Feeding the Roman Army : The Archaeology of production and supply in NW Europe

by: Stallibrass, S. Thomas, R.

Price: 39,00 EURO

1 copy in stock

These ten papers from two Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference (2007) sessions bring together a growing body of new archaeological evidence in an attempt to reconsider the way in which the Roman army was provisioned. Clearly, the adequate supply of food was essential to the success of the Roman military. But what was the nature of those supply networks? Did the army rely on imperial supply lines from the continent, as certainly appears to be the case for some commodities, or were provisions requisitioned from local agricultural communities? If the latter was the case, was unsustainable pressure placed on such resources and how did local communities respond? Alternatively, did the early stages of conquest include not only the development of a military infrastructure, but also an effective supply-chain network based on contracts? Beyond the initial stages of conquest, how were provisioning arrangements maintained in the longer term, did supply chains remain static or did they change over time and, if so, what precipitated those changes? Addressing such questions is critical if we are to understand the nature of Roman conquest and the extent of interaction between indigenous communities and the Roman army. Case studies come from Roman Britain (Alchester, Cheshire, Dorset), France, the Netherlands and the Rhine Delta, looking at evidence from animal products, military settlements, the size of cattle, horses, pottery and salt. The editors also provide a review of current research and suggest a future agenda for economic and environmental research.

Table of Contents
Appetizer: preface and acknowledgements
For starters: producing and supplying food to the army in the Roman north-west privinces (Richard Thomas and Sue Stallibrass)
Feeding the wolf in Cheshire: models and (a few) facts (Peter Carrington)
Supply-chain networks and the Roman invasion of Britain: a case study from Alchester, Oxfordshire (Richard Thomas)
Food supply at two successive military settlemtents in Arras (France): an archaeobotanical and archaeozoological approach (Marie Derreumaux and Sebastien Lepetz)
Food supply to the Roman army in the Rhine delta in the first century AD (Chiara Cavallo et al)
Surplus production of animal products for the Roman army in a rural settlement in the Dutch River Area (Maaike Groot)
A biometric perspective on the size of cattle in Roman Nijmegen, The Netherlands: implications for the supply of urban consumers and the Roman army (Erik P Filean)
Feeding the Roman army from Dorset: pottery, salt and the Roman state (James Gerrard)
Commodities or logistics? The role of equids in Roman supply networks (Cluny Johnstone)
Food for thought: what's next on the menu? (Sue Stallibrass and Richard Thomas)

Feeding the Roman Army : The Archaeology of production and supply in NW Europe

by: Stallibrass, S. Thomas, R.

• ISBN-13: 9781842173237 / 978-1-84217-323-7
• ISBN-03: 1842173235 / 1-84217-323-5
• Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2008

Price: 39,00 EURO

1 copy in stock