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Understanding the Landscape of Roman Britain

Module description

This module will explore how archaeologists go about exploring the landscape using a wide range of sources and techniques. It covers both the techniques used in reconstructing what Romano-British landscapes looked like, and explores the major components of those landscapes such as its complex hierarchy of settlement and patterns of land-use. You are expected to already have a basic understanding of the principles and methods of archaeology for example through having taken ARC1020 ‘Essential Archaeological Methods’ and ARC1030 ‘Investigating British Archaeology’.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module will develop an advanced appreciation of the principles, methodologies and source material of landscape archaeology using examples drawn from Roman Britain. The module will critically assess the factors influencing the visibility of the Romano-British landscape, and consider the complex interplay between factors influencing the development of the Romano-British countryside in time and space.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Understand the range of techniques available to the landscape archaeologists studying this period
• 2. Know the major landscape components, regional variations and chronological developments within the Romano-British landscape, and understand how these came about.
• 3. Outline techniques most appropriate for studying the Romano – British landscape in particular circumstances
• 4. Identify marked regional and temporal variations within the structure of the Romano – British landscape within the context of major landscape concepts

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Produce a competent overview/synthesis of a particular issue
• 6. Evaluate case studies and use appropriate examples/case studies

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Respond to comments in discussion

Syllabus plan

• Introduction
• Landscape change
• Landscape components
• Mapping the Romano-British landscape
• Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction
• Settlement hierarchies
• Fields, roads and estates
• Exploiting and managing the countryside
• Change over time
• Case-study
• Conclusions/revision

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

For the re-assessment, there will be no in-class listening test. Instead there will be an oral test (30%) and a written examination (70%). With proven and accepted mitigation, component is excluded from the module calculation. Without proven mitigation a mark of zero will be attained.

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Main course books:

• Smith, A. et al. 2016: The Rural Settlement of Roman Britain. Britannia Monograph 29
• [https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1161495]
• Allen, M. et al. 2017: The Rural Economy of Roman Britain. Britannia Monograph 30
• [https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1161496]
• Smith, A. et al. 2018: Life and Death in the Countryside of Roman Britain. Britannia Monograph 31
• Allen, M. et al. 2018: The Rural Settlement of Roman Britain: an online resource: https://doi.org/10.5284/1030449

Other basic reading:

• Branigan, K. and Miles, D. 1989: The Economies of Romano-British Villas (Sheffield)
• Dark, K. and Dark, P. 1996: The Landscape of Roman Britain (London)
• Hingley, R. 1989: Rural Settlement in Roman Britain (London)
• Jones, B. and Mattingly, D. 1990: An Atlas of Roman Britain (Oxford)
• Mattingly, D. 2006: An Imperial Possession (London)
• Millett, M. 1990: The Romanization of Britain (Cambridge)
• Millet, M. et al. 2016: Oxford handbook or Roman Britain, esp chapters 34-41 (Oxford) [ebook]
• Rippon, S. 2006: Landscape, Community and Colonisation (York) [https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1075426
• Rippon, S. 2018: Kingdom, Civitas and County (Oxford) [ebook]
• Taylor, J. 2007: An Atlas of Roman Rural Settlement in England (York) [https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1075425]

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11722
• Allen, M. et al. 2018: The Rural Settlement of Roman Britain: an online resource: https://doi.org/10.5284/1030449

Key words search

Archaeology, Landscape, Roman