9.1. SOUTHERN COUNTIES (WEST)

• Published in: Britannia (Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies) 2022-11, Vol.53, p.464-467
• Main Author: Salvatore, John P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Archaeology; Ceramics; Historic artifacts; Roman Britain in 2021; Romano-British
• ISSN: 0068-113X; 1753-5352
• DOI: 10.1017/S0068113X22000460

The presence of bone was unusual for the acidic soil conditions prevailing in the New Forest, and the predominance of ovicaprid bones may indicate an aspect of the animal economy that has so far been missing from our knowledge of the Roman period in the region.120 (2) Silchester (Calleva Atrebatum), Insula XXXIII (SU 6430 6240): excavation and re-excavation continued on the site of the town baths.121 As well as continuing work on the previously unexcavated deposits in the south-east corner of the palaestra, outside the eastern wall of the baths and outside the west wall of the ‘tepidarium’ excavated in 2019, the adjacent section of the ‘caldarium’ was re-opened (fig. 44). Aerial view of ‘caldarium’. (© University of Reading) DORSET (1) Dorset AONB, Dorset VIP (Visual Impact Provision) (SY 60454 91930 to SY 64056 84492): a programme of archaeological assessment and evaluation took place c 3.5 km to the west of Maiden Castle from Winterbourne Abbas on the A35 running south to Friar Whaddon, some 5 km north-west of Weymouth.124 In addition to a number of prehistoric monuments and features, the investigations recorded a small Roman settlement located on the South Dorset Ridgeway. The villa had previously produced a number of tessellated pavements, including one of Christ with a Chi-Rho symbol now housed at the British Museum.126 The trenches revealed that, although the room containing the Christ mosaic was probably part of a larger masonry building, there was no evidence that this was a Romano-British courtyard ‘villa’ as previously proposed.127 Other buildings in the mosaic's immediate vicinity were confirmed as Romano-British, but these were relatively unsophisticated and were more likely to have had agricultural functions.