Trade, Aquae Sulis, and the Roman Empire

When archaeologists first excavated Roman artefacts from Bath (Aquae Sulis), they discovered that the objects had travelled from across the Roman Empire through trade routes. Through curating a handling table in June, I had the opportunity to explore and share the mass international importation and exportation of goods during the Roman Empire.

Lydia running the handling table on Roman trade

How did the Romans transport liquid goods to Aquae Sulis?

We cannot talk about Roman trade without discussing amphorae. These were storage jars designed for transporting liquid products such as olive oil and wine on ships from the Mediterranean to other parts of the empire, including Aquae Sulis. The amphorae have two handles and a pointed base to make transporting liquid by sea easier. A sherd chosen for the handling table has a maker’s mark stamped onto the handle, illustrating how the maker of the amphora was advertising their products, exemplifying long-distanced trade networks through the advertising of the amphorae as they travelled widely within the Roman Empire.

Replica amphora (L) and handle of amphora with a maker's mark (R) 

What is the significance of Roman pottery found in Aquae Sulis?

Samian ware is an example of how Roman families indicated their wealth and status when entertaining visitors. The sherd below is decorated fine ware, aesthetically pleasing rather than designed for longevity. This table ware was made with red clay found in France (Gaul)  and was mass produced and transported across the empire.

Rim sherd of Samian ware

In contrast, black-burnished ware (BBW) was mass produced coarse ware made roughly with the intention of being sturdy and practical for use in everyday dining, cooking and storage. BBW was produced in Dorset and traded throughout Britain and the wider Roman Empire. This shows the growth of industries, including the exporting of goods from within Britain under the Romans. Pottery such as BBW and mined building material including Mendip lead have been uncovered as far away as Pompeii.

Sherd of black burnished ware 

Which truly Roman invention was transported to Aquae Sulis?

Mortaria were a type of Roman mixing bowl similar to our modern-day mortar and pestle, with stone and sandy grit deliberately added to the inside to help break down food and ground up spices. They were robust coarse ware used solely for cooking and not aesthetically designed. Mortaria were a uniquely Roman invention, transported throughout the empire with major production taking place in regions such as Belgium (Gallia Belgica).

Mortarium replica and sherd

Through learning about these everyday Roman objects it is possible to understand the importance of trade during the Roman Empire, including to Aquae Sulis. The Romans both imported goods to Roman Britain but also exported goods from Britain to the wider empire, showing the extent of mass production during the Roman Empire.

Visitors to the handling table

Lydia

Learning & participation placement student

How can we tell what time period an artefact is from?

Archaeologists use the artefacts they dig up from the ground to learn more about the lives of people in the past. But did you know that there’s a technique called stratigraphy that archaeologists use to tell what period of history the artefacts came from? We used the artefacts from the Roman Baths Museum's collections to demonstrate how stratigraphy works. 

Stratigraphy handling table at the Roman Baths

Stratigraphy 

What is stratigraphy?

Stratigraphy refers to the study of stratas, or layers of the soil. Simply put, if an artefact is discovered in a layer further down in the soil, it is probably older than an artefact discovered higher up in the soil. If an artefact is found within the same layer as another artefact, it is generally considered to be from the same period.

Stratigraphy trays

 

Which of these objects were discovered deeper in the soil?

The artefacts in the tray on the left are from the prehistoric era, and would be found at a deeper level than the artefacts in the tray on the right, which are from the Victorian era. You can see an axe head, and an animal bone with marks of butchery in the prehistoric tray, but the artefacts in the Victorian tray, such as the key and decorated plate, are much more recognisable to the kind of objects we would use today!

Historical pottery 

Pottery from different time periods

The piece of Roman pottery is an example of mortarium, a type of kitchen ware used to grind up foods such as herbs, like a modern mortar and pestle. You can see the grit inside which helped the grinding process. Early Mediaeval pottery was often hand-made, with techniques such as stamping used for decoration, shown on our mediaeval pottery piece. As we can see by the Victorian pottery, Victorians used decorative tableware to show off their wealth. This era saw the introduction of transfer printed tableware, although this plate fragment is hand-painted. 

Think like an archaeologist? 

Can you guess where these pots were found in the soil?

It is very useful for archaeologists to analyse how the same type of artefact, such as pottery, appears in different soil layers, as then we can get a clearer idea of differences in methods, tools, and materials throughout history. Isn’t it interesting how artefact 2, the modern pottery, looks quite similar to artefact 3, the prehistoric pottery? Stratigraphy can show us how some objects can change so much throughout time, and how some objects seem to stay the same! 

 (Correct answers: A2, B1, C3) 

Ruby

Placement student

Function or fashion? The practical and stylish accessories

Your impression of accessories may be beautiful and decorative, but have you ever thought about how they add beauty and style to our lives and serve a functional purpose at the same time? The Roman Bath houses a stunning collection of accessories spanning various historical periods. Reflecting on history, it becomes clear that accessories have long been a fusion of functionality and aesthetics.

Functional yet fashionable

In the Roman period, people already focused on developing aesthetically pleasing and useful ornaments. Brooches were particularly popular, and people used them to fasten their clothing. These brooches came in various types, including the penannular brooch with an open frame, the plate brooch prevalent during the first century, and the bow brooch commonly found in Roman archaeological sites. Don’t think these two thousand years ago ornaments are just simple copper alloys. On the contrary, they are often very exquisite, with changeable shapes and colourful enamel surfaces.

Left to right: Roman plate brooch, bow brooch, and replica of a penannular brooch

Expressions of belief

By the medieval period, in addition to delicate metalwork techniques like inlay, enamelling, and filigree becoming more common, their function began to reflect individuals' spiritual convictions or to show people's faith. For example, before the trend of wearing bells gained widespread popularity, it was mainly priests and pilgrims who adorned them, thereby symbolising their affiliation with the religion. Pilgrims collected various badges in different shapes to commemorate their pilgrimage and to express their religions. Similarly, influential figures have often awarded badges to their allies to commend their loyalty and support towards a certain belief or ideology. 

Left to right: Medieval dog badge and bell

Symbols of taste

After the 16th century, with the development of craftsmanship, the styles of functional ornaments became more varied and popular. For instance, in the Georgian period, wigs changed from functional preventing head lice to a symbol of style. Following the Industrial Revolution, the advent of mass production brought about an increase in diverse and accessible ornaments, which were no longer considered a luxury reserved for the upper class alone. Buttons, once the exclusive of the nobility during the medieval era, became a commodity that could be easily moulded and mass-produced. With the rise of the bourgeoisie, the popularity of shirts gave way to the fashion of cufflinks. Though seemingly unremarkable at first glance, these functional items embody a sense of style, and the variety of their forms and materials showcase the wearer's discerning taste.

Left to right: Georgian wig curler, moulded metallic button, and cuff links

Upon observing today's clothing, can you think of other decorative features that are functional but also fashionable? Maybe it is your stylish watch, glasses or even a zipper? Let us take a closer look at our clothing and appreciate the practical and astonishing accessories that have been thoughtfully designed.

Yushin

Placement student

Secrets of Roman Building Materials

Have you ever wondered, in a world dominated by concrete and synthetic materials, what the Romans used over two thousand years ago to produce enduring buildings, all without the aid of modern technology? 

Crafting from Nature 

Roman Britain had a variety of small workshops in every town, with the majority of the goods being produced there to satisfy regional demands. The Romans used natural resources and transformed them into purpose-fit building materials. From the rock and clay in the ground, timbers in the forest, to sand on the seashore, they selected materials wisely. 

Experienced craftsmen then made the raw materials into durable building components. For instance, tufa, which is a porous sedimentary rock created in mineral springs. Its sponge-like texture, which was both light and robust, made it an ideal material for creating vaulting structures. Due to the tufa's special characteristics, craftsmen used it to create wedge-shaped voussoirs that, when placed next to each other, supported beautiful vaults or arches.

Tufa from the Great Bath, Roman Baths 

Functional and Aesthetic 

The Romans were more than just engineers; they were artists who celebrated both beauty and function. The colorful and well-designed mosaics that adorned their rooms were a clear sign of this mix. 

Mosaics have a long and interesting past. They started in Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BC and spread to places like Ancient Greece and Rome before being used all over the world. In the Roman Baths, mosaic art is a burst of color. The secret? The tesserae made from different stones including hematite, pyrite, yellow iron oxide, and local Bath Stone. Bath Stone, which is also called freestone, got its name because it is soft and easy to cut in any direction. Since Roman and Medieval times, it's been a go-to for building across southern England. From churches to homes, its honey-colored beauty remains. Even today, Bath's Georgian buildings shine, thanks to this ancient material. 

Bath Stone (photo credit: The Open University Geological Society) 

Sea Horse Mosaic, Roman Baths 

Materials from Far and Wide 

 As the Roman Empire expanded, a wide variety of building materials flowed in from diverse lands, bringing abundant supplies. A good example is the Roman Baths, which made use of both native materials and imported ones. 

Due to a scarcity of natural marble in England, this expensive stone was imported from Spain or Southern Italy, giving luxury to the construction. Purbeck marble stepped in as a low-cost replacement. It has a polished shine while not being real marble. This fossiliferous limestone from Dorset, England, sometime contains fossils of ancient freshwater organisms. This is a Labrum fragment made of Purbeck marble found at the Roman Baths to hold water, which was used to cleanse before entering the bath or to cool down in the Caldarium (hot bathroom). 

Labrum fragment made of Purbeck marble 

Xingyue Yang Placement Student

古罗马建筑的秘密

 

生活在一个被钢筋水泥和复合材料包围的世界，你是否想过，两千多年前，没有任何现代科技的罗马人使用什么材料去建造房屋呢？

取自自然

罗马不列颠的每一个小镇都有不同的小作坊，生产不同种类的产品以满足本地需求。罗马人利用自然资源，并将其改造加工成不同部件的建筑材料。地下的岩石与粘土，森林中的树木，海边的沙子，都是他们充满智慧的选择。

在完成选择材料后，经验丰富的工匠将原材料加工成坚固耐用的建筑构件。比如说，Tufa，这是一种多孔的沉积岩，形成于矿物质泉水之中。Tufa如同海绵般的结构赋予了它兼顾轻巧和坚固的特点，使之成为修建拱顶的理想材料。由于这种特性，工匠们将Tufa制成楔状穹顶部件，当一个个部件紧密相连就构成了美观的圆形拱顶或者拱门。

在罗马巴斯浴场发现的 Tufa  

实用与美观

罗马人不仅仅是建筑工程师，更是兼顾美观与实用性的艺术家。汇聚设计巧思的五颜六色的马赛克便是最好的例子，它常用于室内装饰。

马赛克历史悠久，起源于公元前三世纪的美索不达米亚，然后传播到古希腊和古罗马，最终全世界都能发现它们的身影。在罗马巴斯浴场，马赛克迸发出绚烂的艺术之光。五颜六色的马赛克由不同石料制成的 tesserae 组成，包括赤铁矿、黄铁矿、黄色氧化铁和当地的Bath Stone。Bath Stone，又称 "freestone"，因其质地柔软、易于从任何方向进行切割而得名。从罗马时期和中世纪起，在英格兰南部地区，Bath Stone 便成为常见的建筑材料。无论是神圣的教堂，还是日常的民居，都可以找到Bath Stone的如同蜂蜜般的黄色外观。时至今日，巴斯城中的乔治亚风格建筑依然熠熠生辉，这要归功于这种历史悠久的材料。

Bath Stone (图片来源: The Open University Geological Society)

罗马巴斯浴场中的海马装饰马赛克

 

来源丰富的原料

随着罗马帝国的扩张，建筑材料的原产地更加多样，带来了丰富且充足的供给。罗马巴斯浴场就是一个好的例子，同时使用了本地和进口的材料。

在英格兰本土，天然大理石十分稀少，这种昂贵的石材往往从今天西班牙或者意大利南部进口，属于极其奢侈的建筑材料。Purbeck marble 是天然大理石的平价替代品。这种石材虽然不是真正的大理石，但打磨后也有抛光的质感。这种产自英格兰 Dorset 的石灰岩化石，有时含有古代淡水生物的化石。下图是在罗马巴斯浴场发现的由 Purbeck marble 制成的 Labrum 的文物遗存，用于装盛清水，在进入浴场前用来清洁，或在 Caldarium（热浴室）中用来降温。

由 Purbeck marble 制成的 Labrum

杨星月

实习学生

By Jove: It’s the Roman Gods!

How much do you know about the Roman religion? The Romans worshipped many gods, and they were part of their lives every single day. It seems that the Roman gods are everywhere and on everything at times. Coins, pottery, figurines, and more constantly depict the gods in all of their glory. However, there are more to the gods than we realise.

Roman Religion handling table at the Roman Baths

Who are the major gods?

 The major gods are the most well-known and powerful gods. These include Juno, Apollo, and Vulcan, and objects from the collection can show us how multi-dimensional these gods were. For example, there are two different coins with Venus on them. One of them shows Venus standing with an apple, which is one of her common symbols that represents love. The other coin shows Venus Victory, depicted in armour and holding a sceptre and a helmet. Here, we see Venus as a warrior instead of her as a goddess of love. It is helpful to see the gods as complex beings who represent more than one idea.

Venus with an apple (l)  and Venus Victory (r)

Which gods were worshipped at the Roman Baths?

Sulis Minerva is the main goddess worshipped at the Roman Baths, but she is not the only one. Others worshipped here include Diana, Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars. Jupiter is on an altar in the Temple Courtyard, and we can also see him on coins and pottery. On a coin, Jupiter is seated holding Winged Victory and, on a piece of pottery, his arm is flexed to throw his thunderbolt. Even though this site is dedicated to Sulis Minerva, it does not mean that we cannot see other gods represented at this same location.

Jupiter holding Winged Victory (l) and Jupiter’s hand on thunderbolt from the altar in the Temple Courtyard (r)

Who are the minor gods?

The minor gods are not as well known by the general public and are personifications of virtues that the Romans promoted and tried to follow. One coin that shows this depicts Libertas, goddess of liberty. On the reverse of the coin, we see Libertas holding a soft pileus (a hat that freed slaves wore) and a sceptre. The pileus on the coin symbolises freedom for freed slaves which was a common virtue to put on a coin. Libertas is one of many smaller gods who represent Roman virtues.

Libertas holding pileus and sceptre

Take a look at your money today! Do you see symbols or themes represented on your coins?

 

Samantha Kestler

Collections Placement (MA Museum Studies)

Stone Age Toolbox

Prehistoric tools are fascinating! The technology to make them is so old, yet we can still recreate them today. 

‘Stone Age Toolbox’ handling table, August 2023

The oldest man-made object in the Roman Baths collection is a Palaeolithic hand axe made of chert (a type of rock). A hand axe is a hand-held stone tool used for digging, chopping, scraping, piercing, and hammering. These axes are the longest used tool in human history, used throughout the Palaeolithic period (1,000,000 to 12,000 years ago) and most likely into the Mesolithic period (12,000 to 6,000 years ago).

Replica of a Palaeolithic hand axe

This hand axe, found near Bath, dates from 500,000 – 250,000 years ago! It was made by Homo Heidelbergensis, a species of early human who no longer exists, and yet it still fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. This physical connection to early humans is what makes the Prehistoric period so interesting.

During the Neolithic period (6,000 to 4,200 years ago), handles were added to axe heads, as they start to be used to cut down trees to create fields. This was the start of crop farming, a new idea which spread from the continent.

Axe head with handle

Axes continued to be used to cut down trees for the rest of the Prehistoric period however the format of the handles changed drastically during the Bronze Age (4,600 to 2,700 years ago). This was to compensate for the new methods of construction of axes; they were being cast in bronze in two-part moulds, creating the distinctive ridge around the axe head.

Bronze Age socketed axe head

Flint was used to create tools during the Prehistoric period. Large pieces were used as axes and smaller pieces used to make tools. This was done in a process called flint knapping, where the hammerstone (a rock) is hit against a core (piece of flint) to create the desired shape. This is continued until a tool has been created that is comfortable to hold. To create the sharp cutting edge, the flint knapper chips away at the tool with smaller, softer items, such as bone, which is more precise than the first attempt.

Flintknapping, drawing by José-Manuel Benito Álvarez

Palaeolithic burins and flint blades were made from the flint chips created during flint knapping. Burins are small pieces of flint with sharpened edges, usually in the shape of a circle. They were used to create leather by scraping the skin, then to make clothing by piercing holes into the leather and sewing it together with grasses. Flint blades were used to cut soft materials such as food, animal skin, plants, or twigs.

Palaeolithic burin

During the Mesolithic and into the Neolithic period, microliths and arrowheads start to be used. Microliths are small flint shards, usually attached to a handle.

Mesolithic microliths

Prehistory is about so much more than just weapons and fighting. Most of the objects in the collection are tools for the creation of food or resources, for example arrowheads used for hunting animals.

Jen

Placement student

 

Edited by Eleanor, Collections Assistant

What Can We Learn From Animal Bones?

Animal bones found at archaeological excavations can provide valuable information about the past. They can tell us about butchery and eating habits, tool use, and the environment the bones were disposed of or buried in.

First, we must identify which animal the bones belong to. We can look at the overall size and robusticity of the bones, as well as the cranium (skull) and the mandible (jaw). The size, curvature, and profile of the mandible display distinct differences between animals. Sheep mandibles flare at the curve of the jaw, which differs from the more sloping profile of pig mandibles.

Pigs have one of the most distinctive teeth of domestic mammals. As omnivores, their teeth need to be able to both slice and grind their food, and so they display more pronounced canines and incisors compared to herbivores. Their teeth have flat shaped cusps ideal for their diet, this contrasts with the “W” shaped profile of sheep teeth, deer and cattle.

Sheep mandible (left), pig mandible (right)

Once the bone has been identified, we can examine the texture for signs of use by humans. Looking at the long bones for marks and scrapes can indicate intentional defleshing and butchery.

Differences in butchery methods and skill can lead to differences in cut marks, and it can sometimes be difficult to identify signs of intentional butchery. The clearest way to do so is by observing a V-shaped cross section. This V shape is characteristic of cutting with a lithic or metal knife, whereas a U-shaped mark indicates stone tools were used. 

Sheep tibia with cut marks (left), split cow radius (right)

Worked bone is also common, and indicates bone was also used to make tools, decorations and jewellery. Bone can be polished and incised with a decorative pattern.

This worked Roman sheep metapodia that was used as a handle for a blade or utensil

The colour and condition of the bones can also reveal information about the environment the remains were discarded or buried in, as well as actions of other animals.

When bones are discarded there is often still meat on the bone, and this can attract rodents which leave distinct parallel grooves and scrapes.  

A bright white bone indicates it was bleached by sunlight, whereas black and dark brown suggest exposure to bacteria, fungi and soil minerals. Green marks indicate contact with copper; this is a frequent occurrence in human remains due to grave goods. By noting these observations, we can construct a profile of the animal's environment.

Overall, there is much to be learned from animal bones in the archaeological context!

Lauren

Collections placement student