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Class : Fine wares
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Source : Britain
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Distribution in Britain
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- Click on the image
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for larger map.
- This is a hectad map. More details of the data and mapping are available
here.
- Compare the distribution of this ware with others
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| Distribution summary |
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Illustration
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Roman Pottery in Britain (Tyers 1996)
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This ware is discussed on p.175-178 of Roman Pottery in Britain (1996).
Fabric code : OXRS
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National Roman Fabric Reference Collection (Tomber & Dore 1998)
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Cross-reference from this group to fabric descriptions published in
The National Roman Fabric Reference Collection (1998):
- OXF RS
- Oxford Red-slipped ware p.176
Illustrations of these fabrics are available only in the printed catalogue: R. Tomber & J. Dore,
The national Roman fabric reference collection. A handbook
Museum of London Archaeology Service, London. MOLAS monograph 2. (1998). |
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The Pottery kilns of Roman Britain (Swan 1984)
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This fabric was produced at kiln sites at these locations:
- Beckley And Stowood/Elsfield / Oxon
- Dorchester On Thames / Oxon
- Garsington / Oxon
- Horspath / Oxon
- Marsh Baldon / Oxon
- Oxford / Oxon
- Risinghirst And Sandhills / Oxon
- Sandford On Thames / Oxon
Display more details of these sites.Data summarized from V. G. Swan The pottery kilns of Roman Britain (HMSO, London, 1984, Royal Commission on Historical Monuments: Supplementary Series 5). |
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| Summary |
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A wide range of red-slipped tables wares, often decorated with
rouletting, stamps or white slip, produced in the Oxfordshire
potteries (Oxon/GB) and widely distributed across Britain during the
3rd and 4th centuries AD. |
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Fabric samples Scale (when present) in cm.
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Fabric and technology
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Hard, fine-textured fabric, sometimes with slightly laminar texture;
colour varies from orange-buff to red or red-brown, often with
grey core; moderate or abundant fine sub-angular red iron ore
inclusions (occasionally coarser) and sparse large (up to 5mm)
chalk lumps, set in micaceous matrix; smooth slip varies from
orange-red to red to dark brown -- latter more characteristic
of closed forms. Wheel-thrown. Can be soft and powdery, with
deteriorating slip, in poor soil conditions, but best examples
have high gloss. Commonly decorated with wide variety of techniques,
including moulded figures and face masks, bosses and indentations,
barbotine, rouletting, stamps and painting.
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Forms
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Young (1977) describes the range of forms in this fabric:
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Form
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Description
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C1-C11
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Bottles and flagons
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C12-C15
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Jugs and handled jugs
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C16-C19
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Jars
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C20-C39
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Beakers
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C40-C96
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Bowls
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C97-C100
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Mortaria
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C101-C117
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Miniature vessels
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C118-C119
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Miscellaneous types
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Table 1. Classification of Oxfordshire
red/brown-slipped wares (after Young)
Many forms (including many of the commoner types) are derived
from late East Gaulish sigillata prototypes, probably by imitation
rather than migration of potters (Bird and Young 1981).
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Stamps
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Name stamps are used on some samian-derived forms (particularly
Drag. 31 and Drag. 36 copies). Most are illiterate combinations
of lines and dots, but one reads PATERN (Young 1977, 176-81).
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Chronology
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Production of red-slipped wares commences by c. AD 240 and continues
until end of 4th cent. Many of the individual forms can be dated
more accurately.
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Source
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The Oxfordshire potteries.
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Distribution
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Extensive across much of central England, from Severn valley to
Thames Estuary, by late 3rd cent. Distribution expands and intensifies
during 4th cent. Quantified distribution data interpreted by
Hodder and Fulford as due to transport costs, but by Millett as
result of civitas networks.
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Aliases
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Bath fabric 6.1. Caister-on-sea fabric OXON-50.
Chelmsford fabric 3. Colchester fabric MP. Dorchester
fabric 18. Gestingthorpe fabric A3. Gloucester fabric
TF12A. JRPS bibliography fabrics orc and oxr. Leicester
fabric C13. Lullingstone fabric 11. Milton Keynes
fabric 24. Kent fine fabric 16a. Sidbury fabric
29. Towcester fabric 13.
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Bibliography
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Young 1977; for kilns RCHM gazetteer 102-4, F561-73. For
relationship with sigillata and derivative industries: Bird and
Young 1981; on distribution: Fulford and Hodder 1974; Millett
1990, 171-4.
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References
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Bird and Young 1981.
Bird, J. and Young, C. J., 'Migrant potters - the Oxford connection'
in Roman Pottery research in Britain and North-West Europe.
Papers presented to Graham Webster, ed. A. C. Anderson and
A. S. Anderson, British archaeological reports. International
series, 123, BAR, Oxford, (1981), pp. 295-312.
Fulford and Hodder 1974.
Fulford, M. G. and Hodder, I., 'A regression analysis of some
later Romano-British pottery: a case study', Oxoniensia,
39, (1974), pp. 26-33.
Millett 1990.
Millett, M., The Romanization of Roman Britain, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, (1990).
Young 1977.
Young, C. J., The Roman pottery industry of the Oxford region,
British archaeological reports, 43, Oxford, (1977).
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