Fractured Britannia: the twilight of Roman Britain

Henry, R. (2025) Fractured Britannia: the twilight of Roman Britain. PhD thesis, University of Reading. doi: 10.48683/1926.00123082

Abstract/Summary

This thesis provides an in-depth examination of the distribution of coinage and elite items of Roman dress in later and sub-Roman Britain. Previous research has often sought to distinguish various groups serving the Roman state, yet identifying these groups in the archaeological record remains challenging. Both the military and the bureaucracy were ranked as soldiers and used similar objects to denote their status. Furthermore, the local elite, responsible for much of the day-to-day administration, began to adopt military fashions, leading to an evolution of dress accessories throughout the fourth century. Five extensive datasets (404 crossbow brooches, 1,334 belt fittings, 86 spurs, 454 penannular brooches and 489,867 Roman coins) are collated and explored holistically, materials which previously have only been studied in isolation. These datasets lend themselves to a big data approach through systematic examination in combination as these objects, with their prolonged lifespans, provide insights into social and political changes. Evidence suggests that while some regions continued relatively unchanged into the fifth century, other parts of Britain abandoned Roman forms of material culture as early as AD 375. This evaluation of a broad range of material culture offers new perspectives on a critical phase of the history of Britain, marked by the transition from a fully integrated Roman diocese to smaller post-Roman polities. The study delves into how material culture and specific forms of clothing were used to highlight status and identity within the later Roman world. By evaluating methodologies and revising typologies, the thesis details the geographic and site category distributions of various artefacts, pulling out key patterns in the data and making huge datasets publicly available. Ultimately, the thesis provides a chronological and geographic framework, analyses differential use of material across different site types and compares these patterns to those on the continent, thereby shedding light on the transformation of Roman Britain into the sub-Roman and early-medieval world.

Item Type	Thesis (PhD)
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/123082
Identification Number/DOI	10.48683/1926.00123082
Divisions	Science > School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science
Date on Title Page	July 2024
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item