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Synthesis, Chronology, and “Late Roman” Cemeteries in Britain

October 2015 (119.4)
Archaeological Note

Synthesis, Chronology, and “Late Roman” Cemeteries in Britain

119.4
James Frederick Gerrard
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A stark division is usually drawn between Late Roman and Early Medieval burials in Britain. This has allowed works of synthesis to create opposing data sets of osteological information. A close understanding of the period 300–600 C.E. suggests that some graves currently assigned to the Late Roman period may actually date to the fifth or sixth century C.E. Two recent case studies demonstrate this point, and radiocarbon dating is advocated as a partial solution. Until radiocarbon dating is more widely deployed, many “Late Roman” cemetery data sets may contain chronological ambiguities that diminish their significance in wider works of osteological synthesis.

More articles like this: 
Excavation
Late Antiquity
Osteoarchaeology
Roman Period
Europe > Western Europe

Synthesis, Chronology, and “Late Roman” Cemeteries in Britain

By James Frederick Gerrard

American Journal of Archaeology Vol. 119, No. 4 (October 2015), pp. 565–572

DOI: 10.3764/aja.119.4.0565

© 2015 Archaeological Institute of America

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