Colchester
The Archaeology of Fortress Town
This volume is a critical assessment of the current state of archaeological knowledge of the settlement originally called Camulodunon and now known as Colchester. The town has been the subject of antiquarian interest since the late 16th century and the first modern archaeological excavations occurred in 1845 close to Colchester Castle, the towns most prominent historic site. The earliest significant human occupation recorded from Colchester dates to the late Neolithic, but it was only towards the end of the 1st century BC that an oppidum was established in the area. This was superseded initially by a Roman legionary fortress and then the colonia of Camulodunum on a hilltop bounded on the north and east by the river Colne. There is little evidence for continuing occupation here in the early post-Roman period, but in 917 the town was re-established as a burgh and gradually grew in importance. After the Norman Conquest, a castle was built on the foundations of the ruined Roman Temple of Claudius, and a priory and an abbey were established just to the south of the walled town. Although the town, as elsewhere, was affected by the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the English Civil War it remained essentially medieval in character until the 18th century. During the 19th century this process of change was accelerated by the arrival of the railway, industrialisation and the establishment of the military garrison. Since the 1960s Colchester has been subject to recurring phases of re-development, the most recent having ended only in 2007, which have had a significant impact on the historic environment. Fortunately the town is one of the best studied in the country. Table of Contents Introduction 1. The history of archaeology in Colchester The antiquarians and collectors The excavators The Colchester Archaeological Trust 2. Geology and the Deposit Model Geology The Deposit Model 3. Prehistoric Colchester Introduction Past work The finds evidence The archaeological evidence Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic The Bronze Age The early and middle Iron Age The current state of knowledge Preservation Importance Potential for future research 4. Camulodunon in the late Iron Age Introduction and historical framework Past work The finds evidence The archaeological evidence The oppidum The dykes Settlement – Sheepen Other settlement evidence Manufacturing and trade Agriculture and the field system Burials and ritual structures The current state of knowledge Importance Preservation Potential for future research 5. The Roman legionary fortress, AD43–49 Introduction and historical framework Past work The finds evidence The archaeological evidence Military structures outside the legionary fortress Gosbecks fort Fingringhoe supply base The road network Siting, preparation, laying-out and construction of the fortress Fortress defences Fortress streets Barrack blocks Other military buildings Construction of the fortress buildings Industrial activity Food, water supply and drainage Disposal of the dead Claudian occupation evidence and Iron Age continuity The current state of knowledge Preservation Importance Potential for future research 6. The early Roman colonia, AD 49–61 Introduction and historical framework Past work The finds evidence The archaeological evidence The creation of the colonia and its hinterland Fortress into colonia: the revised layout Defences Buildings of the colonia Public buildings Manufacturing and trade Diet Cemeteries Resistance to Rome – evidence for the Boudican revolt The current state of knowledge Preservation Importance Potential for future research 7. The later Roman town, AD 61–410 Introduction and historical framework Past work The archaeological evidence Topographical organisation Boundaries, defences and roads Public and monumental buildings and structures Water supply Domestic and commercial buildings Manufacturing and trade Farming strategies and diet Religious and burial practice Extramural development The current state of knowledge Preservation Importance Potential for future research 8. Early Anglo-Saxon Colchester, 410–916 Introduction and historical framework Past work The finds evidence The archaeological evidence Occupation Coins Burials Possessions Pottery The current state of knowledge Preservation Importance Potential for future research 9. Late Anglo-Saxon Colchester, 917–1066 Introduction and historical framework Past work The nature of the evidence The finds evidence The archaeological evidence Town defences, street systems and urban plan Religious buildings Secular buildings Pottery and metalwork Manufacturing and trade The late Anglo-Saxon countryside Administrative frameworks Settlement and religious buildings Landscape management and rural resources Communications The current state of knowledge Preservation Importance Potential for future research 10. Early medieval Colchester, 1066–1348 Introduction and historical framework Past work The nature of the evidence The finds evidence The archaeological evidence The castle Town defences Streets Later changes to the keep, bailey buildings and defences Public buildings and works Domestic architecture Open space Suburbs The re-use of Roman materials The Hythe, commerce, trade and manufacturing The market Fairs The Hythe Fishing industry Foreign and internal trade Pottery industry Cloth industry Leather industry Metal-working Other trades, crafts and manufacturing industries Lime production Mills The countryside Administrative framework Agriculture Landscape management Settlement and religious buildings The current state of knowledge Preservation Importance Potential for future research Colchester medieval deposits: biological remains 11. Late medieval Colchester, 1349–1540 Introduction and historical framework Past work The nature of the evidence The finds evidence The archaeological evidence The urban plan Public buildings and works The town wall, town gates and castle Manufacturing and trade Other activities Domestic and commercial architecture Cellars and undercrofts The religious foundations and charitable institutions Churches The countryside The current state of knowledge Preservation Importance Potential for future research 12. Post-medieval Colchester, 1540–1700 Introduction and historical framework Past work The nature of the evidence Summary of finds assemblages The archaeological evidence The urban plan Impact of the Dissolution Public buildings and other works The Hythe The town wall, town gates and castle Domestic and commercial architecture Standing buildings Excavated buildings Brick and tile Manufacturing and trade The cloth industry The Civil War Agriculture The current state of knowledge Preservation Importance Potential for future research 13. Post-1700 Colchester Introduction and historical framework Assessment of importance and potential
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