Abstract
ABSTRACTThis article examines the phenomenon of so-called North African-style pottery made in early third-century York. The pottery, which was produced in significant quantities in late Ebor ware, is strikingly different from vessels in circulation in Roman Britain and the north-west provinces – so much so that the late Vivien Swan argued that it was ‘made by Africans for the use of Africans’. The present study reassesses the evidence of ceramic genealogical influences, production waste, fabric supply, consumption patterns and contextual finds associations. The results shed new light on the manufacture and use of late Ebor ware by York's military community, qualifying claims made about the repertoire's links with novel culinary practices, cultural diversity and the unique historical circumstances of Severan York.
Highlights
Since the cultural significance of the pottery is debated, the present study examines the evidence in more detail, focusing on York, which features the largest published assemblage of such wares in Britain
To move the debate forward, the present study explores what late Ebor ware did in Severan York, as
A direct link is unsurprising given what is known of the exceptional historical circumstances of Severan York, with North African military personnel possibly present in the reconstituted legio VI, and in vexillations of legio III taking part in Severus’ northern campaigns
Summary
Recent interest in a globalised and multicultural Roman Empire has brought fresh attention to archaeological evidence for cultural diversity. In this discussion, so-called ‘North African-style’ pottery in Roman Britain has become a prominent case study. Since the cultural significance of the pottery is debated, the present study examines the evidence in more detail, focusing on York, which features the largest published assemblage of such wares in Britain. 4 come from sites and cemeteries on the Tunisian coastline, with Bonifay’s suggested dates for each ranging from the late second into the third century.54 This information underlines the likelihood of geographically specific links between York and Africa Proconsularis, spanning multiple contemporary vessel types and coinciding with the dates of major changes in York’s military garrison. A direct link is unsurprising given what is known of the exceptional historical circumstances of Severan York, with North African military personnel possibly present in the reconstituted legio VI, and in vexillations of legio III taking part in Severus’ northern campaigns In addition to their shared genealogies and chronology, another factor linking the vessels in question seems to be functional – casseroles, dishes and lids are all associated with cooking and eating food – a perspective that is examined further below. 75 Monaghan 1997, 874
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