On Bosses of Roman Shields Found in Northumberland and Lancashire

The paper presents and analyses 46 new radiocarbon measurements undertaken at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit with the aim of critically evaluating the existing chronology for Bronze Age metalwork. Samples chosen, from both old museum collections and more recent finds, were all organics in immediate physical contact with various types of bronze object; indeed the great majority were in direct functional association. Contextual integrity was further monitored by the identification of wood species and the estimation of growth stage, which was found consistently to be modest. The scientific procedures employed allowed the generation of dates with good precision and cross-referenced through control samples to the dendrochronological master curves.

Although one of the first attempts in Europe to radiocarbon date Bronze Age metalwork systematically, the results have yielded a coherent picture which confirms the broad outline of the traditional sequence. However, calibration followed by statistical analysis does point to the need to stretch the chronology of the middle—late bronze age metalwork assemblages backwards, by varying amounts, revisions which were in part anticipated from recent dating research on the continent. Re-dating has been most dramatic for Wilburton metalwork, the dating of which had not been shifted since 1979. For clarity the newly proposed chronology is pegged to a series of single dates each marking the fulcrum of a transition between assemblages. While the current data set suggests that assemblage overlaps were not prolonged, more data will be needed if durations are to be estimated better. The existing results do, however, already show the potential for establishing more subtle trends in the development of Bronze Age metalwork.     

Sex Identification in Some Putative Infanticide Victims from Roman Britain Using Ancient DNA

Previous study of infant burials has suggested that infanticide was routinely practised during the Roman period in Britain. This, together with the observation that there is an adult sex imbalance in favour of males at many Romano-British cemetery sites, has raised the question of female infanticide. We attempted to investigate this possibility by identifying sex in some infant skeletons from Romano-British contexts using ancient DNA (aDNA) techniques. Of 31 individuals sampled, sex identification was successful in 13, of which nine were males and four females. These results are discussed in the light of previous work on DNA-based seeking of infant burials.     

行省中的罗马军队:以罗马不列颠为中心

进入帝国时期以后,罗马的扩张活动基本上偃旗息鼓。相应地,元首制时期的罗马军队经历了两个重要变化。一是兵源募选日益本土化,这使军团和辅助军之间的区别日渐淡化。二是行省驻军日益定居化,这使军队作为自成一体的社会具有隔离于非军事区的趋势。由于这两个变化,军队在和平时期的非军事功能日益突出。对不列颠罗马驻军的考察表明,军队对行省的影响主要体现在：军队对城市化进程起重要的推动作用;向军队供应粮食带动了不列颠南方地区的农业发展;军队是普及罗马公民权的重要渠道。关注这些非军事功能有助于更充分地理解作为罗马帝国主义工具的军队。     

Military Identities in Late Roman Britain

Changes in the material culture of the late Roman army in Britain mean that it is often difficult to identify archaeologically. Some of these changes have in the past been taken as symptoms of decline, without attempt at further explanation. This paper aims to explore these changes and their deeper significance, within a theoretical framework which stresses the importance of the use of material culture in the expression of identities. Building from a detailed case study of fourth century occupation at Caerleon, it will be suggested that categorising material as ‘civilian’ or ‘military’ obscures complex patterns of both uniformity and variation between different kinds of site. These have implications not only for our understanding of the army in fourth and fifth century Britain, but also for society in general at this time, as it is within this wider context that the army should be seen.     

Site Finds in Roman Britain: A Comparison of Techniques

This paper compares Reece's (1995b) method for the comparison of coin lists, outlined in his paper Site Finds in Roman Britain , with two more formal statistical methods: Dmax-based Cluster Analysis and Correspondence Analysis. Reece's data from Roman Coins from 140 sites in Britain (1991b) are re-analysed, the various methods compared, and some preliminary patterns identified.     

铭文辑译:罗马帝国的弗鲁曼塔里伊

弗鲁曼塔里伊是罗马帝国图拉真时期出现的统属于中央的信息情报与监察人员,负责传递公文、刺探情报与监督行省。因史籍对弗鲁曼塔里伊的记载较少,拉丁铭文便成为研究弗鲁曼塔里伊的重要资料。本文选取《拉丁铭文集》和《铭文年鉴》中辑译的35条有关弗鲁曼塔里伊建制及其职能的铭文,借鉴相关文献,进行必要的注释。     

北京地区道教考古中石刻的发现与初步研究

北京地区考古发现的道教石刻文字材料从唐代一直延续至元明,是了解、研究道教在北京传播、发展的重要史料,也是判定相关遗迹的重要依据。但是在某种程度上,这些石刻资料尚未能引起学者们的足够重视,在研究的深度、广度上,远不及流传下来的碑刻材料。本文对北京地区考古中发现的道教石刻材料进行了梳理,并略作考述。     

The Vindolanda Timepiece: Time and Calendar Reckoning in Roman Britain

In 2008 a fragment of a time‐reckoning device was found at Vindolanda. This fragment has been interpreted as part of an anaphoric water clock. There are important differences between this fragment and other objects thought to come from anaphoric water clocks. This article seeks to reinterpret the fragment in terms of a broader array of Roman time‐reckoning tools than anaphoric water clocks and also in terms of the archaeological context of Vindolanda in which the fragment was found. The emphasis on cultural context in interpreting this fragment reveals much about the temporal consciousness of its possible users and maker.