Wroxeter and the Cornovii

[Anton]

I came across this piece in the Bryn Mawr Review(2009) and it set me thinking once again about the transition from the Roman province of Britannia to the Heroic Age as it's often called.

http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2009/2009-08-14.html

I was particularly interested to read the following:

"Chapter 3 summarises the data and methodology that have been used to support the project. This includes pre-existing archaeological data and soil survey results. Chapter 4 discusses the surface survey of the research area to determine the importance of Wroxeter on the surrounding district and settlement patterns in the core of the Cornovian territory. It also includes a summary of the limited excavation work conducted in association with the project. Chapter 5 brings together the cultural material. These three chapters represent the hard data of the volume and show that Romanization, as measured by building materials, ceramics and other objects that demonstrate Roman traits, never became embedded in the surrounding rural landscape.

The most interesting and striking results of the survey of archaeological material are the limited number of finds. For example, the excavation of Whitley Grange villa which, although equipped with a bath-house, a hypocaust and an impressive mosaic, produced only seven coins and surprisingly few sherds of pottery. The conclusions drawn in chapters 4 and 5 are that while the Cornovian aristocracy willingly took to living within Roman style buildings, they did not take on all the vestiges of what is assumed for a Roman lifestyle when compared to other tribes especially those in the southeastern Britain. A similar pattern can be seen in the isolated farms, which do not seem to have acquired what are presumed to be the basic trappings of Romanization in the form of imported pottery. Furthermore, the results of extensive fieldwalking have shown that those sites with Roman ceramics tend to be located in close proximity to the road network.

Although I found chapters 1 and 2 particularly engrossing for their discussion of the wider context of the project, chapters 6 and 7 are the real the crux of the volume. Chapter 6 attempts the difficult task of integrating the material and focuses back on Wroxeter in an effort to reconstruct its population and its needs. Chapter 7 concerns identifying the Cornovii and re-identifies their character in the light of the outcome of this study. The volume concludes by placing the results of the Wroxeter project into the wider context of Roman Britain."

The book is available for a very reasonable £15.00 and I'm tempted to buy it despite near collapsing book shelves.

The Cornovii were a significant people and Koch has some interesting things to say about them so it's interesting to read of how they dealt with the Roman experience and emerged on the other side of it with their identity pretty much intact.

If anyone has read the whole report I'd be interested in views.

[Imperial Dave]

I'd be tempted to get it as well Stephen. Sounds right up my alleyway

[Jim Webster]

I'd be tempted to get it as well Stephen. Sounds right up my alleyway

I succumbed to temptation over the book Duncan mentioned, so I am thrice armoured against this one 

[Imperial Dave]

I'd be tempted to get it as well Stephen. Sounds right up my alleyway

I succumbed to temptation over the book Duncan mentioned, so I am thrice armoured against this one 

which one was that?

[Jim Webster]

I'd be tempted to get it as well Stephen. Sounds right up my alleyway

I succumbed to temptation over the book Duncan mentioned, so I am thrice armoured against this one 

which one was that?

https://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/greece-macedon-and-persia.html

[Anton]

I've found impulse book buying is one of the perils of reading these boards.

If you do get a copy Dave I'd be interested in what you think of it.  I'm still deliberating, though I'll probably succumb by teatime because of the connection with Trawsganu Cynan and Marwnad Cynddylan.  There, I think I've talked myself into it.

[Imperial Dave]

I've found impulse book buying is one of the perils of reading these boards.

If you do get a copy Dave I'd be interested in what you think of it.  I'm still deliberating, though I'll probably succumb by teatime because of the connection with Trawsganu Cynan and Marwnad Cynddylan.  There, I think I've talked myself into it.

exactly my thinking!

[Imperial Dave]

I'd be tempted to get it as well Stephen. Sounds right up my alleyway

I succumbed to temptation over the book Duncan mentioned, so I am thrice armoured against this one 

which one was that?

https://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/greece-macedon-and-persia.html

wow, good price!

[Jim Webster]

I'd be tempted to get it as well Stephen. Sounds right up my alleyway

I succumbed to temptation over the book Duncan mentioned, so I am thrice armoured against this one 

which one was that?

https://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/greece-macedon-and-persia.html

wow, good price!

a dangerous price 

[Imperial Dave]

I'd be tempted to get it as well Stephen. Sounds right up my alleyway

I succumbed to temptation over the book Duncan mentioned, so I am thrice armoured against this one 

which one was that?

https://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/greece-macedon-and-persia.html

wow, good price!

a dangerous price 

nah....thats a decent price. If it was £200 reduced to £75 thats a dangerous price 

[Jim Webster]

I'd be tempted to get it as well Stephen. Sounds right up my alleyway

I succumbed to temptation over the book Duncan mentioned, so I am thrice armoured against this one 

which one was that?

https://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/greece-macedon-and-persia.html

wow, good price!

a dangerous price 

nah....thats a decent price. If it was £200 reduced to £75 thats a dangerous price 

[Anton]

The book is scheduled to arrive on Monday.  I'll report back subsequent but I'm hoping it's going to shed light on a number of areas I'm interested in.  If so I may bang on about it at some length because Wroxeter is sometimes noted as the third most important city in Britannia and it may illuminate what was going on elsewhere too.

[Jim Webster]

The book is scheduled to arrive on Monday.  I'll report back subsequent but I'm hoping it's going to shed light on a number of areas I'm interested in.  If so I may bang on about it at some length because Wroxeter is sometimes noted as the third most important city in Britannia and it may illuminate what was going on elsewhere too.

I'd be interested to hear your comments 

[Andreas Johansson]

I'm sure the Editor wouldn't be adverse to have it submitted as a SL review

[Anton]

Thank you chaps.  I'll do that.