Tyler Franconi | Brown University (original) (raw)

Books by Tyler Franconi

Long before the Norman Conquest of 1066, England saw periods of profound change that transformed ... more Long before the Norman Conquest of 1066, England saw periods of profound change that transformed the landscape and the identities of those who occupied it. The Bronze and Iron Ages saw the introduction of now-familiar animals and plants, such as sheep, horses, wheat, and oats, as well as new forms of production and exchange and the first laying out of substantial fields and trackways, which continued into the earliest Romano-British landscapes. The Anglo-Saxon period saw the creation of new villages based around church and manor, with ridge and furrow cultivation strips still preserved today.

The basis for this volume is The English Landscapes and Identities project, which synthesised all the major available sources of information on English archaeology to examine this crucial period of landscape history from the middle Bronze Age (c. 1500 BC) to the Domesday survey (c. 1086 AD). It looks at the nature of archaeological work undertaken across England to assess its strengths and weaknesses when writing long-term histories. Among many other topics it examines the interaction of ecology and human action in shaping the landscape; issues of movement across the landscape in various periods; changing forms of food over time; an understanding of spatial scale; and questions of enclosing and naming the landscape, culminating in a discussion of the links between landscape and identity. The result is the first comprehensive account of the English landscape over a crucial 2500-year period. It also offers a celebration of many centuries of archaeological work, especially the intensive large-scale investigations that have taken place since the 1960s and transformed our understanding of England's past.

by Tyler Franconi, Brendan Haug, Philippe LEVEAU, Nicholas Purcell, Marlena Whiting, Andrew Wilson, hugo delile, Cécile Vittori, Ilaria Mazzini, Matthieu Giaime, and Brian Campbell

PHD Thesis by Tyler Franconi

University of Oxford, 2014

The economic development of frontier regions has been neglected in the study of the Roman economy... more The economic development of frontier regions has been neglected in the study of the Roman economy. Traditional core/periphery models suggest that frontiers were marginal zones dependent on a wealthy Mediterranean core, and this view has dominated scholarship for more than thirty years. In light of recent work on the Roman economy, it is clear that many old models need to be reappraised; this thesis examines the economic development of frontiers through the case study of the Rhine River Basin. This region formed one of Rome’s northern frontiers for more than 400 years and has a rich tradition of detailed archaeological and historical research. Using data from the Rhine frontier, this thesis re-examines the nature of frontier economies, arguing that they were dynamic, versatile, and complex rather than subaltern and undeveloped. A new model, based in the analytical framework of economic geography, is suggested as a replacement in order to appreciate the realities and potentials of frontier economies.

Papers by Tyler Franconi

Studies in Digital Heritage

International Journal of Paleopathology, 2021

Ville romane nella Sabina tiberina. Il territorio di Forum Novum, 2024

Rivers and Waterways in the Roman World, 2023

The Rhine, Danube, Euphrates, and Nile, along with many other, smaller rivers, played important r... more The Rhine, Danube, Euphrates, and Nile, along with many other, smaller rivers, played important roles in shaping Roman frontier policy. Rivers could both divide and unite, functioning simultaneously as frontier obstacle that separated Roman from non-Roman territory as well as connective highways for the transportation of people, goods, and ideas. While the riverine frontiers of the Roman Empire are generally well known today for incorporating both elements, the opportunities and obstacles posed by the dynamic nature of flowing water have yet to be fully assessed.
Rivers, of course, changed constantly throughout the year and over longer time periods; high water levels in spring and autumn alternated with low flows in summer and possible freezing in winter across temperate Europe. The semi-arid and arid landscapes of the Nile and Euphrates rivers presented different patterns, wherein dramatic seasonal flooding had shaped human experience for millennia. Over longer periods, rivers could also move, especially in flood plains and deltaic regions where channel dynamism was especially pronounced. These changes could be driven by climatic and anthropogenic factors, often at the same time.
How did Roman frontier policy adapt to and incorporate these dynamic environments? Since these rivers were not static entities, local knowledge of hydrological regimes was critical to successfully managing military policy along their banks. This paper examines multiple case studies from the edges of the Roman Empire, examining how the ever-changing nature of riverways was successfully incorporated into frontier strategy, or not. Particular attention will be paid to (geo)archaeological evidence for hydrological change, as well as written attestations of episodic flooding, drought, and winter freezes. The resulting picture of regional and chronological diversity reveals an important truth: rivers could make good frontiers, but often did not, and Roman policy had to account for this variability or, ultimately, fail.

Sessions 4–5, Single Contributions, Heidelberg: Propylaeum, 2023 (Archaeology and Economy in the Ancient World – Proceedings of the 19th International Congress of Classical Archaeology, Cologne/Bonn 2018, Vol. 54)., 2023

Riverine transportation was highly dependent on environmental conditions in the pre-modern world,... more Riverine transportation was highly dependent on environmental conditions in the pre-modern world, and understanding these conditions is an important step in understanding how rivers fitted into an Empire-wide network during the Roman era.1 Contemporary Roman written sources are mainly silent about these issues, and they are difficult (but not impossible) to understand through archaeological evidence alone. Recent advances in palaeo-environmental and palaeo-climatic reconstruction have an enormous amount of information to contribute,2 and can be added to comparative historical analysis of material observed in a Roman context.3 This multidisciplinary approach is the only way to fully appreciate the environmental realities of river-borne trade and transportation in antiquity, and has much to offer the economic historian. We must also recognize that modern rivers and modern shipping do not provide useful analogies to the ancient reality, influenced as they are by centuries of engineering projects and technological advancements. These issues are broadly applicable across the rivers of the Roman world, but are investigated here through the case study of the Rhine River and the provinces of Roman Germany. Roman river ships, especially the barges that were used to move large cargoes of bulk products, relied on basic technologies of sail and oar to move with the flow of a river downstream. Examples of these ships from sites such as De Meern, Zwammerdam, and Woerden in the Netherlands or Mainz in Germany show that they could be up to 40 m long and 4.3 m wide with a 100-ton capacity.4 Upstream movement was more complicated and often required the ship to be hauled against the current by men or animals on shore. Scenes of this activity in the Roman world can be found on the Igel Column near Trier, Germany, on the Avignon Relief from southern France, or on the statue of the god Tiber in the Louvre. We also find descriptions by authors such as Ausonius (Mosella 39-42), Cassiodorus (Variae 12, 24) and Wandalbert von Prüm (29, 2) that demonstrate that human labor from shore was a critical part of upstream travel in the Roman, late antique, and early medieval periods. Comparative evidence also shows that riverine transportation was limited to certain seasons because it was so dependent on riverine conditions. Seasonal risks, including ice in winter, floods in spring and autumn, and drought in summer dictated when and where a ship could travel and with how much cargo. The largest Roman ships traveling the greatest distance were the most vulnerable, and comparative evidence from the 19 th century demonstrates that the period from July to September was the most active for shipping bulk products on the Rhine.5 Outside of this period, problems can be encountered: Tacitus (Hist. 4, 26-27) records a ship running aground as a result of drought in AD 69, and Ammianus Marcellinus (14, 10, 2-3) records that floods prevented the

PLOS ONE, 2023

We present novel insights into trade in amphorae-borne products over a 550-year period in Germani... more We present novel insights into trade in amphorae-borne products over a 550-year period in Germania along the frontier of the Roman Empire, derived through probabilistic aoristic methods to study temporal changes in archaeological materials. Our data analysis reveals highly detailed differential patterns of consumption and production within the German market. We show how connections to far-flung regions such as the Eastern Mediterranean or the Iberian Peninsula wax and wane through time, and how the local German producers start to compete with these imported products. These chronological patterns provide important insight into a regional market within the larger Roman economy and provide an important case study in changing economic connections over a long period, demonstrating in a transparent and reproducible way a geographical and chronological pulsation in market activity that was otherwise unknown and undemonstrated.

Studies in Digital Heritage, 2022

Between 2016 and 2018, excavations at the Roman villa of Vacone, carried out by the Upper Sabina ... more Between 2016 and 2018, excavations at the Roman villa of Vacone, carried out by the Upper Sabina Tiberina Project, transitioned to completely digital recording practices. The methodological shift was accompanied by a three-year campaign of backfill removal and cleaning, which allowed most of the villa's extant architecture and décor uncovered since 2012 to be digitized. Moreover, a new documentation protocol was established that employs photogrammetry in lieu of scale drawing to model the three-dimensional spatial characteristics of every archaeological context. Notable artifacts were also modeled to facilitate off-site study. The excavation's experiences with this conversion offer valuable lessons for other long-term archaeological projects contemplating a similar shift amid active fieldwork. The project's digital recording team developed a methodology for layer-by-layer modeling that ensures precise alignment between stratigraphic contexts using fixed markers. From these, standard 2D products (orthomosaic plans and digital elevation models [DEMs]) were produced. A similar technique was used for generating 2D orthomosaics of vertical features (such as walls and stratigraphic sections) without the need to take numerous measurements on the vertical surface (e.g., with a prismless total station). Similarly, the generated data can create 2D sections along any arbitrary line even after the strata have been removed. Beyond simply replicating traditional two-dimensional records, the 3D data have proven essential for visualizing the interrelation of above and below ground spaces, and for analyzing a terraced structure built on several levels. Composite 3D models, hosted online, are also an effective tool for public outreach with stakeholders in the local community, as well as the general public.

Finding the Limits of the Limes, 2019

Climate Change and Ancient Societies in Europe and the Near East, 2021

The Roman Empire had a significant and sustained impact on the landscapes of northern Europe from... more The Roman Empire had a significant and sustained impact on the landscapes of northern Europe from the time of conquest to the end of the imperial period. A repeated process of deforestation and land clearance for agricultural exploitation led to a rapid onset of environmental change evident in a number of different archaeological, historical, and geomorphological datasets. This paper investigates how Rome caused environmental changes in the provinces of Germany and Britain and how these changes, in turn, affected patterns of settlement, economy, and frontier defence over the first five centuries CE.

English Landscapes and Identities, 2021

The clearance history of England is reviewed looking first at what can be reconstructed of the pa... more The clearance history of England is reviewed looking first at what can be reconstructed of the patterns of forest and clearance across the country. A broad distinction is seen between more forested landscapes in the north and west, with greater clearance in the south and east. The forests of the north may have seen managed grazing, rather than being wild wood. From the start of the Roman period, the north was cleared as well, creating greater similarity across the country as a whole. We also look at the history of soil erosion, which is linked to clearance. We end by comparing two river basins—the Thames and the Eden—which have contrasting ecologies, topologies, and histories of human use.

International Journal of Palaeopathology, 2021

Objective: This study aims to investigate parasitic infection in Italy during the Roman period (2... more Objective: This study aims to investigate parasitic infection in Italy during the Roman period (27 BCE-476 CE) and subsequent Longobard (Lombard) period (6th-8th CE). Materials: Sediment samples from drains and burials from Roman Imperial-period sites in Italy (Lucus Feroniae, Oplontis, Vacone, and Vagnari), Late Antique and Longobard-period burials at Selvicciola (ca. 4th-8th CE), and Longobard-period burials at Vacone and Povegliano Veronese. Methods: Microscopy was used to identify helminth eggs and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect protozoan antigens. Results: Roundworm and whipworm were found in pelvic sediment from Roman-period burials, while round-worm and the protozoan Giardia duodenalis were identified in Roman-period drains. In pelvic sediment from the Late Antique through Longobard periods, roundworm and Taenia tapeworm eggs were identified. Conclusions: Fecal-oral parasites were found throughout Imperial Roman Italy, suggesting that gastrointestinal infections caused a significant disease burden. In the Longobard period we see continuity in transmission of fecal-oral parasites, and the appearance of zoonotic parasites acquired from eating undercooked meat. Significance: A wealth of information exists about certain diseases in the Roman period, but relatively little is known about intestinal parasites in Italy during the Roman and Longobard periods. This is the first evidence for Giardia in Roman period Italy, and for any parasites in the Longobard period in Italy. Limitations: Low egg concentrations and lack of controls for some samples makes it difficult to differentiate true infections from environmental contamination in some cases. Suggestions for future research: Continual study of samples from Roman and Longobard period Italy.

International Journal of Paleopathology, 2021

Objective: This study aims to investigate parasitic infection in Italy during the Roman period (2... more Objective: This study aims to investigate parasitic infection in Italy during the Roman period (27 BCE–476 CE) and subsequent Longobard (Lombard) period (6th–8th CE).
Materials: Sediment samples from drains and burials from Roman Imperial-period sites in Italy (Lucus Feroniae, Oplontis, Vacone, and Vagnari), Late Antique and Longobard-period burials at Selvicciola (ca. 4th–8th CE), and Longobard-period burials at Vacone and Povegliano Veronese.
Methods: Microscopy was used to identify helminth eggs and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect protozoan antigens.
Results: Roundworm and whipworm were found in pelvic sediment from Roman-period burials, while roundworm and the protozoan Giardia duodenalis were identified in Roman-period drains. In pelvic sediment from the Late Antique through Longobard periods, roundworm and Taenia tapeworm eggs were identified.
Conclusions: Fecal-oral parasites were found throughout Imperial Roman Italy, suggesting that gastrointestinal infections caused a significant disease burden. In the Longobard period we see continuity in transmission of fecal-oral parasites, and the appearance of zoonotic parasites acquired from eating undercooked meat.
Significance: A wealth of information exists about certain diseases in the Roman period, but relatively little is known about intestinal parasites in Italy during the Roman and Longobard periods. This is the first evidence for Giardia in Roman period Italy, and for any parasites in the Longobard period in Italy.
Limitations: Low egg concentrations and lack of controls for some samples makes it difficult to differentiate true infections from environmental contamination in some cases.
Suggestions for Future Research: Continual study of samples from Roman and Longobard period Italy.

Before/After. Abandonment, Collapse, and Transformation in the Roman and Late Antique World, 2020

The Rhine River was the backbone of Roman provincial life along the German frontier for over four... more The Rhine River was the backbone of Roman provincial life along the German frontier for over four centuries. Over this time period, the Rhine went through significant hydrological changes as a result of both climatic and anthropogenic forcing throughout its basin, and these changes had important influences on the historical trajectory of life in the region. As many Roman settlements were built on or near the Rhine and its tributaries, these changes had a direct impact on the occupation of both urban and rural landscapes. A combination of flooding, channel movement, and sedimentation alongside increased political and military conflict from the third century AD onwards led to the movement and abandonment of many settlements throughout the region.

Oltre La Villa: Ricerche nei siti archeologici del territorio di Cottanello, Configni, Vacone e Montasola, 2019

Finding the Limits of the Limes Modelling Demography, Economy and Transport on the Edge of the Roman Empire, 2019

The English Landscape and Identities project (EngLaId), which ran from 2011 to 2016 (ERC grant nu... more The English Landscape and Identities project (EngLaId), which ran from 2011 to 2016 (ERC grant number 269797), was designed to take a long-term perspective on English archaeology from the Middle Bronze Age (c. 1500 BCE) to the Domesday survey (1086 CE). It was a legacy data project that collated an immense number of records of English archaeology from a large number of different public and academic sources. Within this mountain of material, the Roman period (43 to 410/411 CE) stood out as being particularly fecund, accounting for 40% of the data (by record count) coming from only 15% of the total timespan of the project. This paper examines the ways in which the EngLaId project approached the modelling and analysis of its data for Roman England. We focus here on the three themes of demography, subsistence economy and transportation. Overall, EngLaId provides an interesting contrast to the possibilities and limitations of the other projects presented in this volume because of its large spatiotemporal scale and its (thus necessary) broad-brush approaches to data analysis and modelling. It is also this large spatiotemporal scale that helps situate the Roman period within a much longer span of history, making evident what was unique to this time period and what was constant across multiple periods.

Journal of Roman Pottery Studies, 2018

by Tyler Franconi, Brendan Haug, Philippe LEVEAU, Nicholas Purcell, Marlena Whiting, Andrew Wilson, hugo delile, Cécile Vittori, Ilaria Mazzini, Matthieu Giaime, and Brian Campbell

University of Oxford, 2014

Studies in Digital Heritage

International Journal of Paleopathology, 2021

Ville romane nella Sabina tiberina. Il territorio di Forum Novum, 2024

Rivers and Waterways in the Roman World, 2023

PLOS ONE, 2023

Studies in Digital Heritage, 2022

Finding the Limits of the Limes, 2019

Climate Change and Ancient Societies in Europe and the Near East, 2021

English Landscapes and Identities, 2021

International Journal of Palaeopathology, 2021

International Journal of Paleopathology, 2021

Objective: This study aims to investigate parasitic infection in Italy during the Roman period (2... more Objective: This study aims to investigate parasitic infection in Italy during the Roman period (27 BCE–476 CE) and subsequent Longobard (Lombard) period (6th–8th CE).
Materials: Sediment samples from drains and burials from Roman Imperial-period sites in Italy (Lucus Feroniae, Oplontis, Vacone, and Vagnari), Late Antique and Longobard-period burials at Selvicciola (ca. 4th–8th CE), and Longobard-period burials at Vacone and Povegliano Veronese.
Methods: Microscopy was used to identify helminth eggs and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect protozoan antigens.
Results: Roundworm and whipworm were found in pelvic sediment from Roman-period burials, while roundworm and the protozoan Giardia duodenalis were identified in Roman-period drains. In pelvic sediment from the Late Antique through Longobard periods, roundworm and Taenia tapeworm eggs were identified.
Conclusions: Fecal-oral parasites were found throughout Imperial Roman Italy, suggesting that gastrointestinal infections caused a significant disease burden. In the Longobard period we see continuity in transmission of fecal-oral parasites, and the appearance of zoonotic parasites acquired from eating undercooked meat.
Significance: A wealth of information exists about certain diseases in the Roman period, but relatively little is known about intestinal parasites in Italy during the Roman and Longobard periods. This is the first evidence for Giardia in Roman period Italy, and for any parasites in the Longobard period in Italy.
Limitations: Low egg concentrations and lack of controls for some samples makes it difficult to differentiate true infections from environmental contamination in some cases.
Suggestions for Future Research: Continual study of samples from Roman and Longobard period Italy.

Before/After. Abandonment, Collapse, and Transformation in the Roman and Late Antique World, 2020

Oltre La Villa: Ricerche nei siti archeologici del territorio di Cottanello, Configni, Vacone e Montasola, 2019

Finding the Limits of the Limes Modelling Demography, Economy and Transport on the Edge of the Roman Empire, 2019

Journal of Roman Pottery Studies, 2018

Atti del XXIII Colloquio dell’Associazione Italiana per lo Studio e la Conservazione del Mosacio, 2018

The Villa Romana di Vacone has been undergoing excavation since 2012. Over the course of the 2015... more The Villa Romana di Vacone has been undergoing excavation since 2012. Over the course of the 2015 and 2016 seasons, the full extent of two rooms near the southern portico was revealed. Room 30 has a tessellated black mosaic with polychrome inserts forming a " zampe di gallina " motif. Room 32 has a white ground tessellated mosaic framed by a double wave motif and a polychrome threshold with meander swastika and simple floral motif inset within a border. In both cases, the closest comparanda for the patterns date between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD, suggesting that these two new rooms belong to the same imperial phase of the villa. There are particularly striking similarities with mosaics from the nearby villa at Cottanello.

Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2017

This paper discusses the relationship between agricultural activity and ritualized/religious prac... more This paper discusses the relationship between agricultural activity and ritualized/religious practices in England from the middle Bronze Age to the early medieval period (c.1500 BC–AD 1086). It is written in the context of the ERC-funded, Oxford-based 'English Landscapes and Identities project' (EngLaId), which involved the compilation of an extensive spatial database of archaeological 'monuments', finds and other related data to chart change and continuity during this period. Drawing on this database alongside documentary and onomastic evidence, we analyze the changing relationship between fields, ritual and religion in England. We identify four moments of change, around the start of the middle Bronze Age (c.1500 BC), in the late Bronze Age (c.1150 BC), the late Iron Age (c.150 BC) and the middle/late Anglo-Saxon period (c.800 AD). However, despite changes in both agricultural and ritual/religious practices during this extensive timeframe, a clear link between them can be observed throughout.

Fluvial Landscapes in the Roman World, 2017

Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2019

Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2017

Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2014

Journal of Roman Archaeology 26.2 (2013)

Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2013

2022 Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, 2022

Introduction The First Pandemic of Yersinia pestis struck the Mediterranean world in a series of ... more Introduction The First Pandemic of Yersinia pestis struck the Mediterranean world in a series of outbreaks from AD 541 until the middle of the 8th century. The first wave, known as the Justinianic Plague, affected regions from Constantinople to Britain in rapid succession. While much has been written about this plague in the Byzantine East, the Western experience has been less discussed, especially in Italy. Primary sources highlight its severe symptoms, high mortality rate, and significant impact on the people, politics, and society of Italy. Archaeological evidence to support these claims is, however, lacking. Elsewhere in western Europe, Y. pestis has been identified in human remains by researchers studying aDNA at five sites (Keller et al. 2019) without positives in Italy (Posth et al. 2021). This poster uses a dataset of 439 archaeological excavations spanning the Late Antique and Early Medieval periods to investigate the impact of the First Pandemic in Italy. Most sites in this dataset have burials, including 275 cemeteries dating between the 6th and 8th centuries AD, including 39 with multiple or mass burials. We examine these data and document patterns in burial practice, religious activity, and political territory during this turbulent period. This research is a first step toward better understanding the lives of the individuals who experienced the period of the First Pandemic. Methods The First Pandemic occurred across a vast range, affected a variety of people, and cannot be generalized across the post-Roman world. Therefore, this research takes a more localized approach. We begin by compiling literary, epigraphic, and epistolographic sources from Italy to contextualize the lived experience of the First Pandemic. These include Paul the Deacon, Gregory the Great, the Liber Pontificalis, Byzantina Siciliae, Inscriptiones Christianae Urbis Romae, Marius of Avenches, John the Deacon, among others. Analysis of the 439 sites consists of quantifying the people buried, identifying burial practices, examining the presence of multiple or mass graves, documenting early Christian developments, and noting Lombard influence. The 275 cemeteries of the period of the First Pandemic belong to the 6th-8th centuries and the Early Medieval period more broadly for those sites not precisely dated. Only about eight burial sites explicitly radiocarbon date the deceased, while most rely on stratigraphy or grave goods. Some sites we can rule out as related to the First Pandemic, such as Poggio Gramignano, a children's cemetery caused by a malaria epidemic (Castrorao-Barba 2020, 204-205; Soren 2003), but most in the dataset present evidence worthy of further investigation. The ongoing CAMIS project in northern Italy (Chavarria Arnau 2018; 2019) has recently compiled archaeological evidence for early medieval burials, many of which also feature Lombard influence and great variety in burial practices and funerary traditions denoting a politically and culturally fragmented society. But the rest of the peninsula remains to be synthesized and integrated with this northern dataset.

Post-occupation burials in Roman villas are common in central Italy. The style and location of th... more Post-occupation burials in Roman villas are common in central Italy. The style and location of these burials evolve considerably from Late Imperial Rome through the Medieval period. In the first two centuries C.E., tombs were often constructed close to and sometimes even attached to habitation quarters. But following the abandonment of many villas beginning in the early 300s C.E., several styles of burials have been identified within the walls of villas. According to site-specific publications, these interments seem to diversify into other styles through the Late Antique period; these are usually less elaborate, but they often incorporate material from the ruined villa itself. It is not unusual for medieval churches and cemeteries, some functioning today, to be built on the foundations of villa cemeteries. Previous research has proposed that this trend is related to reoccupation and reuse of villa structures after the collapse of the Roman empire, or alternately it is related to more general economic and religious changes. While some authors promote one of these two causes as the primary factor leading to burials in villa ruins, this trend is most likely connected to both. We apply findings from ongoing excavation in the Sabina Tiberina as a case study of burials inside villa structures after abandonment, to elucidate potential chronology of different burial styles after the fourth century. To date, excavations in the Roman villa at Vacone have uncovered a minimum of six individuals in four graves, including four adult males, one subadult, and one infant. All adult individuals exhibit signs of poor dental health, developmental stress, and possible infection. No grave goods have been recovered. All individuals, excluding the infant, were buried with knowledge of the villa's physical structure; material from the roof and walls is incorporated into each burial. We expect forthcoming radiocarbon dates to solidify the chronology of these burials. Though previous research has used the presence of human remains to indicate the end of villa function, burials in fact provide evidence of continued importance of Roman structures beyond their ruin. Burial style may reveal changes in religion and relationships with the dead, whereas skeletal remains themselves reveal changes in the health, mobility, and demography of local populations. It also has the potential to elucidate local attitudes toward Roman remains in the early Medieval period.

Mediterranean Archaeology sits at an often complex intersection of the fields of Archaeology, Cla... more Mediterranean Archaeology sits at an often complex intersection of the fields of Archaeology, Classics, Anthropology, History, and Art History. While several of these fields, in particular Classics and Anthropology have begun periods of significant critical self-reflection that explicitly question their present and future, Mediterranean Archaeology is doing so in a more fragmented manner. This lack of coherence may perhaps be ascribed to institutional fragmentation, in particular in US academia, but it can also be traced to its intricate location at the intersection of multiple academic traditions. As a result, Mediterranean archaeology has struggled to identify its own priorities and find its own voice for challenging traditional narratives and approaches and, as a result, risks being subsumed by adjacent disciplines with louder voices, despite many possible valuable contributions.

The RAC 2020 Executive Committee is pleased to announce the Call for Individual Papers for the Fo... more The RAC 2020 Executive Committee is pleased to announce the Call for Individual Papers for the Fourteenth Roman Archaeology Conference in Split, which will run from Thursday 16th to Saturday 18th April 2020, with excursions on Wednesday 15th and Sunday 19th April.

This conference aims to bring together specialists in Roman frontiers and economic history to dis... more This conference aims to bring together specialists in Roman frontiers and economic history to discuss new evidence and approaches to studying the economic life of border regions around the Roman world. While economic life has never featured heavily in studies of Roman frontier regions, economic studies of the Roman Empire have tended to focus mostly on Mediterranean regions. This split in research agendas has created a model of economic geography in the Roman Empire that is
very much based in out-dated core-periphery models of interaction, where an economically-successful core region was forced to support frontier regions through surplus redistribution by the state. This model fails to accommodate the ever-expanding body of archaeological and historical material that highlights both chronological and geographical variability in frontier economies, and we feel that it is time to discuss new ideas that may move the discussion forward into a better integrated
and more dynamic economic history.

Oxford Roman Economy Project, 2019