Bridge Over Troubled Water: The Roman Finds from the River Tees at Piercebridge in Context (Britannia Monograph)

Current Archaeology’s Research Project of the Year 2022

When Roman objects are discovered in rivers they are commonly interpreted as accidental losses or as rubbish deposits revealed by fluvial erosion; this is in contrast to prehistoric assemblages, which are often seen as ritual offerings. Our project challenges these assumptions by publishing for the first time an entire riverine artifact assemblage and comparing its composition to nearby excavated assemblages. The ca. 3,600 finds retrieved by two divers from the River Tees at Piercebridge are also related to the Roman bridges, settlement, and fort, and analyzed to better understand the people who used and deposited them.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION (Hella Eckardt and Philippa Walton)

PART I WATERY DEPOSITION AND FLUVIAL CONTEXTS
CHAPTER 2. RIVERINE DEPOSITS AND BRIDGES IN THE ROMAN PERIOD AND BEYOND (Hella Eckardt)
CHAPTER 3. THE PIERCEBRIDGE ASSEMBLAGE IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT (Hella Eckardt and Christopher Green)

PART II THE FINDS FROM THE RIVER TEES AT PIERCEBRIDGE
CHAPTER 4. OBJECTS OF PERSONAL ADORNMENT (Philippa Walton with Elizabeth Greene and Roger Tomlin)
CHAPTER 5. TOILET, SURGICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL EQUIPMENT (Philippa Walton)
CHAPTER 6. MILITARY EQUIPMENT AND MILITARIA (Philippa Walton)
CHAPTER 7. EQUINE EQUIPMENT AND OTHER OBJECTS ASSOCIATED WITH TRANSPORT (Philippa Walton)
CHAPTER 8. OBJECTS ASSOCIATED WITH WRITING AND COMMUNICATION (Philippa Walton with Owen Humphreys and R.S.O. Tomlin)
CHAPTER 9. OBJECTS EMPLOYED IN WEIGHING AND MEASURING (Philippa Walton)
CHAPTER 10. THE COINAGE (Philippa Walton with Jemma Moorhouse)
CHAPTER 11. OBJECTS ASSOCIATED WITH AGRICULTURE AND FISHING (Hella Eckardt, Philippa Walton and Owen Humphreys)
CHAPTER 12. OBJECTS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OR WORKING OF TEXTILES (Philippa Walton)
CHAPTER 13. TOOLS (Owen Humphreys and Philippa Walton with Ruth Shaffrey)
CHAPTER 14. STRUCTURAL FIXTURES AND FITTINGS (Owen Humphreys, Philippa Walton and Sally Worrell)
CHAPTER 15. HOUSEHOLD OBJECTS MADE FROM METAL (Philippa Walton and Hella Eckardt with Owen Humphreys, Leslie Rimmel and Ruth Shaffrey)
CHAPTER 16. THE POTTERY ASSEMBLAGE (James Gerrard with J.M. Mills and Enikő Hudák)
CHAPTER 17. GLASS VESSELS AND OBJECTS (Sally Worrell)
CHAPTER 18. THE ANIMAL BONE ASSEMBLAGE (Martyn Allen)
CHAPTER 19. OBJECTS ASSOCIATED WITH RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES (Philippa Walton)
CHAPTER 20. MISCELLANEOUS AND UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS (Philippa Walton)
CHAPTER 21. POST-ROMAN OBJECTS FROM THE RIVER (Philippa Walton with Berni Sudds and Owen Humphreys)

PART III ANALYSING RIVERINE ASSEMBLAGES
CHAPTER 22. COMPARING THE RIVERINE ASSEMBLAGE WITH OTHER SITES (Hella Eckardt, Kris Lockyear and Philippa Walton)
CHAPTER 23. CONCLUSIONS (Hella Eckardt and Philippa Walton)