1,721,726 research outputs found
A study of the work of Dr. Felix Oswald on the Oswald-plicque collection of samian pottery, now at Durham University
Full text linkThe purpose of this thesis is to re-assess the work of Dr.Felix Oswald on the Oswald-Plicque Collection of samian pottery. The Oswald-Plicque collection was the personal samian collection of Dr.Oswald and was acquired by Professor Eric Birley for Durham University in 1950. It is now at the Museum of Archaeology, Durham. The first part of the thesis describes the history of the Collection. Its importance to samian specialists is discussed and a brief account is given of its organisation before and after arriving in Durham. The second part of the thesis analyses the Central Gaulish ware in the Collection. Dr.Oswald wrote brief notes and names on the back of each sherd indicating the potter to whom he attributed the piece. Each potter is discussed alphabetically, and an opinion is expressed as to the accuracy of Dr.Oswald's classifications. The third section of the thesis discusses the South Gaulish ware. Dr.Oswald wrote more extensive notes on the South Gaulish sherds and these have been recorded in full. The sherds have been divided on the basis of date rather than potter, and the accuracy of the dates given for each sherd is assessed. Finally the work of Dr.Oswald on the Collection is placed in the context of his times. It is concluded that many of the sherds are incorrectly attributed and that Dr.Oswald's attempt to name a style for each sherd is over ambitious and influenced by 19th century thinking. Dr.Oswald used information on figure types derived from the Collection in one of his most important works, his "Index of Figure Types on Terra Sigillata" (1936-7), and it is suggested that extreme caution should be taken when using references from this Index to unsigned work from the Oswald-Plicque Collection
Academic Meta Tool - samian ontology
No full text<p>Academic Meta Tool - samian ontology</p>
Samian Pottery in Britain: Exploring its Distribution and Archaeological Potential
No full textThis paper presents some of the results of an English Heritage funded study of the distribution of samian pottery (Terra Sigillata). It aims to highlight the value of samian pottery as a resource for exploring a range of archaeological questions beyond its essential role in providing dating evidence. The work to date has comprised a pilot study designed to assemble an initial database of stratified samian groups, to test methodologies and to explore the character of samian distribution. Some substantive patterns identified from the database are reproduced here and discussed. The opportunity is also taken to clarify baseline trends in the occurrence of samian within Roman pottery assemblages, and to place patterns in the incidence of this ware within the wider context of Roman Britain. A number of other aspects of archaeological value, for instance, the nature of samian from rural sites and the potential use of samian in ritual actions, are also evaluated. A written report and (hardcopy) database were produced in 1997 (Willis 1997b), which presented the results of phase 1 of the survey, with approximately 50 copies circulated for comment. The middle section of the present paper draws on this report. It is hoped that in due course the database will be accessible to all potential users (including excavators, students, curators and academics), for the comparison of samian assemblages from different sites. The database should establish whether there are ‘normal patterns’ of samian occurrence/supply, by region, time, and site type, against which individual site assemblages may be compared.
The focus of the pilot study, being funded by English Heritage, has been upon sites within England. However, evidence from sites in Wales and Scotland, both military and civilian, has equal relevance constituting important comparative data. Samian assemblages from these parts of Britain are hence included in the current discussion. Considering the larger canvas, samian work in Britain is part of an international context of study, of what was a widely distributed and imitated material. Specialists in Britain are closely networked with workers elsewhere in western Europe. One of the most fruitful aspects of this liaison is the potential for identifying similarities and differences in the incidence of samian from region to region. It is hoped that the present paper, identifying trends in the British evidence, can contribute to inter-provincial comparisons.
This paper has four principal sections. First, the background to the project is outlined, with previous quantitative and comparative studies of samian noted. The second section deals with broad aspects of samian distribution, considering its status during the Roman era, its geographic incidence and its occurrence as a component of pottery groups. Trends in the occurrence of samian types are then examined, while in the final components several areas of special interest are explored. The concluding sections emphasize the main findings and outline the prospects for future work; the manner in which samian information is published in reports is also considered
Some Samian Mould Fragments
No full textThe following fragments of samian moulds, together with another one already published, belonged formerly to the Oswald Collection and were presumably found by Plicque at Lezoux; all, except nos. 10–12, are now kept in the teaching collections of the Institute of Archaeology, University of London.</jats:p
The Mainz internet database of Names on Terra Sigillata (samian ware), Portugal and Spain and the collaborative samian research network
No full textThe digital research resource 'Samian Research' offers access to a quarter of a million recorded Samian (Terra Sigillata) stamps
found within the Roman Empire and its barbarian borderlands. It comprises the main corpora 'Names on Terra Sigillata', 'Corpus
Vasorum Arretinorum' and 'Gestempelte Südgallische Reliefsigillata' and thousands of new finds from various sites added after
the printed publication of these books. The resource also offers tools for data exploration, generating dating curves for find-sites,
weighted distribution maps and statistical tools to analyse the internal structures of Samian potteries.O recurso de pesquisa digital “Samian Research” oferece acesso a um quarto de milhão de marcas de terra sigillata (“Samian”)
registadas e encontradas no Império Romano e nas suas fronteiras “bárbaras”. Compreende os principais corpora “Names on
Terra Sigillata”, “Corpus Vasorum Arretinorum” e “Gestempelte Südgallische Reliefsigillata” e milhares de novas descobertas
de vários sítios, adicionadas após a publicação impressa desses livros. O recurso também oferece ferramentas para exploração
de dados, gerando curvas de datação para locais de consumo, mapas de distribuição ponderada e ferramentas estatísticas para
analisar as estruturas internas das olarias de terra sigillata.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Ceramic spindle whorl made from Samian ware
No full textSpindle whorl, made from base of Samian ware low pedestal bowl; diam. 4.5cm. Badly chipped.? from Saxon grave? Check
Samian Pottery, a Resource for the Study of Roman Britain and Beyond: the results of the English Heritage funded Samian Project. An e-monograph
No full textSamian pottery (terra sigillata) is one of the best-quality data sources available for research in the Roman period. Its wide distribution, standardised typology and comparatively close dating combine to make this artefact class particularly amenable to analytical approaches. Examination of its archaeological occurrence reveals dimensions of patterning that provide a unique and exciting window upon the character of society and cultural practice during the Roman era.
Earlier phases of the project conducted in the late 1990s, funded by English Heritage, included a pilot survey which had verified the reliability and utility of the project methodologies, and a research synthesis which brought new light to bear on this familiar material type of the Roman era. The findings arising from these stages have been published previously (Willis 1997; 1998). The results of this project, as presented here, demonstrate how study of this material resource can contribute, and in a number of areas transform, our knowledge of the period.
The project has had a strong synthesising and analytical imperative, with the intention of bringing together existing knowledge of samian to ensure fuller use of this valuable asset. The potential has hitherto been somewhat 'hidden', being compartmentalised within site reports and other publications, there having been only limited opportunities in the past for the distillation of the archaeology of samian beyond dating. (Samian is a key indicator of chronology in the early and mid Roman period in North-West Europe and will remain so. A developing archaeological awareness of the era, however, will be strongly enhanced through examination of other facets of samian data). Samian distribution and group composition is here shown to be a source of valuable information, which may be effectively harnessed to shed light upon a series of aspects of Roman Britain, with resonance beyond the province of Britannia.
Project aims and results
This study was directed towards making the best use of samian evidence as a key resource for exploring a range of questions in Roman archaeology. The study collates a large body of data and applies hitherto under-utilised methods in an endeavour to extract archaeological information from this material, particularly in the key areas of dating, the social distribution of samian and cultural practice. One avenue in respect of dating has been to explore the extent to which trends in the composition of groups of samian, in terms of forms present, may be used as a guide towards establishing the date of a group without having to depend heavily upon the dating of stamps and diagnostic decorated sherds, which may be comparatively rare. It is intended that the resulting guide, presented here, proves to be an accessible and straightforward tool for the non-specialist user.
The project, moreover, aimed to move beyond the essential role of samian in providing 'dates', to exploit its evident high potential for elucidating aspects of cultural and economic life during the Roman era. Findings from analyses undertaken in a series of such areas are published here. The research, indeed, sheds light on a wide variety of aspects of Roman Britain. The nature, for instance, of samian supply to Britain is examined.
It was intended that the project dataset would provide a flexible tool which readers themselves were able to access so that they may pursue their own questions (view database online), and/or with which they may compare their own samian groups, by reference to a corpus of data collected from a range of sites across Britain covering all appropriate periods (go to the ADS archive to download spreadsheets).
In one highly significant finding, the collected data demonstrate how the character of site samian assemblages is strongly related to site type, status, function, exchange connections and identity. Previous work for the project has indicated that the incidence of samian is often patterned. The present study further defines the extent to which there are 'normal patterns' (or parameters) of samian occurrence by time, region and site type. A framework guide to the 'normal patterns' identified by the project and with which specific site assemblages and stratified groups can be compared is presented as a summary in section 13.1.2 of the article.
While focusing on samian, the project has aimed to locate samian within its broader context. Hence project objectives and discussion of findings are integrated with the present general research aims in the study of the Roman era in western Europe. Throughout the study it was intended that the work be directed and relevant to themes in the archaeological investigation of the period, rather than be just specific to samian studies: this is appropriate since samian is part of a wider nuanced record of life in Roman Britain. Samian is here considered in a wide range of fields; it is striking how richly patterned and illuminating this evidence proves to be
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