Roman burial practices

The graveyards explored here contain early 2nd cent. cremation burials, mostly with scattered ashes (Brandschüttunsgräber) coexsisting with  3-4th cent. stone  and tile cists (Steinplatten/Ziegelplattengräber). It could be observed that cremation and inhumation co-ocurred in the same grave-pit in some cases. It can be assumed therefore that  in case of later burial (Nachbestattung)  change in funerary practice within one community or even family took place fairly rapidly.

Reporting two radiocarbon C14 dates on the supposedly late Roman cemetery at Bradley Hill. The dates show that the cemetery continued in use into the fifth and sixth centuries AD

Gerrard, J. 2010 New radiocarbon dates from the cemetery at Bradley Hill, Somerton. Somerset  Archaeology and Natural History 154, 189-192

La intervención arqueológica realizada en el yacimiento romano de “La Mata I” (Aznalcázar, Sevilla) ha puesto al descubierto los restos de la pars rustica de una villa romana y una serie de enterramientos tardorromanos aislados.

The archaeological intervention carried out in the Roman site named “La Mata I” (Aznalcázar, Sevilla) exposes to view the remains of the pars rustica of a Roman villa and several isolated interments dating from late Roman period.

In Haltern am See, an Augustan necropolis, which is without precedent regarding its dating and architectural unity, had been discovered during the years 1982 to 2008. For historical reasons, the construction of the tombs could only have taken place in the short period from approximately 7 to 5 BC until no later than 16 AD. Up to the present day, no other such chronologically defined Augustan cemeteries have become known from the territory of the Empire. The systematic recording of the finds and data, carried out by the department of Classical Archaeology at the University of Trier in cooperation with the LWL-Archaology for Westphalia and supported by the DFG (German Research Foundation), provided results which were not expected when submitting the project proposal. The most important discoveries shall be presented here. The burials and tombs of Haltern follow the tradition of the graves and tombs known from Italic roads of tombs. The Roman tombs in Haltern are part of a characteristic Italic burial culture in the midst of a completely foreign cultural region. A maximum of only 23 years had been dedicated to the construction of the necropolis and the space for the individual tombs was not limited. Nevertheless, it must be stated that we can distinguish between at least three, if not four, different time periods for the construction of the individual graves. The intentional destruction of tombs and superstructures of individual tomb installations is an indication for this. It will probably only be possible to attribute these findings to historical reasons which are related to the Augustan German Wars. Numerous finds of used weapons and weapon parts which had been found in the excavation area and which did not originate from the tombs seem to prove it. The examination of all the cremation remains shows that this necropolis was indeed not exclusively a military cemetery, but women and children, i.e. civilian individuals, had also been buried here. The burial objects of the individual funerals are not as significant as to be able to suggest the gender of the entombed corpse. However, it seems to be the case that remains of Roman dining sofas (klinai) are only found in masculine tombs. In total, approximately 30 different types of couches can be identified from the find material, out of which about 15 sofas can be assigned to individual burials. These dining sofas are pieces of the everyday used furniture on which the dead were burned. This custom could be observed above all in central Italy and in the southern Gaul during the Augustan time. The space that was needed for such a piece of furniture was so large that this exceeded the possibilities of a " simple " legionary by far. Thus, it is likely that the owners might have belonged to the better-off category of Romans in Haltern. These results require further considerations about the real role and meaning of the Roman sites in Haltern in conjunction with Augustus' German Wars. The relicts of the aforementioned couches are bone carvings with burn marks of a greater or lesser degree. Mostly, only a few pieces of these could be rescued from the burials. Yet, from one of the graves much more than 60 % of the bone carvings were retrieved. In order to obtain a clear impression of the furniture item of Haltern, the LWL-Archeology for Westphalia in cooperation with the University of Trier, department of Classical Archaeology, decided to

The late Antique mosaic of Orpheus decorated a small room, approximately 18 m2 in area, connected with two even smaller ones, in 4 m2 and the other 2 m2 in area, belonging most likely to a small funerary chapel (or tomb) discovered in the ancient necropolis by the Damascene Gate in Jerusalem; it was discovered in 1901 by H. Vincent.
The author proposes a new interpretation of the iconographic program of the Orpheus myth used by wealthy Christians in a sepulchral context (see Olszewski M.T. «Orphée endeuillé de la mosaïque funéraire de Jérusalem», in Rey Mimoso-Ruiz, B. ed., Actes du colloque «Orphée entre Soleil et ombre», à l’Institut Catholique de Toulouse du 16 au 17 novembre 2007, Inter Lignes, numéros spécial – mars 2008, pp. 205-214, 226). He also proposes a new interpretation of the role Orpheus played in Roman funerary art, concentrating on the importance of the play on words and the visual and textual punning that was popular in ancient art and especially in funerary art. He rejects the popular interpretation of Orpheus as Christ in the Roman catacombs and proposes to interpret the image as that of Orpheus, bard of the departed souls, without any ahistorical connection with Christ. The program of the mosaic from Jerusalem is thus explained as a play on the words Orpheus-orphanos and Chiron (Chi-Rho) and Pan [Παν(τοκράτωρ)].The frequently used Christian funerary formula of resting in peace, Christ or the Lord corresponds
perfectly with the mood created around the mythical bard.
Orpheus’ universal role as singer and musician moving even the most stony of hearts, extolling the beloved departed, is absolutely justified in the context of a 6th-century Christian tomb. Orpheus is a popular and neutral figure, meaning that in effect it does not constitute a threat to Christian theology and can be tolerated by the educated Christians of Jerusalem.

The late Antique mosaic of Orpheus decorated a small room, approximately 18 m2 in area, connected with two even smaller ones, in 4 m2 and the other 2 m2 in area, belonging most likely to a small funerary chapel (or tomb) discovered in the ancient necropolis by the Damascene Gate in Jerusalem; it was discovered in 1901 by H. Vincent.
The author proposes a new interpretation of the iconographic program of the Orpheus myth used by wealthy Christians in a sepulchral context (see Olszewski M.T. «Orphée endeuillé de la mosaïque funéraire de Jérusalem», in Rey Mimoso-Ruiz, B. ed., Actes du colloque «Orphée entre Soleil et ombre», à l’Institut Catholique de Toulouse du 16 au 17 novembre 2007, Inter Lignes, numéros spécial – mars 2008, pp. 205-214, 226). He also proposes a new interpretation of the role Orpheus played in Roman funerary art, concentrating on the importance of the play on words and the visual and textual punning that was popular in ancient art and especially in funerary art. He rejects the popular interpretation of Orpheus as Christ in the Roman catacombs and proposes to interpret the image as that of Orpheus, bard of the departed souls, without any ahistorical connection with Christ. The program of the mosaic from Jerusalem is thus explained as a play on the words Orpheus-orphanos and Chiron (Chi-Rho) and Pan [Παν(τοκράτωρ)].The frequently used Christian funerary formula of resting in peace, Christ or the Lord corresponds
perfectly with the mood created around the mythical bard.
Orpheus’ universal role as singer and musician moving even the most stony of hearts, extolling the beloved departed, is absolutely justified in the context of a 6th-century Christian tomb. Orpheus is a popular and neutral figure, meaning that in effect it does not constitute a threat to Christian theology and can be tolerated by the educated Christians of Jerusalem.

The late Antique mosaic of Orpheus decorated a small room, approximately 18 m2 in area, connected with two even smaller ones, in 4 m2 and the other 2 m2 in area, belonging most likely to a small funerary chapel (or tomb) discovered in the ancient necropolis by the Damascene Gate in Jerusalem; it was discovered in 1901 by H. Vincent.
The author proposes a new interpretation of the iconographic program of the Orpheus myth used by wealthy Christians in a sepulchral context (see Olszewski M.T. «Orphée endeuillé de la mosaïque funéraire de Jérusalem», in Rey Mimoso-Ruiz, B. ed., Actes du colloque «Orphée entre Soleil et ombre», à l’Institut Catholique de Toulouse du 16 au 17 novembre 2007, Inter Lignes, numéros spécial – mars 2008, pp. 205-214, 226). He also proposes a new interpretation of the role Orpheus played in Roman funerary art, concentrating on the importance of the play on words and the visual and textual punning that was popular in ancient art and especially in funerary art. He rejects the popular interpretation of Orpheus as Christ in the Roman catacombs and proposes to interpret the image as that of Orpheus, bard of the departed souls, without any ahistorical connection with Christ. The program of the mosaic from Jerusalem is thus explained as a play on the words Orpheus-orphanos and Chiron (Chi-Rho) and Pan [Παν(τοκράτωρ)].The frequently used Christian funerary formula of resting in peace, Christ or the Lord corresponds
perfectly with the mood created around the mythical bard.
Orpheus’ universal role as singer and musician moving even the most stony of hearts, extolling the beloved departed, is absolutely justified in the context of a 6th-century Christian tomb. Orpheus is a popular and neutral figure, meaning that in effect it does not constitute a threat to Christian theology and can be tolerated by the educated Christians of Jerusalem.

The largest city necropolis of Naissus in the period of Late Antiquity was formed east of the fortress, along the road to Ratiaria. Since it is located in today’s city quarter of Jagodin Mala, it became known by that name in the literature. In Late Antiquity, this area had been used intensively for burials, from the end of the 4th century to the 6th or beginning of the 7th century.

During the systematic exploration of this area, five church edifices, a crypt (martyrium?), over 65 brick lined tombs, a large number of brick lined graves and around 300 graves of the deceased, interred in the ground, have been identified. Between the tombs and in the free spaces, the deceased were buried in simple grave holes or in wooden coffins. The area has revealed different types of sepulchral structures, building methods, and materials that were used, as well as the funeral practices of the inhabitants of Naissus in Late Antiquity, during Early Christianity. The wealth of grave goods and inventory suggests that the population lived in a time of social and economic prosperity.

http://www.archaeopress.com/ArchaeopressShop/Public/displayProductDetail.asp?id=%7B47A8A171-54DB-42B0-B3C4-571C33AB688E%7D

Cette étude vise à donner une présentation des pratiques funéraires romaines en Pannonie durant le Haut-Empire. Parmi les différentes approches pour l’étude des cimetières romains, ce travail porte sur le traitement des tombes et leur mobilier. Les pratiques funéraires sont ainsi appréhendées à travers l'étude de la structure des tombeaux, la sélection et le traitement des mobiliers funéraires et des restes humains. L'objectif principal est de proposer une synthèse des découvertes publiées pouvant servir de base aux recherches à venir. L’analyse consiste en une revue documentaire (présentée dans le catalogue et détaillée au sein des tableaux) aussi complète que possible des données publiées, accompagnée d’une analyse détaillée des informations aujourd’hui disponibles, afin de mettre en évidence les tendances concernant toute la province, mais aussi les particularités régionales et locales. L'analyse est accompagnée par de nombreux graphiques et des cartes. Bien sûr, des tendances générales, communes aux provinces occidentales de l'Empire romain, ont pu être détectées, mais également de nombreuses particularités liées à la situation économique et sociale des communautés, aux différents groupes de population en Pannonie et à l'histoire politique et militaire de la province.

1969-ben a szőnyi magtár mögötti területen aszfaltozási munkálatokat végeztek, mely során 111 temetkezést találtak. Ezek közül 98 római, 13 bronzkori sír volt. Ezen mesterszakos szakdolgozat az ekkor feltárt római korú sírokkal foglalkozik. A temetőrészlet a brigetioi canabae nyugati temetőjéhez tartozott, egy egységet alkotott a korábban feltárt Sörházkerti és a Járóka temetővel. A sírok a II. század elejétől a III. század közepéig keltezhetőek.

Праматаров, К. 2018: Извънградски некрополи в провинция Тракия (Ι-ΙΙΙ в.). Автореферат на дисертация за присъждане на образователна и научна степен "доктор". София 2018, 1-64.

Научен ръководител: доц. д-р Румяна Георгиева
Рецензенти: проф. д.и.н. Людмил Гетов
доц. д-р Гергана Кабакчиева

Excavations carried out around the Trier Roman amphitheatre in 1996 - 1999 revealed new aspects about the history of the monument itself and of Trier's late Roman city wall and the Ruwer aquaeduct. Of particular interest is a so far unknown burial ground of the 3rd - 4th centuries CE, containing mutilated burials - victims of executions in the arena ? A re-examination of evidence collected sind 1816 shows that the present structure of the arena was erected aorund 200 A.D and enlarged  considerably when Trier became an Imperial residence under Diocletian.

The small Romano-Gallic cemetery ›Auf der Höll‹ in Kalt (Mayen-Koblenz County, Rhineland-Palatinate), excavated in 1926, gives an insight into the burial customs of the rural Maifeld population. Due to its loess deposits, this region in the southeast of the Eifel was mostlikely used as a breadbasket for the military as well as bigger civilian settlements. Eleven cremation burials, dating from the mid-first to the last third of the second century A.D., represent a local community, probably a family, of a nearby but yet still undiscovered villa rustica. The burial rites and the spectrum of grave goods correspond to those from other rural cemeteries of the Civitas Treverorum. Therefore, the opulence of the grave goods can be traced back to local Gallic burial customs. The absence of typical Roman grave goods, such as lamps, unguent
flasks and coins (except for grave no. 10) points to a group of indigenous people. However, a certain degree of Romanisation can be recognised in the two busta, the use of Roman glass, pottery and finally the decrease of grave goods in some of the mid-second century burials.
Glass vessels and rich services of tableware are signs of the group’s relative prosperity. In those times of prosperity an ending of settlement activities was unlikely. Possibly a change of the villa’s owner or tenant could have prompted the abandonment of the burial site.

Der Überblick zur Vorgeschichte und Römerzeit Westhofens (Landkreis Alzey-Worms) beinhaltet bisher unveröffentlichte Funde und Beobachtungen. Unter den wahrscheinlich jungsteinzeitlichen Lesefunden sticht – neben dem bekannten großen Jadeitbeil – eine bisher unpublizierte Kaurimuschel hervor. Ihr Vorkommen an einem neolithischen Fundplatz ist in Mitteleuropa einzigartig. Bezug genommen wird auf die jüngeren Forschungen zu dem Fragment einer attischen Schale, dessen Fundort weitab der bekannten keltischen Zentralorte ungewöhnlich erscheint. Unveröffentlichte Luftbilder, geophysikalische Messungen und klassische Begehungen geben einen Überblick über das Methodenspektrum der archäologischen Prospektion am Fallbeispiel Westhofens. Das ländliche Siedlungsbild der römischen Kaiserzeit wurde hierdurch auf lokaler Ebene deutlich verdichtet und bezüglich des 1. Jahrhunderts im südöstlichen Rheinhessen versiebenfacht. Anhand von bisher unveröffentlichten Funden kann eine Besiedlungskontinuität von vier ländlichen Siedlungsstellen Westhofens vom 1. Jahrhundert bis in die Spätantike bewiesen werden. Bisher war dies für nur zwei Villenstellen in ganz Rheinhessen bekannt, was eine intensivere Befassung mit den Funden römischer Villen aus der Region als lohnend erscheinen lässt. In Deutschland sonst selten sind Hinweise auf eine antike Amphorentöpferei und eine römische Mühle. Die beiden Kapitel der Ortschronik ersetzen keine umfassende siedlungsarchäologische Fundvorlage und -Auswertung. Es soll jedoch an einem Fallbeispiel aufgezeigt werden, dass durch eine Befassung mit dem archäologischen Kulturerbe eines Ortes umfangreiche neue Erkenntnisse zu einer Kulturlandschaft gewonnen werden, die über die lokale Ebene hinausweisen.

The paper considers burials that contained mirrors in two Roman period necropolises from the province of Moesia Superior – Viminacium and Demessus. Using the qualitative and quantitative analysis and comparisons of grave assemblages I address the issue of the roles mirrors had played within the provincial social setting. By examining the archaeological contexts of mirrors in burials I question if the widespread supposition about connection between mirrors and specific gender and age is as obvious and straightforward as generally held. Although the literary, visual and archaeological evidence from Rome and Italy suggests that mirrors were the prominent piece of the female beauty kit (mundus muliebris), the discussed case studies do not completely conform to the presumed rule. This raises several important questions that I tackle in the paper: how and to what extent the idea of mirrors as a device for feminine beauty had spread in the province of Moesia; was the bond of mirrors and certain age cohorts of females indeed so clear-cut; did the graves containing mirrors exclusively belonged to young unmarried or newly married females; could we speak of general social and gender class of “women” or such categorisation actually misses very important nuances of identity and oversimplifies the picture; were there other social and gender categories associated and buried with mirrors.

During excavations in the cemetery of the town of
Noviomagus in Nijmegen-west archaeologists of
the Radboud University of Nijmegen discovered the
remains of a series of monumental burial complexes
comprising walled enclosures and funerary monuments,
and associated rich burials dating from the
end of the 1st century AD.
The aim of this publication is to establish whether
these burials show influences from the Roman world
and have cultural and religious connections with the
Mediterranean, or whether they reflect indigenous
traditions. Closely linked to this are questions concerning
the status and ethnic background of the buried
persons, for which the burial ritual, funerary customs
and grave goods may provide clues.
The high economic and social status of this group and
its cultural and political alliance with Rome and the
imperial family are evident from the monumental
burial complexes and certain grave goods. Many of the
grave goods are quite extraordinary, such as glass urns,
sets of dining and drinking ware, glass vessels, toilet
implements, writing utensils, lamps, a folding chair,
jewellery, amulets of amber and rock crystal, weapons
and pieces of textile adorned with gold thread. Such
grave goods were totally or almost totally absent in the
rest of the cemetery.
Some of the burial traditions practised here tell us that
the people who were buried in these graves were not
Roman by birth. They were most probably Batavians,
and members of the local aristocracy or the municipal
elite of Noviomagus. Some of the men seem to have had
a military background.

Comines [59]
ZA Maurice Schumann « La Gaie Perche »
 GE DU FER, GALLO-ROMAIN, MOYEN  GE, MODERNE et CONTEMPORAIN.
Au préalable de l’aménagement de la Z.A. de « La Gaie Perche » à Comines sur une superficie de 44,5 hectares, le Service Régional de l’Archéologie a prescrit la réalisation de deux diagnostics et d’une évaluation archéologique menées sous la responsabilité de Virginie Thoquenne par l’AFAN, puis l’INRAP au cours des années 2001 et 2003. Ces interventions précèdent l’aménagement, par la Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Lille Métropole (CCILM), du parc d’activité Maurice Schumann localisé en bordure de la voie de contournement sud-ouest de Comines (D945). Ces opérations ont mis en évidence d’une part des structures liées à l’habitat et à l’artisanat de La Tène, de la période gallo-romaine et du Moyen Âge et d’autre part des zones à vocations unéraires d'époques gallo-romaines. Les résultats ont motivé la prescription par le Service Régional de l’Archéologie d’une fouille préventive sur sept parcelles regroupées en trois zones : centrale, méridionale et septentrionale, sur une emprise de 3,3 hectares.
L’opération a été menée par la société Archéopole à partir de fin septembre 2007 et s'est poursuivie jusqu'en mars 2008. Cette fouille est située à 20 km au nord de Lille, sur la rive droite de la Lys, affluent de l’Escaut. Elle a livré les premières découvertes Laténiennes, romaines et médiévales de la partie française de Comines.
L'Âge du Fer
En zone centrale du décapage, un petit secteur a permis de mettre au jour des structures de la transition Hallstatt final-La Tène ancienne, composées d'un ensemble de fosses de stockage et de rejet réemployées après leur abandon. Au sein de leur comblement on a retrouvé des résidus de crémation. Parmi les restes osseux, un  mmature a pu être identifié. Le mobilier céramique est résiduel et semble correspondre
au dépôt primaire du bûcher.
Plus à l'est, entre une palissade et un fossé de parcellaire, se développe un ensemble de huit bâtiments sur quatre, six et douze poteaux datés de La Tène ancienne. Au sein de cet habitat s'organise un ensemble de fosses de rejets et de silos ayant livré une faible quantité de mobilier céramique. Dans la zone septentrionale, deux silos isolés, un ensemble de fosses à vocation artisanale et une seconde zone d'habitat très arasé avec foyer, silos et fosses de rejets, ont livré du mobilier céramique de la même période. Dans la partie méridionale, une structure isolée est datée de ce même horizon céramique. Une série d'analyses au radiocarbone confirme ces datations.
Du début du I er siècle de notre ère à la première moitié du II e siècle
Au début du premier siècle un réseau fossoyé est aménagé dans la zone méridionale. Ce dernier est composé de trois fossés parallèles orientés nord-ouest/sud-est. Il forme un réseau de fossés orthonormés dont un tourne à angle droit vers le sud-ouest laissant entrevoir un enclos périphérique. Ce dernier présente des traces de curage, les deux autres sont rapidement comblés au début de l’époque romaine. L'emprise des
fouilles permet d'observer un enclos dont les dimensions sont supérieures à 144 m de long et 64 m de large. Ces fossés structurant l'espace voient l'installation d’un habitat. Celui-ci est remanié à diverses reprises. Des secteurs spécifiques lui sont associés: une zone de stockage, un secteur artisanal autour de grands foyers et des secteurs à vocation agropastorale. À proximité furent découverts deux bûchers funéraires. Il s’agit de fosses quadrangulaires présentant de nombreuses bûches carbonisées, des esquilles osseuses avec fragments de calotte crânienne, du verre fondu et des  léments de parure en os. La fouille de ces structures funéraires a permis d'identifier plusieurs phases d'utilisations. Jouxtant le premier bûcher fouillé en 2001, une fosse a
livré de nombreuses esquilles et a permis d'identifier un rejet de curage de ce bûcher.
Durant le premier siècle, l'habitat se déplace d'une centaine de mètres au nord-est dans la zone centrale, avec un nouvel aménagement orthonormé de l'espace. Un enclos quadrangulaire et des fossés de partitions structurent l'espace sur un axe sud-ouest/nord-est. Ses dimensions sont de 140 m sur 80 m avec une extension possible vers le sud-est. Celui-ci est fortement perturbé par les installations  édiévales et modernes. À cette époque, le premier réseau de fossés est abandonné, seul  subsiste le fossé périphérique du premier enclos. Un fossé orienté sud-ouest/nord-est a fourni sur un tronçon la majorité du mobilier céramique datant du dernier quart du premier siècle au début du deuxième siècle de notre ère. Il est associé à quelques fosses arasées dont les alignements laissent entrevoir les vestiges d'un grand bâtiment d'habitation. Il semble se rattacher à une zone d’activités rurales dont les rejets sont liés à l'emploi de foyers. Durant cette période le côté sud-ouest du second enclos est curé à maintes reprises dans sa partie sud et prolongé dans sa partie nord. On peut donc y voir une continuité avec la première installation tant dans l'évolution du site que dans les activités. Durant la première partie du IIe siècle, ce secteur est abandonné.
Enfin en zone septentrionale, une autre fosse quadrangulaire a été identifiée comme un bûcher funéraire. Les vestiges osseux collectés sont peu nombreux et ne dépassent pas le demi centimètre, ce qui laisse à penser que le soin apporté à la collecte des os fut minutieux. Le mobilier céramique résiduel permet de l'attribuer à l'époque gallo-romaine.
De la fin du Haut Moyen Âge au début du Bas Moyen Âge
Après un long hiatus, le secteur est de nouveau habité au Moyen Âge. Les structures les plus intéressantes sont localisées dans la zone centrale, à proximité de la rive sud de l’ancien lit du cours d’eau local « La Becques ». Un fossé curviligne en bordure de la voirie de la Z.A. a livré un important lot de céramiques médiévales constitué principalement de pots à cuire globulaires et de poêlons. Ledit fossé pourrait ceinturer un habitat arasé. Un second fossé délimite un espace pouvant être interprété comme une cour. Cette occupation rurale au cœur d'un espace fossoyé est typique des Flandres. A l'extérieur fut mis au jour une dizaine de larges fosses aux creusements et comblements multiples — des fonds de cabanes, des fosses, un puits — contenant des pots globulaires en céramique rugueuse sombre. Ces structures sont à vocation artisanale et de stockage. Elles sont situées à proximité des fossés de drainage fonctionnant avec « La Becques », qui amènent l'eau vers l'intérieur des terres près de la zone d'activité. Aucune structure significative hormis deux fossés n’ont été détectée dans les zones méridionale et septentrionale.
Les périodes moderne et contemporaine
De nombreuses structures modernes se développent sur le site. Un réseau dense de profonds fossés axés nord-ouest/sud-est marque encore le paysage. Plusieurs structures quadrangulaires longues et étroites apparentées à des fonds de cabane ont livré du mobilier moderne. Une tranchée de la Première Guerre Mondiale, avec un aménagement en bois, contenait de nombreuses munitions et une pelle de manufacture allemande. Cependant, ce sont principalement les impacts d’obus et les points d’ancrage des lignes de barbelés qui ont perturbé la lecture du site.

Two excavations were undertaken between West Thurrock and Purfleet in 2002 in advance of construction of High Speed 1 (formerly the Channel Tunnel Rail Link). At High House, ditches, gullies and pits of mainly late prehistoric and early Roman date were concentrated on the higher ground in the western half of the site. The late prehistoric features may represent two phases of settlement-related activity within an overall Middle Bronze Age – Early Iron Age time span. The Late Iron Age and early Roman features were probably also settlement-related and included a small enclosure, a possible trackway and an unusual group of at least 14 inhumation burials and two cremation burials inserted along the entire exposed length of an earlier, prehistoric ditch. At Stone House, the unexpected discovery of building remains during construction work led to an excavation which revealed a large part of a late 13th / early 14th century stone building of some stature and status, as well a sequence of 11th-13th century features probably associated with stock control, and a small number of late prehistoric pits. The considerable amount of documentary evidence shows that, almost certainly from as early as the beginning of the 14th century, Stone House was the manor house of West Thurrock. The building had been extensively robbed and the finds assemblages were relatively poor; but it represents a significant discovery in the county. New Place, later known as High House, was built in the mid-16th century on higher ground to the north-west and subsequently assumed the position of 'manor house’, while Stone House became a tenanted farm. In 1683 Stone House was rebuilt on a more modest scale on an adjacent site, and was used as the parish workhouse for a period of about 20 years at the end of the 18th century, with final demolition coming in the 1920s.

The metalwork assemblage includes an Early LaTène-type brooch and numerous Roman brooches (one with substantial repair) as well as evidence for the ritual/apotropaic use of a nail in a child's burial. The medieval/post-medieval metalwork comprises dress accessories like pins, buckles and hooked tags, as well as a thimble, knives, keys and horse shoes.

Sepolta sotto secoli di accrescimenti e trasformazioni urbane, l’antica Patavium, nota alle fonti come una delle città più fiorenti del Mediterraneo, è oggi una realtà archeologica per gran parte invisibile, dove le memorie del passato sono a stento evocate dai pochi resti in vista che ancora si preservano nell’attuale centro storico. Grazie agli scavi e alle ricerche condotte negli ultimi trent’anni, la fisionomia dell’abitato antico sta tuttavia venendo alla luce, insieme a una conoscenza sempre più approfondita della sua compagine socio-culturale. Facendo seguito ai quadri di sintesi avanzati di recente per le fasi protostoriche, questo volume dedicato alle necropoli vuole essere un primo punto fermo da cui prendere il via per una nuova riconsiderazione della città di età romana e del suo immediato suburbio.
L’analisi sistematica di alcuni tra i maggiori contesti inediti, frutto di recenti indagini d’emergenza dirette dalla Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Veneto, è completata dal riesame di tutti i ritrovamenti precedenti e dalla loro ricollocazione in pianta: viene proposta così una visione d’insieme della realtà funeraria di Patavium, articolata su più livelli di approfondimento. Alla disamina degli aspetti di carattere distributivo e topografico, legati all’organizzazione interna delle necropoli, fa seguito la presentazione delle diverse forme di sepoltura, accompagnata dalla ricostruzione del rituale di volta in volta adottato; ampio spazio è dedicato ai materiali, la cui analisi tipo-cronologica è affiancata da valutazioni di carattere funzionale, connesse al ruolo svolto dai singoli oggetti nell’ambito del cerimoniale. Concludono il lavoro alcune considerazioni basate sulla lettura diacronica dei dati e volte alla ricostruzione delle dinamiche evolutive: particolare attenzione è rivolta agli aspetti topografici, legati all’espandersi e al contrarsi delle necropoli, a quelli del rituale, con individuazione delle principali linee di tendenza, e a quelli economici, delineanti la rete di scambi commerciali in cui la città era inserita.

Buried under centuries of urban stratification, the ancient Patavium, originally known as one of the most flourishing Mediterranean cities, is today, for the main part, invisible, and the greatness of the past is barely evoked by the few archaeological remains still preserved in the present town centre. Thanks to excavations and researches of the last thirty years, the image of the ancient city is however coming to light, together with a more complete knowledge of its social and cultural aspects. Following the reconstructions recently developed on the protohistoric phases, this volume on the cemeteries is now thought as a first step towards the reconsideration of the roman city and its surroundings.
The systematic analysis of some of the most important unpublished contexts, recently discovered with excavations managed by the Veneto Archaeological Heritage Board, is combined with the re-examination of previous finds and their placement on the map. An overview of the funerary evidences of the roman city is thus proposed, organized into several in depth levels: the analysis of topographic aspects and the study of the internal arrangement of burial areas are followed by the discussion of each kind of graves and the reconstruction of funerary rites; a wide space is given to grave goods, with chrono-typological analysis and functional considerations on their role in burial practices. The work is closed by the proposal of some thesis based on the diachronic evaluation of data and aimed to the reconstruction of the evolutions dynamics: a particular attention is devoted to topographic issues, tied to the expansion and contraction of burial areas, to ritual aspects, with enlightenment of main patterns, and finally to economic topics, that picture the trading network in which Padua was included.

In 2004 a large-scale excavation covering some 30 ha was undertaken at the site of Imerys Minerals' Scarcewater tip, St Stephen-in-Brannel. The archaeological investigations focused on three roundhouses and a ploughed-down barrow of Middle Bronze Age date, together with a range of structures and pits, an enclosed Late Bronze Age roundhouse and pits, an Iron Age cairn and Romano-British settlement and funerary activity. The excavations demonstrated shifting settlement and changes to the character of settlement and ceremony over a period spanning the Bronze Age to the Romano-British period (c 1500 cal BC – AD 410). This paper presents a summary of the major findings from the project, namely the Middle and Late Bronze Age settlements, an Iron Age ceremonial site and the Romano-British burials.