Unit information: Roman Britain in 2014/15

Unit name	Roman Britain
Unit code	ARCH20040
Credit points	30
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Powlesland
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit will introduce students to the archaeology of Roman Britain. The key themes will include the roman conquest & occupation of Iron Age Britain, the assimilation of the province, its role within the wider empire and its eventual abandonment during the 5th century. Students will be introduced to the various literary & epigraphic sources, as well as the archaeological evidence for the period and be encouraged to assimilate these very different types of evidence. The unit will introduce students to the archaeological evidence for the consolidation of the province of Britannia and its civil & military administrative infrastructure, as well as everyday life in a roman province. The Unit will also explore the development of romano-british society as a unique entity through the development of villas, the agrarian economy and the rise of urbanism. It will also examine the current debates for the collapse of the province in c.410 AD and assess its post-roman successors.

Intended Learning Outcomes

1. To fully appreciate the on-going debate on the nature of the early Roman occupation.
2. To understand the problems of correlating literary and archaeological sources in the light of the evidence for Roman Britain.
3. To interpret & understand the wide spectrum of evidence for Romano-British archaeology and how research is constantly calling for re-evaluation of previously held assumptions.
4. To critically examine the evidence for the collapse of the Romano-British socio/economic infrastructure and the evidence for & against continuity of Roman institutions.

Teaching Information

six one day Lectures,

Seminars,

six 6-hour fieldtrips

Assessment Information

One 2750 word essay (50%), Assesses ILOs 1,2,3,4

One 20 Minute Seminar Presentation (25%), Assesses ILOs 1,2,3,4

One Seminar Presentation Hand-out (25%), Assesses ILOs 1,2,3,4

Reading and References

Alcock, J. P. 2006. Life in Roman Britain, Tempus, Stroud.

Burnham, B. and Wacher, J. 1991. The Small Towns of Roman Britain, Berkeley, University of California Press.

Cunliffe, B. 2010. Iron Age Communities in Britain, 4th edition, Routledge, London.

De la Bedoyere, G. 1989. The Finds of Roman Britain, London, Batsford.

Ireland, S. 2008. Roman Britain, a Sourcebook, London, Routledge.

Jones, G. & Mattingly, D. 1990. An Atlas of Roman Britain, Oxford: Oxbow.

Millett, M. 1990. The Romanisation of Britain, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Salway, P. 1997. The Oxford Illustrated History of Roman Britain (2nd ed.), OUP, Oxford.

Salway, P. (ed.) 2002. The Roman Era; a Short History of the British Isles, Oxford, OUP.

Todd, M. (ed.) 2007. A Companion to Roman Britain, Oxford, Blackwell.

Wacher, J. 1995. The Towns of Roman Britain (2nd ed.), London, Batsford.

Journals

• Britannia.
• Journal of Roman Studies.
• Journal of Roman Archaeology