Number of Groups forming the Sample:

• Military sites - 16 samples
• Extra-mural occupation at military sites - 6 samples
• Major civil sites - 37 samples
• Smaller centres - 31 samples
• Religious / ritual sites - 6 samples
• Industrial sites - 1 sample
• Rural sites - 39 samples
• Other sites - 1 sample

Total 137

Key to Context Type abbreviations:
C, constructional contexts; CF, cemetery related features; D, ditch fill contexts; DG, mainly ditches and gullies; E, enclosure ditch fill contexts; F, floors; G, gully/ies; L, layer; LD, levelling and/or demolition; MD, mainly ditch fill contexts; MM, midden or midden like deposit; MU, make-up layers; O, oven; P, pit/s; PG, penannular gully fills; PH, post holes, including post holes relating to buildings/structures; Q, fill of quarry pit/s; R, road surfaces and silts; S, slot/s; SD, fill of shallow depression; SL, silt layer/s; ST, fill/s of stream channel; V, various; VI, various industrial; VS, various settlement deposits; W, well/wells.

For references see Table 25


Notes:
DNA (under Sample Size) denotes that Data was Not Available.

i. Identifiably residual sherds (that is items belonging to a vessel first represented in an earlier period) were excluded from the calculations relating to these groups by the reporter (Taylor 1991, 369).

ii. The sequences and pottery from the 1974 and 1977 excavations could not be reliably divided into anything other than temporally broad phases. The figures here are those for each of the areas as a whole, though in the case of the 1974 area only data for the 'second phase' of activity in the Roman period is available. There is evidently a very modest amount of fourth century pottery amongst the sample from 1977 but the excavator notes (Hinchliffe with Sparey Green 1985, 181) that occupation had essentially ceased in this vicinity from c. AD 300. There is proportionally more fourth century pottery amongst the 1974 sample, relating to some activity in this vicinity (west of the 1977 area) at this time, though the assemblage as a whole is mainly of earlier date. The majority of the samian from the 1974 area was East Gaulish; c. 38% of the samian recovered from the 1977 area was East Gaulish. The percentage levels of samian amongst the two samples documented above are comparatively high despite the fact that the date-range of the groups extends into the period when samian was becoming a much rarer import to Britain.

iii. See Pollard 1994, Table 8 Part II.

iv. See Pollard 1994, Table 8 Part II.

v. Late group with apparently high residual content of samian, included here for comparative purposes.

vi. May include a re-deposited element.

Information upon some of the Groups appearing in this Table:

• Birdlip Quarry. The site lies adjacent to Ermin St, but the settlement is of rural character (as with the Tort Hill sites, Cambridgeshire), rather than being a 'Roadside Settlement' (cf. Mudd et al. 1999, 238-9); structures are successive roundhouses, finding parallel at, perhaps, Brockworth (cf. Rawes 1981), also in Gloucestershire.
  
  
  
• Carlisle, Castle St 1981-2. The area investigated lay within the annexe attached to the Annetwell Street fort. Period 3: 3 timber buildings together with 'external' areas were investigated; one building had 4 rooms or compartments, of which one room seemed to the excavator to have been assigned to food preparation but later became a stable. The other 2 buildings seemed similar in nature; later in Period 3 they were sealed by a layer of silts and pebbles. In Period 4 part of a timber building was explored, plus external areas. Structures interpreted as animal pens and fences were recorded. Most of the finds came from pits and the building and included military items. Then the area was covered in organic matter - from byres or stables.

  Period 5 is manifest in a layer of highly organic matter with much pottery (including Flavian to Trajanic samian (predominantly South Gaulish ware)) but this was a short lived period, prior to 6. During Period 6A two major timber buildings were constructed and parts were examined within the excavated area; the more substantial of the buildings (806) may have had a function including grain drying and storage for part of its life. The other building appears to have included an animal bedding and feedstuff storage function. Period 6B relates to destruction deposits. During the later second century, in Period 8, there was a change in the character of the remains leading to the suggestion that the area had probably become one of civilian occupation (McCarthy 1991, 334); in Period 8A parts of three timber buildings were examined (one overlying another) plus a fence-line representing a probable property boundary. Period 8B was defined by extensive soily deposits sealing one of the Period 8A buildings. In Period 9 two buildings were identified with stone walls; their layout and that of the open spaces and probable property boundary continues the pattern of Period 8. The finds assemblages are thought to be domestic rather than military and it is suggested by McCarthy (1991, 334) that the buildings may be houses. Dating is somewhat uncertain but is assisted by coins; it is noted that the deposits are ascribed a date c. AD 190-250 but the pottery is said to be largely of Antonine association, probably because a proportion of it relates to make-up deposits.

• Chells, Boxfield Farm, Well CAB, fills 6-13. This pottery Group is thought to be a structured deposit (c. 26 complete, almost complete or semi complete samian and non-samian vessels were excavated or reconstructable).
  
  
  
• Coggeshall, St Peter's School, 1984, Phase 4.1. Two aspects of this Group are particularly relevant. Firstly, the features represented are ditches of a trackway and associated gullies, interpreted as land organization features on the edge of the Roman settlement, with no contemporary structures identified within the excavated area. Secondly, sherds from 5 near complete vessels account for some 55% of this group by weight, their strong representation having the effect of depressing the representation of samian.
  
  
  
• Coggeshall, The Lawns. This group is of small size (1.6kg) but, significantly, is associated with a building (or buildings) probably lying within its own compound, adjacent to Stane Street, which may be a mansio or villa (Isserlin 1995). South Spanish amphora sherds (Dressel 20) occur in this phase, as does a sherd from an Italian wine amphora (Martin 1995).
  
  
  
• Dorchester, County Hall, 1988, Colliton Park area. This site lies in the NW quarter of Durnovaria. The proportion of samian is comparatively low but this is perhaps explicable given the liminal / suburban margin nature of this area of the town during this period. During period 2a features consisted of ditches interpreted in the publication as field boundaries; during Period 2b a street was laid across the area but no evidence for buildings was encountered in the excavated area; several pits occurred including quarry pits and potential cess pits (Smith 1993, 16). The group is dominated by Black Burnished ware.
  
  
  
• Droitwich, Upwich, 1983-4, Phase 2. These figures exclude briquetage.
  
  
  
• Duntisbourne Grove. Ditches 8 and 114 are separate sides of a large enclosure ditch; Ditch 9 is a ditch of smaller scale at a right angle to 8. No stratigraphic relationship between 8 and 9 could be established, though there is a difference in their pottery fills, leading to slightly different dating. The large enclosure was overlain by Ermin St. The enclosure would seem to have been occupied during the late Iron Age / mid first century AD. No evidence for structures was recorded.
  
  
  
• Heybridge, Elms Farm.
  The Ceramic Phase 4 Key Groups sample here excludes data from Feature 20008, which appears to include a structured element. Well 6280, fill 16083: the pottery is thought to include a structured deposit, and this Group is included in the Table as a separate entry.
  
  CP 4 Key Groups: 9213, 9218, 24013
  CP 5 Key Groups: 5147, 6201, 15773
  CP 6 Key Groups: 7118, 9029, 10159
  CP 7 Pool Groups: 4458, 17038
  CP 8 Key Groups: 6182, 10062, 16088
  
  
  
• Kelvedon, Star and Fleece Hotel, Quarry F1042. The site lies on the eastern side of the Roman centre, beyond the main core as known. The Star and Fleece site sits adjacent to the Roman Road from London to Colchester. The quarry may have been dug for road making.
  
  
  
• London, Sugar Loaf Court. Note that this group comes from the vicinity of an early kiln and includes a high proportion of Sugar Loaf Court Ware which must distort the pottery data to some degree (cf. Chadburn and Tyers 1984, 23).
  
  
  
• Middle Duntisbourne. Ditch 4 is part of a partially examined enclosure complex. "On the basis of the quantity and variety of finds recovered, it appears reasonable to regard this as a settlement, although there were no features within the enclosed area and there was no identifiable focus of occupation" (Mudd et al. 1999, 86). The site also yielded a sherd of Arretine, unstratified, not part of Ditch Group 4.
  
  
  
• Oakridge. This is a rural enclosure settlement.
  
  
  
• Salford Priors, Area C1 Phases 2-4. The site develops from a farmstead/s type complex in the early Roman period. A substantial circular structure defined by post holes was present in C1 during the second century AD, being replaced by a villa in the later Roman period (3rd century; cf. the adjacent area C2; Palmer 1999).
  
  
  
• Shepton Mallet, Fosse Lane, 1990.Period 2, Building X: A stone founded building, possibly an aisled hall with an apsidal southern end; function not certain, may have been 'ancillary'. This building produced a high proportion of tablewares generally (eg. tankards, etc.) rather than kitchen wares.

  Period 2, Building VII: The sample relates to deposits from in and around a well preserved stone founded building, probably destroyed by fire, possibly including a kitchen, store and 'living' room.

  Period 3, Building IX: There is a high 'residual' component to this Group including the samian ware; all the samian is SG or CG. The Group is included here for comparative purposes. The deposits forming this sample are associated with a composite stone founded building, possibly multi-functional. This was the only building from which painted wall-plaster came; 'household items' recovered; seen as successor to Building X.

• Strensham. Recorded activity spans the Late Iron Age and Roman periods. It is uncertain whether the site was a single farmstead or comprised a cluster of farms representing a 'hamlet'. Phase 3 comprised boundary ditches and an evident post-built building.
  
  
  
• Wantage, Mill St, 1993-4, Phase 1. Features represented are ditches interpreted as functioning as land divisions associated with agricultural production. Occupation is presumed to occur nearby, but was not directly identified within the trench.
  
  
  
• Weeting. The building is interpreted in the report as a barn.

For figures including amphorae see Table 26.