On the Edge of Empire: Society in the south-west of England during the first century BC to fifth century AD

This volume explores the relationship between people and material culture in the south-west peninsula from the first century BC to the fifth century AD. This area has often been ignored in the narratives of Britannia and the application of traditional theoretical models to the archaeology of the region has perpetuated the idea that it was largely ‘un-Romanised’. In recent years new theoretical concepts have been developed which recognise that interactions in the provinces were far more complex than the simplistic dichotomy of Roman versus Native. More emphasis is also being placed on artefacts and their use in the creation of identity. This work builds on this and explores the relationship between material culture and the creation of identity. This is achieved through the analysis of the ceramics, personal adornment items and coins found in the region, gathered from excavation reports and from data recorded through the Portable Antiquities Scheme. The analysis sheds new light on the role these objects played in the renegotiation of identity that resulted from the Roman conquest.