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3.2. Period 2, c. 15 BC - AD 20

Assemblage composition (see Tables 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 & 12)

This period was characterised by widespread morphological change culminating in the creation of a nucleated and zoned settlement (Atkinson 2002). Such alterations in the layout of the settlement were accompanied by significant change in ceramic consumption. Proportions of drinking vessels increased to their highest levels at the site (at over 20%), whereas that of dining vessels more than tripled to 17%, with these increases matched by a corresponding decrease in jar forms (down by nearly 20%). The largest increases were in butt-beakers, platters (both local and Gallo-Belgic) and wine amphorae, with this phase alone accounting for over 80% of the wine amphorae present in the seven phases of pottery analysed in this paper. The diversity of individual vessel types, particularly in imported fabrics, is unique in all the ceramic phases investigated at the site, with the range of imports comprising beakers, butt-beakers, cups, flagons, girth beakers, jars, platters and tazza-bowls in Gallo-Belgic fabrics, imported mortaria, Pompeian red-ware platters, arretine samian platters, and wine and salazones amphorae. This phenomenon was only paralleled elsewhere at Braughing (Partridge 1981; Potter and Trow 1988), in a survey of the Essex-Hertfordshire region (Pitts 2005c). All but one of the 19 stratified groups were from pit fills. Jar forms were again dominant in most features, although proportions of drinking vessels and table wares were generally much higher than in the previous phase.

Correspondence analysis: excavated area (see Figures 3a and 3b)

CA of pottery deposition by excavated area revealed that the latter appeared to be largely grouped according to the functional zoning of the settlement. Areas in the southern zone (K, N, M and P) in addition to area D corresponded to the bulk of imported pottery, which could be described by drawing an arc from the bottom-left corner of the CA plot to the middle of the top pair of quadrants. In contrast, areas in the northern zone (E, F and G) tended to correspond with locally produced forms (e.g. flask-jars, platters and dishes), with the exception of the lone occurrence of samian platters in area F. This patterning confirms the continuation of the south-east corner of the settlement as a centre for the deposition of high-status consumption technology, with a secondary concentration in the north-west corner of the site (area D).

Correspondence analysis: assemblage/feature (see Figures 10a and 10b)

Several assemblage clusters of note were apparent from CA by excavated feature. The first two clusters, being composed entirely of pits from the southern zone, corresponded to a series of pottery vessels, mostly imported, in the lower-half of the CA plot. Of these, the cluster in the lower-left corner can be seen to be dominated by the contents of pit 15417, noted for its large content of wine amphorae (Pitts 2004; Atkinson and Preston 1998, 93-4), in addition to rarer imports including imported mortaria and Pompeian red ware platters. The second cluster, closer to the plot centre, mainly corresponded to various imported Gallo-Belgic forms (platters, butt-beakers and tazza bowls) and their locally produced copies (butt-beakers and tazze). The features in both clusters contained high proportions of consumption technology (i.e. drinking and dining vessels); upon further investigation it was apparent that the lower cluster of assemblages tended to have higher proportions of dining vessels, and the more central cluster tended to have higher proportions of drinking vessels. Again, such patterning reinforces the notion that the southern zone of the settlement was where high-status consumption technology was deposited, possibly even the remains of feasting.

The other cluster of note concerns three pit assemblages (10288, 8282 and 7060) from the northern zone on the right-hand side of the CA plot, corresponding to locally produced flask-jars, platters and dishes, in addition to imported salazones amphorae. The similarity of these features, all from different parts of the northern zone, suggests a basic level of conformity in this part of the site, especially in contrast to the more spectacular assemblages from the southern zone. As features 8282 and 7060 both contained moderate to high proportions of dining vessels (40% and 19% respectively) along with the presence of salazones amphorae fragments (once probably containing fish sauce), it is possible that this area of the site was the location for consumption practices centred around eating rather than drinking. Nevertheless, this association is just as likely to be coincidental and is much less compelling than the evidence for the deposition of drinking equipment taking place in the southern zone. Beyond the main clusters identified, the other patterning from CA was mainly confined to the correspondence of rarer imported vessel types with assemblages from the southern zone, in the top-left quadrant of the CA plot.

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