Internet Archaeol. 17. Willis. Samian, Religious Sites, Structured Deposition and Ritual

12. Samian, Religious Sites, Structured Deposition and Ritual

12.1 Introduction

Study of samian from formal religious sites and within structured deposits reveals something of the 'social life' of this fine ware and helps to shed light upon attitudes and practice. Samian occurs at shrines and temples, in structured deposits within 'domestic' milieux, in watery environments and in termination deposits (Willis 1998a). Examining these instances can assist in interpreting both contemporary definitions of samian ware and ritual actions involving samian ware, though not infrequently deposits of samian within contexts of this sort are (as with deposits including other contemporary artefacts) enigmatic. In the sections below, various examples of samian from religious sites and from apparent structured deposits are considered. There is reason to believe that samian was not especially important in activities in and around shrines and temples, though, as might be expected, sites show variation. On the other hand, samian appears to have been a regular component of structured deposits away from formal religious foci and is often prominent or distinctive among such deposits.