A grant from the RRT supported Gwladys Monteil’s study of the large assemblage of samian ware from excavations just inside the North Gate of the Roman town (Isurium Brigantum). These excavations are the first to have explored a full stratigraphic sequence on the site, and provided evidence from the foundation of the settlement down to the fifth century, and revealed a substantial iron-smithing complex of second century date.
Gwlady’s study of the samian has provided important evidence for the dating of the earlier part of the finely divided sequence (down to the third century), confirming that a Flavian date for the foundation of the town and a date of c 120 for the layout of the street grid. This is the first major stratified assemblage from the Roman town to be fully studied and makes a significant contribution to knowledge of material from the Roman North. The samian report will be incorporated in the final report on the excavations which is due for completion later in 2025.