Excavations on Two Farms of the Romano-British Period at Bryn Eryr and Bush Farm, Gwynedd

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONE xcavations at two sites in Gwynedd have produced new evidence for highland zone rural settlement during the Romano-British period. At Bryn Eryr this activity was the culmination of a long sequence of development during the Iron Age. At Bush Farm, similarly, a Romano-British phase succeeded earlier, probably late prehistoric occupation of the site. At both locations significant structural changes took place during the Romano-British period as small stone-walled houses replaced larger, clay-walled buildings. Changes in the local farming economy have been identified and the proximity of the vicus at Segontium provided access to Roman pottery vessels. The quality and range of pottery from Bryn Eryr and Bush Farm are considerable in comparison with other 'Highland Zone' settlements and the material is discussed in detail.It is intended that the Iron Age sequence at Bryn Eryr be described in a separate article, currently in preparation. 1 BACKGROUND TO THE EXCAVATIONS

Roman Rural Settlement in Wales and the Marches

“…Though finer classifications of villa settlements have been proposed (Percival 1976;Smith 1998) and a wide variety of terms are available for the closer definition of villa sites (such as corridor, winged corridor, courtyard) broader categories are required to accommodate large datasets. Villas are defined within the RSRB database as rural buildings with architectural characteristics associated with high status display, including hypocausts, mosaics, tiled roofs, painted wall plaster etc (Smith et al 2016, 44).…”

The Early Monetary History of Roman Wales: Identity, Conquest and Acculturation on the Imperial Fringe

“…16 See note 3, and Kelly 1990 and Davies 1984 for summaries. Several so-called 'hut group' settlements of various morphological types have been excavated in Gwynedd and Anglesey in recent years, most notably at Bush Farm and Bryn Eryr, Anglesey (Longley et al 1998), as well as in the Graeanog area south-west of Carnarvon (Fasham et al 1998). None has produced coins.…”