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