Ceramic production in a Roman frontier zone: A comparative Neutron Activation and Petro-Textural analysis of Roman coarse pottery from selected sites on and around the Antonine wall, Scotland.

摘要

A series of recent excavations on the 2nd CenturyudAD Antonine frontier forts of the Midland Scottishudvalley, have produced results which suggest that theudarmy was making its own pottery on an appreciableudscale. This was at a time when pottery production wasudthought to have moved almost exclusively into civilianudhands.udThe possible local ware groups identified by theudexcavations were largely independent of firm sourceudindicators such as kiln and waster material and theudnumber of available samples was often-small.udA program of Neutron Activation and Thin Sectionudpetrological analyses was undertaken along with anudinvestigation into Textural Analysis, a facet of theudPetrological toolkit. The aim was both to define theudsite ware groups and a group of specialist vesselsudthought to be local to Scotland, the Mortaria, and toudmake statements as to their provenance.udAlthough the Mortaria analysis was limited byudproblems of sample group size and availability, byudimproving the objectivity of the statistical handlingudof the derived data sets and developing methods for theudhigh level study of textural data, the site ware groupsudwere defined successfully at both the "intrall andud"inter" site levels. The analyses also furnishedudinterpretations as to the mode and nature of the siteudproduction schemes.udThrough the full analysis of' site Daub samplesudlinked to more traditional provenancing techniques, inudall but one case the ware groups could be assigned toudthe source sites, where contrasting production modesudcould be identified with military as opposed toudcivilian production.