Location, Function and Status: A Romano‐british ‘Religious Complex’ at the Noah's Ark Inn, Frilford (Oxfordshire)

Abstract

Summary An archaeological survey of the Noah's Ark Inn was undertaken with the intention of providing insight into the location, function and status of the known Romano‐British temple site. The survey resulted in the discovery of an amphitheatre and associated buildings in close proximity to the temple. It is now clear that the Noah's Ark Inn site is an example of an extensive ‘religious complex’ of a type well known in Gaul, but not very well represented in Britian. The purpose of this paper is to review the evidence for the Noah's Ark Inn religious complex and to consider the site in relation to other Gallo‐Roman and Romano‐British religious complexes.

The Origins of Romano‐british Small Towns

“…In particular, this overall picture cannot take account of the considerable regional A Origins (all 97 sites) variations now recognisable in late Iron Age Britain, nor the varying responses which this may have elicited from the Romans. We must therefore assess proposed origins against the regional background provided by Cunliffe (1976;1985).…”

“…Whitwell (1970, 15) suggests brief military presence, though military finds inconclusive. Frilford: IA religious focus for small town still likely, despite doubts over status of buildings (Bradford and Goodchild 1939;Hingley 1982;1985). Harlow: besides the temple complex, extensive IA occupation attested, including many pre-Roman coins (France and Gobel 1968;HMSO 1970, 60).…”

“…The latter article sought to demonstrate that some 56% of those small towns included in the survey had clear-cut or reasonable evidence for military origins, whilst only 13% (some 28% if one included sites with dual Iron Age/fort origin) had proven Iron Age predecessors. These apparently conclusive results have never been explored in detail, and this despite the importance now attached by prehistorians to pre-Roman settlement nucleation (Cunliffe 1976;1978;1985). In his brief study of the small towns Todd (1970, 116) realised the complexity of the Recently, Millett (1984) has tried to minimise the role of the army in urban origins, arguing that the Romans usually attempted to work through pre-existing structures.…”

Religious place and its interaction with urbanization in the Roman era

“…Hutcheson, 2004) it could be that Caerwent, which was not in a watery location, may also have been in a meaning-laden area, and the fact that this was not near water may be as significant as the sites in obvious watery contexts. 'Small towns' and other sites, many of which were also often in watery places with pre-Roman activity such as Heybridge in Essex (Atkinson and Preston, 1998) and Frilford in Oxfordshire (Hingley, 1985;Lock et al, 2002), add further complexity to the settlement pattern. These sites did not become one of the small number of 'official' towns in Roman Britain but many were probably equally important, expressing indigenous interpretations of urbanism.…”

Spaced-Out Sanctuaries: the Ritual Landscape of Roman Greece

“…When they are reunited and viewed together, common or complementary patterns begin to emerge: the inescapable influence of the imperial authority, competition for prestige and resources among cities and among civic elites, reinforcement of new divisions within society. Observations about sacred landscapes in other Roman provinces, notably in the west, are beginning to emerge, promising a fruitful subject for cross-provincial comparisons (Blagg 1986;Wilson 1973;Picard 1983;Hingley 1985;King 1990).…”