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3.6. Period 6, c. AD 125 - 170

Assemblage composition (see Tables 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 19 & 20)

The general period assemblage from the mid-2nd century witnessed increases to both drinking and dining vessels, the latter (at nearly 22%) reaching the highest recorded levels at the settlement. Most of the larger groups were from pit deposits, although two stratified groups (pit 7118 in area G and pit 6544 in area H) were, unusually, dominated by dining vessels instead of jar forms. While proportions of individual form classes remained more or less consistent with the previous phase, significant increases in storage jars and samian forms were matched by a corresponding decrease in jars (10%).

Correspondence analysis: excavated area (see Figures 7a and 7b)

The only pattern of note in CA by excavated area was the clustering of areas from the central zone of the settlement (H, I and J), which corresponded to flagons, miscellaneous amphorae and platters (in local and samian fabrics). Whereas the platters occurred in small amounts in the central area, flagons generally occurred in higher quantities than in other areas of the site.

Correspondence analysis: assemblage/feature (Figures 14a and 14b)

In CA by excavated feature, pit 7118 from area G, noted above for its high content of dining vessels (1.1 EVEs of samian dishes, over 60% of the assemblage), was removed as an outlier (Table 24). The main trend in the CA plot was the correspondence in the upper quadrants of assemblages from the central and southern zones of the site with imported material (largely samian forms and amphorae), and the association of three features from the northern zone with predominantly locally made pottery. However, this distinction appears to have been exaggerated by CA, as all the features in question from the northern zone contained some imports, usually samian ware. Nevertheless, the general clustering of vessels towards the plot centre (indicating the common constituents of the 'average' assemblage) would appear to provide some clues about changing consumption practices - dining vessels dominate (especially bowls, dishes and samian dishes) over drinking vessels (only beakers occur in such close proximity), illustrating the opposite situation to that of earlier phases. Such patterning, coupled with the increase in the proportion of imported olive oil amphorae in this period (Table 5) seems associated with a much more widespread assimilation of a Romano-British 'urban' style of consumption (based around dining vessels, samian ware, flagons, mortaria and amphorae). It is perhaps no coincidence that a similar assemblage was noted in contemporary assemblages from the nearby site of Chelmsford (Going 1987; Pitts 2005c), where a mansio building had been constructed in the same period.

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