THE ORIGINS OF ROMANO-BRITISH SMALL TOWNS

Summary. Romano-British urban origins have all too frequently been seen in terms of simple monocausal explanations, emphasising the role of purely military factors at the expense of the importance now attached to pre-Roman settlement nucleation. This article seeks to explore the question of small town origins and early development in the light of this wider perspective. It attempts to demonstrate that the period after AD 43 saw two overlapping and competing systems, one focused on pre-existing sites, the other on the new communications network, each with their own requirements and each with varying regional application and importance. Incorporation within the prevailing new order is shown to be more vital to urban development than pre-Roman or fort origins in isolation.