Overview

Ragstone to Riches tells the story of the huge Roman metalla extractive industries of the south east of the province of Britannia. These provided much of the iron to equip the military there, and ragstone to facilitate the construction of the built environment in the region during the occupation, through to the middle of the 3rd century AD. In the former case this was the Wealden iron industry, which, especially to the north of Hastings, featured sites as large as any industrial enterprise today. Meanwhile, regarding the upper Medway Valley ragstone quarrying industry, the work identifies for the first time the five specific quarries which provided the material to build Roman London. For both, the author also explores the role played by the military in running these enormous metalla enterprises.

Full Product Details

Author:   Simon Elliott
Publisher:   BAR Publishing
Imprint:   BAR Publishing
Weight:   0.622kg
ISBN:  

9781407316529

ISBN 10:   1407316524
Pages:   156
Publication Date:   29 June 2018
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

List of Figures List of Tables List of Maps Preface List of Abbreviations 1 Introduction 1.1 Research Questions 1.2 Research Parameters 2 Background - Kent during the Roman Occupation 2.1 The Geology of Kent and the South East 2.2 The Roman Economy 2.2.1 Background 2.2.2 The Roman Imperial Economy: Making the Province Pay 2.2.3 The Roman Provincial Economy 2.2.4 Imperial Estates 2.3 Regional Background Overview 2.3.1 The Roman Occupation of Kent 2.3.2 Settlement in Occupied Kent 2.3.3 The Population of Occupied Kent 2.3.4 The Economy of Occupied Kent - Geography 2.3.5 The Economy of Occupied Kent - Chronology 2.3.6 The End of the Occupation in Kent 2.4 Industrial Activity during the Roman Occupation 2.5 Maritime Transport in the South East during the Roman Occupation 2.6 The Military Presence in Britain during the Roman Occupation 2.6.1 The Size of the Military Presence 2.6.2 Mechanisms of Command and Control 2.6.3 The Military in a Civilian Context 2.6.4 Military Infrastructure 3 Regional Analysis - The Weald 3.1 Key Data: Details of Primary Evidence Sites 3.1.1 Nature of the Evidence 3.1.2 Industrial Origins 3.1.3 Site Selection and Grading 3.1.4 Site List 3.2 Settlement in the Occupation Period Weald 3.3 Transport Infrastructure in the Weald during the Roman Occupation 3.4 The Iron Industry in the Weald during the Roman Occupation 3.5 Who Were the Workers in the State-Run Areas of the Wealden Iron Industry? 3.6 The Tile and Brick Industry in the Weald 4 Regional Analysis - Medway Valley 4.1 Key Data: Details of Primary Evidence Sites 4.1.1 Nature of the Evidence 4.1.2 Industrial Origins 4.1.3 Site Selection 4.1.4 Site List 4.2 The Medway Valley Ragstone Quarrying Industry 4.3 Where Were the Ragstone Quarries Located? 4.3.1 Allington Quarry 4.3.2 Boughton Quarries 4.3.3 Dean Street Quarry 4.3.4 Quarry Wood, West Farleigh 4.3.5 Teston Quarry 4.3.6 Short Consideration of the Evidence 4.4 Who Were the Workers in the Medway Valley Ragstone Quarrying Industry? 4.5 Transporting the Quarried Ragstone 4.5.1 Where Was the Ragstone Transported? 4.5.2 Was Riverine Hydraulic Infrastructure Used in the Medway Valley? 4.5.3 What Would a Typical Journey Look Like? 5 Discussion - Interpreting the Evidence 5.1 The Role of the State 5.1.1 Large Scale Industry 5.1.2 What Role Could the State Have Played in Roman Industry? 5.1.3 The State Presence in the Weald 5.1.4 The State Presence in the Medway Valley 5.1.5 Synthesis 5.2 Change and Continuity in the Extractive Industries of the Occupied South East 5.2.1 The Late Iron Age/ Occupation Transition 5.2.2 Change and Continuity in the Weald 5.2.3 Change and Continuity in the Medway Valley 5.2.4 Synthesis 6 Conclusion Bibliography Appendices Appendix A - Building Materials Sourced in Kent and the South East During the Roman Occupation Appendix B - Sources of Data for the Classis Britannica Appendix C - Roman Maritime Technology

Reviews

'Little is known about the industry,.and Simon Elliott's survey is therefore hugely welcome.' Edward Biddulph, Current Archaeology, Issue 344, November 2018 'The focus on extraction industries in Kent makes this an original piece of research, combining research into different industries (principally stone quarrying and iron smelting) to address wider issues of how the Roman administration managed aspects of the provincial economy. . The research presented here makes a distinct and useful contribution.' Prof. Dominic Perring, Institute of Archaeology, University College London

'The focus on extraction industries in Kent makes this an original piece of research, combining research into different industries (principally stone quarrying and iron smelting) to address wider issues of how the Roman administration managed aspects of the provincial economy. . The research presented here makes a distinct and useful contribution.' Prof. Dominic Perring, Institute of Archaeology, University College London

Author Information

Simon Elliott is an archaeologist and historian specialising in Roman Britain and the Roman military. His PhD, at the University of Kent, focused on the role of the military in running the metalla in the south east of Britain during the Roman occupation. He has an MA in War Studies from KCL and an MA in Archaeology from UCL. He is a Trustee of the Council of British Archaeology, an Ambassador for Museum of London Archaeology and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent.

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