Military Identities in Late Roman Britain

Abstract

Changes in the material culture of the late Roman army in Britain mean that it is often difficult to identify archaeologically. Some of these changes have in the past been taken as symptoms of decline, without attempt at further explanation. This paper aims to explore these changes and their deeper significance, within a theoretical framework which stresses the importance of the use of material culture in the expression of identities. Building from a detailed case study of fourth century occupation at Caerleon, it will be suggested that categorising material as`civilian' or`military' obscures complex patterns of both uniformity and variation between different kinds of site. These have implications not only for our understanding of the army in fourth and fifth century Britain, but also for society in general at this time, as it is within this wider context that the army should be seen.

Identities in the Late Roman Army: Material and Textual Perspectives

“…Themes investigated in such work include the nature of the com-munity of soldi ers (.James 1999), social dynamics within the au.Lilia (Haynes 1999b), and relations between soldiers and others in Egypt (Alston 1995). Iss ues of so cial and cultural id entity are a prominent element in this kind of historical archaeology, and also feature in my own work on t he late Roman military in Britain (Gardner 1999).…”

‘Roman’ or ‘Native’ Bodies in Britain: The Evidence of Late Roman Nail‐cleaner Strap‐ends

“…The fact that many of the late Roman belt‐fittings come from non‐military sites has of course been noticed before (Clarke 1979, 289) but Hawkes (1974, 390), for example, explains it in terms of soldiers being given allotments on rural estates as protection from brigands and attacks. The situation is further complicated by the presence of military equipment from non‐military sites on a wide range of Romano‐British sites (Bishop 1991) and the difficulty of defining and interpreting the material culture associated with the late Roman military (Gardner 1999; Esmonde Cleary 1989, 54–5).…”

“Heavier Burdens for Willing Shoulders”? Writing Different Histories, Humanities and Social Practices for the Romano-British Countryside

“…The continuity of some traditional practices in 'Roman' Britain has been noted before, and may sometimes represent active cultural resistance (Hingley 1997a;Webster 1996a). The 'Roman' military and civilian occupiers were themselves diverse, and 'Romanisation' was a highly complicated series of processes, rather than just simple cultural hegemony or emulation (Gardiner 1999;Hingley 1996;James 2001;Jones 1997).…”