Roman Britain Research Articles

East New Britain Province Monitoring & Evaluation

East New Britain Province Monitoring & Evaluation

Assessing How Representation of the Roman Past Impacts Public Perceptions of the Province of Britain

There is a lack of detailed research into the attitudes of the public in Britain to the Roman past. Information and views about the Roman period are communicated to people in the UK through education at school and also by the media (TV, films, the Internet). Museums and other heritage centres also provide interpretations for visitors, although these venues tend to cater for people who have progressed to a fairly advanced level in the educational system. This paper explores the public debate resulting from the BBC cartoon of a ‘Roman family’ in Britain (Beard, 2017). It argues that some of the extreme reactions to the idea that people came from North Africa to settle and to live in Roman Britain may have drawn upon some old-fashioned ideas about the past that have persisted in school education in England. It appears to be difficult for certain members of the public to understand that ideas about the past that they learnt at school were interpretations rather than ‘facts’ and that knowledge is constantly changing. That society in the Roman empire was highly mobile provides particularly informative parallels for modern Britons. To exploit this potential, however, will require archaeologists to take a more direct interest in communicating their research to a broader range of audiences.

Alienation and Redemption: The Praxis of (Roman) Archaeology in Britain

The TRAC session that led to this series of combined mini-papers was consciously designed as a forum for discussion. The aim of the session was to consider ways to tackle perceived systemic problems in the archaeology of Roman Britain (and, by extension, in the archaeology of other periods) that lead to destructive methods, interpretive fallacies and poor job satisfaction. The shared feeling of those attending the TRAC session seemed to be that well established systems in developer-funded or ‘commercial’ archaeology, university archaeology departments and even in museum environments are overly driven by ideas of competition, division and acquisition for its own sake, the apparently dominant neoliberal values of our time. Such values promote constraining hierarchies within and between organisations, generating lack of communication and ineffective team working. In this ‘manifesto’-style paper, different authors discuss the systemic issue that has most impact on their field of employment or research, and offer solutions for a potential ‘redemption’.

The effects of decentralisation of tuberculosis services in the East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea.

The tuberculosis (TB) programmes at the Nonga General Hospital, Rabaul Urban Clinic and Kerevat District Hospital in East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. In East New Britain, TB care was mainly offered by the General Hospital, resulting in limited community-based care and poor treatment outcomes. In 2016, TB services were decentralised from the provincial to the district level by 1) training health workers, 2) increasing community awareness of TB, and 3) providing a weekly Clinical Outreach (TACO) service. To describe the effect of TACO on the use of TB diagnostic and treatment services from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2017. This was a retrospective study comparing 2014-2015 (pre-TACO) and 2016-2017 (TACO) cohorts. There was an increase in pre-TACO to TACO cohorts in screened cases (1581 to 2195), total registered TB cases (678 to 824) and registered cases at decentralised sites (209 to 615). Unfavourable treatment outcomes were common (pre-TACO, 46.0% vs. TACO, 40.1%). In multivariable analysis, treatment at a decentralised Basic Management Unit (aOR 0.55, 95%CI 0.42-0.74) was significantly associated with fewer unfavourable outcomes, but treatment outcomes between the pre-TACO and the TACO group were not significantly different. Strengthening decentralisation of TB services at the district level increased TB screening and case registration, with similar treatment outcomes.

Teoria systemów-światów Immanuela Wallersteina i jej recepcja w archeologii: część III – okres wpływów rzymskich

Immanuel Wallerstein’s centre-periphery model lies at the root of many archaeological studies, particularly studies of romanisation. One of them has been an article written by Peter S. Wells, but we have also studies done by Richard Higley concerning Roman Britain, Susan Frankenstein and Michael Rowland concerning the social hierarchy in Roman Germany. Actually several archaeologists tried to study these topic according to the Wallerstein’s world-systems theory. We can observe that the application of the theory into archaeology has always very important heuristic value.

Near infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy for rapid and comprehensive soil condition assessment in smallholder cacao farming systems of Papua New Guinea

Cocoa is among the most desirable and palatable food in the world. Soil under cacao trees in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is fertile, however, it's been identified that to sustainably reach a production goal of 310,000 t by 2030, PNG needs soil-based recommendations. For this purpose, a cost-effective, rapid and non-invasive soil testing approach using near infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (NIR-DRS), to cater for soil testing needs of numerous small landholdings was assessed. This study investigated whether spectral data collected from smallholder farms across provinces can be used to estimate soil conditions for cacao farming. To assess this, a spectral library was generated by measuring 17 different soil parameters and spectral reflectance data over visible to near-infrared region (350–2500 nm) in 507 soil samples collected from four production systems in Autonomous region of Bougainville (AroB), New Ireland province (NIP), East New Britain province (ENB) and East Sepik province (ESP). Analysis of spectral data showed that the shallow limestone soil of NIP is dominantly montmorillonite mixed with kaolinite clay minerals, while the three other sampling sites are mostly vermiculite with mixed illite type of clay. Among Cubist, partial-least-square regression (PLSR), and support vector regression (SVR) chemometric approaches, Cubist model outperformed both SVR and PLSR. Most soil properties were estimated with high accuracy (concordance coefficient ≥ 0.7) using the Cubist model, except for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), available K and B. The high quality of the prediction models maybe owing to the variability in properties of the four different soils captured through conditioned Latin hypercube sampling. Results from this study also suggest that soil samples collected from multiple depths may be used for predicting both surface (0–30 cm) and sub-surface (30–90 cm) soil properties. Thus, this tool can help reduce the cost of laboratory analysis, even if it requires analysis of samples for calibration for the development of a successful spectral library across provinces.

Ritual and Ambiguities of Social (Dis)order in East New Britain

ABSTRACT This paper explores the namata ritual, common among Tolai people in Papua New Guinea’s East New Britain Province. The namata is often presented as an event that contributes towards social order, both in the ethnographic record and by Tolai themselves. The namata is often experienced however as being highly ambiguous as various actors use the ritual to make sense of and intervene in hazardous processes of social change. In particular, the namata is a site where anxieties about perceived breakdowns of the socially cohesive power of reciprocal obligation are expressed and attempts are made to halt their corrosion. Paradoxically however these attempts are made from a position that is often experienced by those that they attempt to discipline as themselves being expressive of that very breakdown of reciprocal obligation, thus intensifying the sense that the namata has now become a site for the creation of uncertainty rather than social stability.

A new method for investigating the relationship between diet and mortality: hazard analysis using dietary isotopes

Background: The population of Roman Britain are renowned for having elevated nitrogen (δ15) stable isotope values, which have been interpreted as evidence for the increased consumption of marine products. However, such results are now understood to also reflect episodes of stress and disease, suggesting that new interpretations are warranted.Aim: To test a novel approach which combines hazard mortality analysis and stable isotope data to determine whether there is a relationship between age-at-death, elevated δ15N values and mortality risk.Subjects and methods: This study used published osteological and dietary stable isotope data for nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) of 659 1st–5th century AD individuals aged >12 years old excavated from Roman cemeteries in Britain. The relationship between diet and mortality risk was assessed using the Gompertz hazard model, and differences in median reported isotope values between the sexes was determined using a Mann Whitney test.Results: It was discovered that higher δ15N levels are associated with elevated risks of mortality, whereas the opposite pattern was observed for δ13C, and males had higher median δ13C and δ15N values.Conclusion: This study successfully demonstrated that stable isotope data can be integrated into hazard models, allowing one to connect diet and mortality in past populations. It supports the findings of other isotope studies which have established that individuals with childhood stress/trauma will have different isotope patterns.

The Movement of Ideas in Late Iron Age and Early Roman Britain: An Imported Rotary Quern Design in South-Western England

ABSTRACTIn 2012, a complete upper stone of a rotary quern with a projecting lug for a vertical handle was found at Hinkley Point in Somerset, south-western England. It is the first late Iron Age to early Roman period quern of this form to be found in England. This note describes its form in detail and discusses its closest parallels in north-eastern Ireland, south-western Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man and Spain. It shows how thin-section analysis demonstrates the quern to have been locally made in Somerset and discusses the movement of ideas about quern design during the late Iron Age to early Roman period.

Hitching a Lift: Functional Context and Magical Symbolism in a Roman Linchpin from Wootton, North Lincolnshire

ABSTRACTA unique linchpin depicting a human thumb, discovered in North Lincolnshire in the 1980s, is here reconsidered and particular emphasis is placed on its potential as an apotropaic symbol. This function is explored in terms of the wider material and literary basis for magical gestures in Roman Britain and the Roman world. The relationship between this image and the space in which it was used is also explored.

Review of Hassall, M. 2017. Roman Britain: the Frontier Province. Collected Papers.

Review of Hassall, M. 2017. Roman Britain: the Frontier Province. Collected Papers.

The Defended Vici of Roman Britain: Recent Research and New Agendas

AbstractThe evidence of the character and purpose of settlements previously described as defended ‘small towns’ is reviewed in the light of knowledge accrued since the implementation of Planning Policy Guidance 16 in 1990, the same year as the publication of Burnham and Wacher's survey,The ‘Small Towns’ of Roman Britain. This review focuses on four of the more extensively excavated settlements: Alcester, Cambridge, Godmanchester and Worcester. In the absence of convincing urban attributes, it is suggested that this category of settlement should more appropriately be regarded as defended villages (vici). These cluster in and around the West Anglian plain and on Ermine Street, suggesting a strategic function to protect grain and other food supplies and their movement, potentially either to the northern frontier or south to London and, perhaps, export to the Continent.

ЕКОНОМІЧНА ДОМІНАНТА СУЧАСНОЇ ХВИЛІ СЕПАРАТИЗМУ В КРАЇНАХ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОГО СОЮЗУ

Separatism has long been present in Western Europe as a political and social phenomenon. In the 21st century, it is the most manifest in the most affluent and successful countries in the European Union, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Belgium. The paradox of this phenomenon is that the political aspect of the issue, which represents the confrontation between the newly emerged elite of «disobedient territories» and the central authorities, is closely intertwined with the economic factor of regional inequality, which has historically been present in those countries. The objective of the article is, therefore, to elucidate the economic factor in the separatist sentiments in the countries of Old Europe and the role of regional political elites in the formation of separatist sentiments. The methodology used in the course of research includes a number of scientific methods. The historical method helped reveal the features of separatist sentiments in specific EU countries and the internal and external factors that have transformed these sentiments into a commonplace public stance. The comparative method allowed clarifying the peculiarities of separatist movements in particular countries and the intentions of the political discourse in the political and legal field which they produce in order to support the view that secession is more beneficial to all than remaining within the ineffective state system. Finally, the dialectical method made it possible to identify political contradictions between governments and regions within their common history with delicate and contestable moments that secessionists seek to use in their struggle for independence. The manifestation of separatism and secessionist policies by opposition forces has been analysed in Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom. It is noted that in the United Kingdom, where the rich province of Britain seeks to keep its political influence over the poorer provinces, separatist sentiments in Catalonia (Spain), Bavaria (Germany), South Tyrol (Italy), in Flanders and Wallonia (Belgium) are more akin to whims of human rationality, seeking for even more material possessions for already economically successful provinces with broad autonomy. Based upon the analysis conducted, the following findings have been arrived at. First, European separatism is not a one-dimensional phenomenon and includes economic as well as political, ethnic and national motives. Second, European separatism varies from country to country: in the UK, it is categorical for long-term purposes and historically caused by the negative effects of colonization policies by the British in other provinces; in Spain, it is nationally and culturally specific, based on identity and history; and in Germany, it is «soft» in form and restrained in manifestation, with autonomy and federalization not destroying the state.

ЕКОНОМІЧНА ДОМІНАНТА СУЧАСНОЇ ХВИЛІ СЕПАРАТИЗМУ В КРАЇНАХ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОГО СОЮЗУ

Separatism has long been present in Western Europe as a political and social phenomenon. In the 21st century, it is the most manifest in the most affluent and successful countries in the European Union, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Belgium. The paradox of this phenomenon is that the political aspect of the issue, which represents the confrontation between the newly emerged elite of «disobedient territories» and the central authorities, is closely intertwined with the economic factor of regional inequality, which has historically been present in those countries. The objective of the article is, therefore, to elucidate the economic factor in the separatist sentiments in the countries of Old Europe and the role of regional political elites in the formation of separatist sentiments. The methodology used in the course of research includes a number of scientific methods. The historical method helped reveal the features of separatist sentiments in specific EU countries and the internal and external factors that have transformed these sentiments into a commonplace public stance. The comparative method allowed clarifying the peculiarities of separatist movements in particular countries and the intentions of the political discourse in the political and legal field which they produce in order to support the view that secession is more beneficial to all than remaining within the ineffective state system. Finally, the dialectical method made it possible to identify political contradictions between governments and regions within their common history with delicate and contestable moments that secessionists seek to use in their struggle for independence. The manifestation of separatism and secessionist policies by opposition forces has been analysed in Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom. It is noted that in the United Kingdom, where the rich province of Britain seeks to keep its political influence over the poorer provinces, separatist sentiments in Catalonia (Spain), Bavaria (Germany), South Tyrol (Italy), in Flanders and Wallonia (Belgium) are more akin to whims of human rationality, seeking for even more material possessions for already economically successful provinces with broad autonomy. Based upon the analysis conducted, the following findings have been arrived at. First, European separatism is not a one-dimensional phenomenon and includes economic as well as political, ethnic and national motives. Second, European separatism varies from country to country: in the UK, it is categorical for long-term purposes and historically caused by the negative effects of colonization policies by the British in other provinces; in Spain, it is nationally and culturally specific, based on identity and history; and in Germany, it is «soft» in form and restrained in manifestation, with autonomy and federalization not destroying the state.

Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain by Caitlin C. Gillespie

Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain by Caitlin C. Gillespie

Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain by Caitlin C. Gillespie

Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain by Caitlin C. Gillespie

Improving the smallholder balsa value chain in East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea

ABSTRACTOchroma pyramidale (balsa) is a fast-growing tree, grown as a plantation crop by both companies and smallholders in East New Britain Province (ENB) of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The ENB balsa industry is entirely export-oriented, producing 9% of the world’s processed balsa. Balsa products have outstanding strength-for-weight qualities and an increasing market in high-technology composite materials, such as wind turbine blades and transportation applications. Ochroma pyramidale is attractive to smallholders because it is a relatively low labour-input crop with competitive returns and a relatively short (5–6 years) harvest cycle. There are c. 6200 ha of balsa plantations in ENB, including c. 1900 ha grown and managed by c. 1500 individual smallholder farmers. A workforce of some 2500–3000 is engaged in balsa harvest, transport, processing and export in ENB. These activities operate under the regulatory oversight of the PNG Forest Authority, which also plays an ‘honest broker’ role in transactions between processing companies and smallholders. The major challenges faced by the ENB balsa industry relate to balsa plantation productivity and sustainability, market access in the context of forest certification and legality verification, and product development and diversification. This paper reports outcomes of a research project supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, in which Australian and PNG researchers worked with the ENB balsa industry to address these challenges. The project conducted balsa sector surveys and silvicultural experiments, introduced and tested genetic resources, and undertook both knowledge and product development for the industry. Key research outcomes included the development of a ‘smallholder friendly’ silvicultural regime that obviates the need for thinning or refilling, and should deliver greater merchantable volume and value recovery for growers; an updated Balsa Manual from which smallholder learning resources were developed and integrated into an established ENB agricultural training program; confirmation that harvesting recovery from smallholder plantations was consistent with log quality requirements, and that harvesting and transport activities were operating efficiently; and the development of new balsa panel products particularly suited to apartment interiors. Research also facilitated the adoption of certification in the ENB balsa sector, and identified targeted regulatory reform as desirable to support the continuing development of the ENB balsa industry.

Medieval and Renaissance Music Conference, Maynooth, 5–8 July 2018

In the current political climate, the need for a scholarly voice which considers the impact of our pedagogy and research on public discourse seems more important than ever. Such a voice is, however, not always welcome, as seen in the recent responses to Cambridge professor Mary Beard’s comments on the ethnic diversity of Roman Britain. It was therefore timely that the Call for Papers for the 2018 Medieval and Renaissance Music Conference (MedRen) in Maynooth, Ireland encouraged contributions which reflected on how our teaching and scholarship might challenge narratives of medieval and Renaissance history that are uniformly male, white and Christian. Although the political theme of the Call for Papers did not permeate the entire conference, it was squarely addressed in the session ‘Med-Ren in the 21st century’, featuring talks by Brandi A. Neal, Elizabeth Randall Upton and Samantha Bassler. In spite of appealing parallel sessions, the room was packed. Neal shared preliminary evidence of how early music (and music more generally) has been and might be co-opted by the alt-right in rewriting histories to support their white supremacist agenda. Upton reflected on her own teaching practices in an effort to refocus her undergraduate class on medievalism in music and popular culture in socially responsible ways, and Bassler offered useful pedagogical resources for reviewing prominent medieval and early modern themes related to disability, such as melancholy or madness. The discussions born from these papers were thought-provoking, both in what was said and what was left unspoken. This panel was revealing in more subtle ways as well—in who spoke officially, who made comments in the discussion, and who attended. It prompted useful discussions throughout the conference between scholars from varying geographical, disciplinary, institutional and political contexts.

A Foot in Both Camps: The Civilian Suppliers of the Army in Roman Britain

The civilian attendants and suppliers of the Roman army—those who were attached economically and voluntarily to the Roman military—are an important and understudied group. This article explores their roles and experiences during the Principate in Britain. It is argued that civilians were deeply involved in the functioning of the peacetime army’s supply-network; that these roles offered a scope for significant prosperity; and that the service community became increasingly integrated with local areas and incorporated many local agents. Further, the article argues that, in self-conception and in practice, they inhabited both ‘civilian’ and ‘military’ communities, the distinction between these two being weaker than is sometimes assumed. Finally, by examining the material in the light of globalisation theory, this article suggests that civilian attendants and suppliers can be seen as both ‘local’ and ‘global’, while also arguing for a greater appreciation for variability of experience among those traditionally seen as representing ‘global’ interests.

Dental Caries as a Measure of Diet, Health, and Difference in Non-Adults from Urban and Rural Roman Britain

Dental disease in childhood has the potential to inform about food availability, social status, andfeeding practices, in addition to contributing to a child’s overall health status. This paper presents the first comprehensiveoverview of carious lesion frequencies in 433 non-adults (1-17 years), and 6,283 erupted permanentand deciduous teeth from 15 urban and rural Romano-British settlements. Pooled deciduous and permanentcaries rates were significantly higher in major urban sites (1.8%) compared to rural settlements (0.4%), with childrenfrom urban sites having significantly higher lesion rates in the deciduous dentition (3.0%), and in youngerage groups with mixed dentitions. The differences in dental caries between urban and rural populations suggestdisparities in maternal oral health, early childhood feeding practices, food preparation and access to refined carbohydrates.A richer, perhaps more ‘Roman’, cuisine was eaten in the urban settlements, as opposed to a moremodest diet in the countryside. The effect of early childhood stress on caries frequency was explored using evidencefor enamel hypoplasia. Co-occurrence of caries and enamel hypoplasia was highest in the major urbancohort (5.8%) and lowest in the rural sample (1.3%), suggesting that environmental stress was a contributing factorto carious lesion development in Romano-British urban children.