A Late Roman Town House and its Environs: The Excavations of C. D. Drew and K. C. Collingwood Selby in Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset 1937-8

With contributions by Denise Allen, John R. L. Allen, Joanna Bird, Roly Cobbett, Stephen R. Cosh, Nina Crummy, Brenda Dickinson, Janet Firth, Stephen Greep, Martin Henig, Virginia Hudson, William H. Manning, Graham Morgan, Jennifer Price, Richard Reece, Bruce Sellwood and Jane Timby. Illustrators: Alison Wilkins and Brian Williams with Sarah Lucas. This report publishes the 1937–8 excavations in Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset, which revealed one of the best preserved late Roman town houses so far discovered in Roman Britain. Extensively decorated with mosaics, the building has recently been re-displayed in a new cover building by Dorset County Council. In addition to the town house and its mosaics, the report publishes the surrounding buildings in the north-west quarter of the town, also mostly of late Roman date, and associated occupation along with an extensive collection of artefacts, including outstanding finds of coins, glass, iron and Kimmeridge shale. List of Figures vii List of Tables xii Summary xiii Acknowledgements xv Preface xvii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION / Emma Durham and Michael Fulford 1 CHAPTER 2. THE DEVELOPMENT OF OCCUPATION AT COLLITON PARK / Emma Durham and Michael Fulford 10 CHAPTER 3. THE MOSAICS / Stephen R. Cosh 71 CHAPTER 4. THE ROMAN FINDS / Jane Timby and Emma Durham with contributions by D. Allen, J. R. L. Allen, J. Bird, R. Cobbett, N. Crummy, B. Dickinson, S. Greep, M. Henig, V. Hudson, W. H. Manning, G. C. Morgan, J. Price, R. Reece and B. Sellwood 88 CHAPTER 5. THE ANGLO-SAXON, MEDIEVAL AND POST-MEDIEVAL FINDS / Jane Timby and Emma Durham with contributions by N. Crummy, S. Greep and W.H. Manning 322 CHAPTER 6. THE INFANT BURIALS / Janet Firth 342 CHAPTER 7. CONCLUDING DISCUSSION / Nina Crummy and Michael Fulford 345 APPENDIX 1. CATALOGUE OF THE SAMIAN WARES / Joanna Bird 379 APPENDIX 2. THE INFANT BURIALS / Janet Firth 399 Bibliography 407 Index 423