A comparative study of Roman-period leather from northern Britain

Douglas, Charlotte R. (2015) A comparative study of Roman-period leather from northern Britain. MPhil(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis draws together all of the data on Roman-period leather from northern Britain and conducts a cohesive assessment of past research, current questions and future possibilities. The study area comprises Roman sites on or immediately to the south of Hadrian’s Wall and all sites to the north. Leather has been recovered from 52 Roman sites, totalling at least 14,215 finds comprising manufactured goods, waste leather from leatherworking and miscellaneous/unidentifiable material. This thesis explores how leather and leather goods were resourced, processed, manufactured and supplied across northern Britain. It considers the potential of inscriptions and stamps to provide insights into the leather trade. It also considers the contribution that the study of footwear might make to our understanding of the demography of Roman settlements, shedding light in particular on evidence which suggests that military communities may have been more diverse than previously thought, and that there were women and children living on the northern fringes of the empire long before the Antonine Wall and its civilian communities were established.

• Item Type: Thesis (MPhil(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Keywords: Roman leather, leather, archaeological leather, gender studies, women and families in Roman Britain
• Subjects: C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Archaeology
• Supervisor's Name: Hanson, Prof. William
• Date of Award: 2015
• Depositing User: Miss Charlotte Douglas
• Unique ID: glathesis:2015-7384
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 02 Jun 2016 11:46
• Last Modified: 22 Jun 2016 10:33
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/7384