summary of Pottery Supply c.45-400 34I Catalogue of Illustrated Vessels 34I V111 CIRENCESTER EXCAVATIONS V THE CERAMIC TILES by T. Darvill 351 ANIMAL BONES FROM ROMANO-BRITISH DEPOSITS G~ CIRENCESTER by M. Maltby 352 The Scope of This Report 352 Recording Methods 353 The Chester Street Sample 353 Species Representation 354 Conclusions 369 URBAN STRA TIGRAPHY AND ROMAN HISTORY by N. Faulkner Introduction: Writing Urban Histories 371 Methodological Problems: Validating the Sample 372 Methodological Problems: Dating the Deposits 373 Methodological Problems: Quantifying Data 374 Cirencester in the High Empire: The Rise of the Municipal Gentry 377 The Third Century Crisis and Decline of the Municipal Gentry 378 Cirencester in the Late Empire: The Rule of the Military-Bureaucratic Complex 379 AD 407-410: Armageddon 384 Appendix 1: Public Buildings Gazetteer 385 Appendix 2: Private Buildings Gazetteer 386 Bibliography 389 Index 399 .. LIST OF FIGURES Fig. I Location of the Cirencester excavations ,xiv Fig. 2 Key to conventions used in section drawings xvi Fig. 3 Pre-Roman and Roman watercourses in the Cirencester area 9 Fig. 4 Roman road system around Cirencester 12 Fig. 5 Plan of the defensive ditches ofthe Leaholme fort 18 Fig. 6 Plan of the Roman Town 20 Fig. 7 Key to the labelling of the streets 21 Fig. 8 Street E and later metalled area at Site BD (Gaumont Cinema) 24 Fig. 9 Metalled area and probable water-pipe wall at Site DB (Purley Road) 24 Fig. I 0 Section through Street D at Site BC (Chester Mews) 27 Fig. 11 Location of the trenches at Cricklade Street 1996 30 Fig. 12 Plan of Street L, Cricklade Street 1996 32 Fig. 13 Section through Street L, Cricklade Street 1996 33 Fig. 14 Location of excavations and observations of the town defences 36 Fig. 15 Plan ofthe Verulamium Gate (Site AA) 38 Fig. 16 Curving bridge abutment in Trench AAIV 39 Fig. 17 Verulamium Gate (Site AA), sections AB, HJ 40 Fig. 18 Verulamium Gate (Site AA), section CD 41 Fig. 19 Verulamium Gate (Site AA), section EG; North-east defences (Site AC), section AB facing p.40 Fig. 20 Town wall abutting the north-west tower of the Verulamium Gate 41 Fig. 21 Rebated block forming the base of a flood gate through the town wall in Trench AAX 42 Fig. 22 The Bath Gate and its environs (Site DX) 48 Fig. 23 Plan and sections of the Bath Gate (Site DX) 50 Fig. 24 The north-west tower of the Bath Gate and adjacent town wall 51 Fig. 25 Architectural fragments from the Bath Gate 52 Fig. 26 Comparative plan of the gates at Cirencester and Verulamium 53 Fig. 27 Section at City Bank (Site AQ) 54 Fig. 28 The town wall at City Bank (Site AQ) 55 Fig. 29 lnfilling of the town wall ditch at City Bank (Site AQ) 56 Fig.