An Infant Femur Bearing Cut Marks from Roman Hambleden,England

A perinatal infant skeleton from the first–fourth century AD Roman villa site at Hambleden, England, shows what appear to be cut marks on the proximal part of the right femur. Gross, microscopic and micro‐computed tomography evaluations suggest that they occurred perimortem and were probably caused by a non‐serrated blade. The reason for the cuts is uncertain, but their location is consistent with the practice of embryotomy, as described in classical sources for obstructed labour due to a dead or dying foetus in a breech or leg presentation. If this interpretation is correct, this case represents a rare example of embryotomy in the palaeopathological record. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The environment of northeast England during Roman times as shown by pollen analysis

Data from nine radiocarbon-dated pollen diagrams from the northeast of England are considered and it is argued that much of the area was deforested and used for farming during the late pre-Roman Iron Age. This farming continued throughout the Roman rule (approximately AD 80–AD 410) and lasted until at least the sixth century, implying a measure of political stability after the Roman withdrawal.     

The Impact of Reformation on North-East England: A Preliminary Survey

Abstract

This enquiry looks at some of the ways in which the Reformation made itself felt in the north-eastern diocese of Durham. These are considered in relation to the rest of the kingdom and in the light of recent scholarship on the subject. It concentrates on the parish level, and in particular, on the survival of parochial traditions and rituals: practices that were often peculiar to the north-eastern parts. What emerges is that the process was complex and the experience varied, sometimes considerably, across the diocese. The study goes on to examine how the bishop of Durham and the urban oligarchy in Newcastle played significant, though never unchallenged, roles in the course of the Reformation in the north-eastern counties. The tentative conclusions drawn in this outline survey are intended to be amplified and expanded in a broader study of the impact of reformation on north-eastern England.     

Monuments,Reputation and Clerical Marriage in Reformation England: Bishop Barlow's Daughters

The impact of the English Reformation upon women and women's agency in effecting religious change has been much debated. This paper examines the key innovation of clerical marriage by studying the family of Bishop William Barlow (d. 1568), whose five daughters married five bishops. It establishes that Barlow himself married well before it was lawful to do so, and reviews the circumstances that led to his daughters’ remarkable marital achievements. Subsequently, the commemorative acts of this family between 1595 and 1630 were crucial to the creation of an honourable role for the clergyman's wife in English society. By manipulating the representation of the dead, Barlow's daughter Frances Matthew improved her and her sisters’ place in the world. Monuments and their influence upon historical memory are therefore shown to be a hitherto unrecognised means available to women for transforming social order.     

Perinatal infant death at the Roman villa site at Hambleden,Buckinghamshire, England

The aim of the current work is to investigate whether perinatal infant burials at Hambleden Roman villa (1st–4th century AD), England, more likely represent infanticides, as has been contended by earlier workers, or natural deaths. Previous work has noted that when infanticide is practiced it is normally carried out immediately after birth and so will produce an age at death distribution tightly clustered around the gestational age of a full-term infant. By contrast, natural deaths in the perinatal period produce a rather flatter age distribution. In foetal and perinatal infants, long-bone length bears a close relationship to gestational age. The distribution of age at death in the Hambleden perinatal infants is compared with those from Roman Ashkelon, Israel, where earlier work showed evidence for infanticide, and Mediaeval Wharram Percy, England, where previous studies demonstrated a perinatal age at death distribution consistent with natural deaths. The comparisons between the sites are undertaken using four different methodologies: direct comparison of distributions of long-bone lengths, and comparison of ages at death estimated using two different regression methods and using a Bayesian methodology. Results consistently show a strong clustering in the Hambleden age distribution at an age approximately corresponding to a full-term infant. In this respect they resemble results from Ashkelon and differ from those from Wharram Percy. This was interpreted as supporting the suggestion of infanticide at Hambleden.     

A regional investigation of subadult dietary patterns and health in late Iron Age and Roman Dorset,England

This is the first regional analysis of the impact of Romanisation on subadult dietary patterns and related health parameters in Britain. A sample of 200 subadults from late Iron Age (LIA) and Romano-British (RB) Dorset were examined for dental health and specific metabolic diseases, and a sub-sample of 29 individuals were selected for nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis. The results showed that dental health declined in the Romano-British period and the incidence of scurvy and rickets rose. Increased consumption of marine foods in the RB period is indicated by an increase in δ¹³C between the LIA and RB subadults. After early childhood, there was no age-dependent variation in dietary protein in the RB and LIA populations from Dorset. We propose that these changes related to the introduction of urban living, Romanised diets and population migration.     

The Roman Well at Piddington,Northamptonshire, England: an Investigation of the Coleopterous Fauna

Abstract

This report presents the entomological evidence obtained from 4th century fills of a Roman well at Piddington, Northamptonshire. Analysis of the Coleoptera remains was restricted to one sample from the lower fill. A large fauna suggested an open, dry environment with areas of vegetation and accumulations of occupation debris nearby. The deposit was formed through a variety of mechanisms including accidental incorporation, natural deposition and possibly the deliberate dumping of refuse.     

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。