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Broken Deities: The Pipe-Clay Figurines from Roman London

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2015

Matthew G. Fittock
Matthew G. Fittock*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Readingm.g.fittock@pgr.reading.ac.uk
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Abstract

Pipe-clay figurines are an important but under-examined category of Roman material culture in Britain. This paper presents the first typological catalogue of the 168 deity, animal and human figures imported to Roman London from Gaul during the first and second centuries a.d. As in many other collections Venus figurines are the most common type, although there is considerable diversity in form. Comparison with continental collections highlights distinctive patterns of consumption between London, the rest of Britain and Gaul, with the city displaying relatively high numbers of exotic/unusual types, as appears to be typical of Londinium in general. The spatial distribution of the figurines is mapped across the settlement, while their contexts and social distribution on habitation, trade and religious sites throughout the city are explored. Whole specimens from burials and subtle patterns of fragmentation also provide a direct insight into the religious beliefs and symbolic practices of the people of Roman London.

Keywords

Roman Londonpipe-clayfigurinesVenusfragmentation patternsreligionchild burial
Type
Articles
Information
Britannia , Volume 46 , November 2015 , pp. 111 - 134
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015. Published by The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies 

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References

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