AN OPPIDUM ON THE EDGE OF EMPIRE?
»An oppidum on the edge of Empire? New archaeological perspectives on the early Roman Iron Age complex at Stanwick (GB)«
Lecturer: Colin Haselgrove, University of Leicster, UK
The 300 ha defended site at Stanwick in central Britain is often listed as a Late La Tène »oppidum« but in fact belongs to a distinctive group of British sites dating between Julius Caesar’s invasions in the 50s BCE and the completion of the Roman conquest under the Flavian emperors. These poly-focal complexes were closely associated with royal dynasties allied to Rome. Stanwick itself emerged as a regional centre in the 1st century BCE, growing rapidly in importance in the following decades, with discrete habitation, ritual, trading and industrial elements spread over several km2. This talk will explore the archaeology of the Stanwick landscape as revealed by survey, excavation and scientific analysis over many years. The site is plausibly identified as the short-lived power base of the Roman client queen Cartimandua, who ruled the Brigantes on the eve of the conquest, inviting comparison with other ceremonial centres and trading places on the northern fringes of the empire.