Archaeology Test 4

What were 5 operations and functions of Roman frontiers?

Defence, raiding, safety of travellers, control access, customs

Castrum means?

Military camp

Vicus means?

Village

Vallum means?

Wall

(Via) strata means?

Street

Vinum means?

Wine

Moneta means?

Mint

Pondus means?

Pound

Until the 1850s, who did scholars believe built Hadrian’s Wall, and who do we now know actually built it?

Septimius Severus was believed to have built the wall, but we now know it was Emperor Hadrian

Was Hadrian’s wall a defensive fortification?

No

What was the purpose of Hadrian’s wall?

It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire in Britain.

Segedunum means?

Pits for wooden obstacles

Why was Vindolanda built?

To support the Roman conquest of Britain

The name Vindolanda may be derived from what, and may refer to what?

A Celtic word, meaning “white” or “shining”. Possibly refers to the appearance of the fort’s external walls, which were plastered and whitewashed.

What were some features of the buildings at Vindolanda?

All the buildings were timber-framed with wood-shingled roofs, the walls were wattle-and-daub panels, and some had glazed windows

What was the significance of the wooden post-card sized tablets found at Vindolanda?

The tablets are covered in messages written in ink by soldiers, slaves, merchants, women, and their scribes, and the subject matter is mundane, which gives us good insight into Roman life.

What can shoes tell us about history?

Shoes can tell us about style, dating, health, industry, and demographics

Excavations at the Sutton Hoo Gravefield show that the earliest burials were which type?

Cremations

How were the cremations at Sutton Hoo buried?

The ashes were stored in bronze bowls and buried under mounds

Were later non-cremated burials at Sutton Hoo also covered by mounds?

Yes

What were some of the goods included in the ship burial at Sutton Hoo?

A purse full of coins from Merovingian Gaul, a large silver dish or platter bearing the stamp of the Byzantine emperor Anastasius, Christian stamped bowls, Greek inscribed silver spoons, and a large Coptic Egyptian bronze bowl

What do the grave goods in the Sutton Hoo ship burial tell us about trade?

They show that England was linked to a sophisticated trade network that extended as far as the Mediterranean.

The Sutton Hoo ship burial would have been easy to rob, so why wasn’t it?

Likely some religious understanding

Wh