The Women of Britannia: Female Identities on the Romano-British Frontier from 100 BC to 300 AD
Date
2023-01-13
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Increased archaeological interest in the frontiers of the Roman world and interest in past constructions of gender and sexuality have created an opportunity for archaeologists to explore these elements of identity in more depth in the more dynamic regions of the empire. Northern Britannia was a site of complex processes of culture contact and colonial practices which affected the local population and those who came to this frontier area of the Roman Empire. This study includes context and practices from the late Iron Age through Roman conquest, until 300 AD. Within the study area, changes in agriculture, production, trade, burial practices, and material culture began to take place in the late Iron Age due to increased contact with the continent and southern Britain, and these changes continued throughout conquest and into the Roman period. In order to discuss gender and identity within Northern Britannia, classical sources, contemporary records and personal correspondence, funerary monumentation, burial practices, grave goods, personal ornamentation and clothing, as well as traditionally gendered items such as weaving implements were analyzed within the context of Roman ideals for the status and behaviour of women. Classical sources provide information about the Roman ideal woman, including being a loyal wife, mother and someone who provided for her family through traditional activities such as weaving and childcare. Contemporary records and personal correspondence show the nature of the activities and relationships of women at the site of Vindolanda, both higher status and women associated with soldiers in the area. Funerary monumentation illustrated local identities through local names, tribal associations, representations of hairstyles and clothing, and that status and military association was an integral part of the everyday creation and expression of women’s identities. Burial practices indicate strong associations between women and childcare that spanned the Iron Age and Roman periods, and that status played a large role in how women were buried, and what with. Items of personal ornamentation and clothing mirrored the correlation between women and children/childcare, expression of local identities, the importance of status that at times surpassed gender in identity expression.
Description
Keywords
Gender, Identity, Roman, Iron Age, Britain, Historical Archaeology, Classics, Women, Children, Vindolanda Tablets, Funerary Monuments, Material Culture, Classical Sources
Citation
Crook, R. M. D. (2023). The women of Britannia: female identities on the Romano-British frontier from 100 BC to 300 AD (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.