Industrial specialization in late Iron Age Britain and Europe

Abstract

A discussion of specialized industries in later prehistoric Britain is presented, with some reference to regional examples from Europe. The subject is tackled by discussing what we mean by industrial specialization with general examples taken from pottery studies and an exotic material, glass. The location of specialized industries, particularly in Britain, is discussed focusing specifically on iron, copper-alloy and the glass industries, their scale, how the industries are sometimes associated with each other and the extent to which they occur in the various forms of oppida, hillforts and smaller scale settlements. The evidence suggests that during the late Iron Age in Britain the larger scale (sometimes more prestigious) industries are located in small settlements. The role of artisans is considered and whether they were peripatetic, or tied to a settlement, depending on the nature of their skills. Using scientific analysis a model for the iron age glass industry is given. All of this is discussed in the context of changing socio-economic contexts, at a time when society was increasingly developing urban characteristics, particularly in Europe. No single fully encompassing model can be provided for the complex developments noted in later prehistoric industries.