With contributions by Lindsay Allason-Jones, Donald Bailey, Mike Baillie, Iain Banks, Paul Bidwell, Sjoerd Bohncke, Susan Chalmers, G. H. Collins, Anne Crone, Alex Croom, Brenda Dickinson, Camilla Dickson, James H. Dickson, Andrew Fitzpatrick, Dennis Gallagher, Geoff Gaunt, Rikke D. Giles, Mark Gillings, Katharine Hartley, Martin Henig, Andrew Jones, Lawrence Keppie, John Locke, Euan MacKie, Frances McLaren, Ian Máté, Jef Maytom, Michael J. Moore, G. C. Morgan, Jennifer Price, Sian Rees, Anne S. Robertson, Jackaline Robertson, Adam T. Welfare
and David F. Williams
The demolition of Victorian villas in the 1970s led to the excavation of the Roman fort at Bearsden, near Glasgow, on the Antonine Wall, and the discovery of a Roman bath-house and latrine. The bath-house is the tip of an archaeological iceberg. Over ten seasons a substantial portion of the Roman fort was examined and its history traced. Of particular importance was the discovery of sewage from the latrine which provided intimate details about the life of the soldiers at Bearsden, including their diet and hygiene. The Roman fort contained two barrack-blocks. Analysis of the distribution of pottery within each buildings suggests that food was prepared, cooked and eaten in these barracks rooms. The bath-house produced fragments of large bowls. But were they used for drinking wine, holding fruit and nuts remains of which were found in the bath-house or as chamber pots? The fort also contained two large stone granaries as well as timber storehouses. The soldiers had a varied diet which included wheat and barley, probably used in baking bread and making porridge, as well as various wild fruits and nuts. More exotic food such as coriander and figs were imported from the continent. Food remains in cooking pots demonstrated that durum or macaroni wheat was used at Bearsden. The soldiers suffered from both whipworm and roundworm and had fleas. Moss found in the sewage was probably used by the soldiers in cleaning themselves after using the latrine.
Author(s): David J. Breeze
Publisher: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Year: 2016
Language: English
Pages: 440
City: Edinburgh
List of illustrations
List of tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
List of contributors
Abstract
Summary
Chapter 1 The Structure of the Report
Chapter 2 Previous Accounts
Chapter 3 The Excavations
3.1 Topography and geology of the site
3.2 The Fort
3.2.1 The defences
3.2.2 The ditches
3.2.3 The rampart
3.2.4 Internal roads
3.2.5 Drains and gulleys
3.2.6 Open spaces
3.2.7 Internal buildings
3.3 The Annexe
3.3.1 The bath-house
3.3.2 The latrine
3.3.3 The annexe of the bath-house
3.4 Extra Mural Activity
3.5 Resistivity survey
Chapter 4 Soils
4.1 The West rampart
4.2 Soil samples from buildings
Chapter 5 Stone
5.1 Analysis
5.2 The stone objects
5.2.1 Inscribed and sculptured stones
5.2.2 Voussoir stones
5.2.3 Bath-house furniture
5.2.4 Worked building stones
5.2.5 Slabbing, flooring and paving
5.2.6 Miscellaneous
5.3 The Milling stones
5.3.1 Introduction
5.3.2 Catalogue
5.3.3 Discussion
5.4 The Flint flake
Chapter 6 Brick and tile
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Types
6.3 Signature marks
Chapter 7 Pottery
7.1 Samian ware
7.1.1 Introduction
7.1.2 Catalogue
7.2 The Coarse ware
7.2.1 Introduction
7.2.2 Fabrics
7.2.3 Catalogue
7.3 Mortaria
7.3.1 Summary
7.3.2 Methodology
7.3.3 Quantification
7.3.4 Mortarium fabrics
7.3.5 Catalogue of stamped mortaria
7.3.6 Final comments
7.3.7 Catalogue of mortaria found at Bearsden arranged in fabrics
7.4 Scientific analysis of the pottery
7.4.1 Heavy mineral analysis of black-burnished ware
7.4.2 Petrographical examination of pottery
7.4.3 Geological report on trituration 'grit' in mortaria fragments
7.4.4 Chemical and petrological analysis of local oxidised ware
7.5 'Native' pot
7.6 Lamp
7.7 Amphorae
7.8 Discussion of pottery
7.8.1 Vessel types and character of the assemblage
7.8.2 Local production
7.8.3 Distribution
7.8.4 Pottery supply systems
7.8.5 Origins of the British potters working at Bearsden
7.8.6 Pottery of North-African style
Chapter 8 Mortar Analysis
Chapter 9 Glass
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Catalogue
9.2.1 Vessels
9.2.2 Window glass
9.2.3 Object
Chapter 10 The Intaglios
10.1 Catalogue
10.2 The 'shrimp'
Chapter 11 Metalwork
11.1 Copper alloy
11.2 Lead
11.3 Iron
11.3.1 Weapons
11.3.2 Tools and implements
11.3.3 Structural items
11.3.4 Strappings and sheeting
11.3.5 Transport
11.3.6 Footwear
11.3.7 Nails
11.3.8 Miscellaneous
Chapter 12 Coins
Chapter 13 Plant remains
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Outer east annexe ditch
13.2.1 Macroscopic plant remains
13.2.2 Macroscopic plant remains from pollen samples
13.2.3 Outer east annexe ditch: pollen analyses
13.2.4 Origin of cultivated plants and the evidence for hay
13.2.5 Processing the crops
13.3 Depression south of building 7
13.3.1 Macroscopic plant remains
13.3.2 Pollen analysis
13.4 Inner west ditch
13.4.1 Macroscopic plant remains
13.4.2 Pollen analyses
13.5 Middle west ditch
13.5.1 Macroscopic plant remains
13.5.2 Pollen analyses
13.6 Outer west ditch
13.7 South ditch
13.7.1 Macroscopic plant remains
13.7.2 Pollen analysis
13.8 Rampart turves
13.8.1 East annexe rampart
13.8.2 East fort rampart
13.8.3 Macroscopic plant remains
13.8.4 Pollen analysis
13.9 Wood, charcoal and other burnt plant remains
13.9.1 Outer east annexe ditch
13.9.2 Inner west ditch
13.9.3 Middle west ditch
13.9.4 Ramparts
13.9.5 Charcoal associated with buildings in the northern part of the fort
13.9.6 Charcoal associated with buildings in the southern part of the fort
13.9.7 Bath-house
13.9.8 Latrine
13.9.9 Conclusion
13.10 Interpretation of pollen analyses
13.11 The woodland around Bearsden
13.12 The plant communities
13.13 Comparison with other sites
13.13.1 Pollen analyses
13.13.2 Macroscopic plant remains
13.14 Summary of the plant remains
13.15 Future work
Appendix 1 Notes on the identifications
Appendix 2 Determining the thermal history of the bran with electron spin resonance spectroscopy
Addendum
Chapter 14 Infrared analysis of charred material adhering to potsherds
14.1 The use of infrared analysis
14.2 What is the character of archaeological char?
14.3 Chemical analysis of the Bearsden char
14.4 How can we interpret the Bearsden wheats?
Chapter 15 Dendrochronology
Chapter 16 Bones
Chapter 17 Insect remains
17.1 Introduction
17.2 Analysis
17.2.1 East annexe ditch
17.2.2 Inner west ditch
17.2.3 Middle west ditch
17.2.4 Outer west ditch
17.2.5 South ditch
17.2.6 Depression in fort
17.2.7 Building 7
17.3 General implications of grain-beetles
17.4 Climatological implications of the fauna
Chapter 18 Parasitological investigations of the East annexe ditch
18.1 Introduction
18.2 Analysis
18.3 Discussion
Chapter 19 Leather
19.1 Introduction
19.2 Catalogue
Chapter 20 Reconstruction drawings
Chapter 21 Discussion
21.1 The site before the Romans
21.2 The Antonine wall
21.3 The Fort
21.3.1 The fort platform
21.3.2 Measurements
21.3.3 The defences
21.3.4 The roads
21.3.5 The stone buildings
21.3.6 The timber buildings
21.3.7 The identification buildings
21.4 The annexe
21.4.1 The bath-house
21.4.2 Latrine
21.5 The planning of the fort and annexe
21.6 The unit based at Bearsden
21.7 The building of the fort and annexe
21.8 The date of occupation
21.9 The history of the site
21.10 The civil settlement
21.11 Life in the fort
21.11.1 Introduction to the distribution of artefacts
21.11.2 The small finds assemblage
21.11.3 Weapons and clothing
21.11.4 Tools
21.11.5 Cooking, eating and drinking
21.11.6 Comments on the distribution of artefacts
21.11.7 Diet
21.11.8 Hygiene and relaxation
21.12 Supply
21.13 The end of the fort
21.14 Summary of the history of the fort
21.15 Some wider implications
Chapter 22 Conclusions
Bibliography
Index
