Communities, Connectivity and Complexity in Roman Britain

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC 4.0 License. It is free to read, download and share on the BAR Digital platform. This volume kick-starts debate on the future of archaeological research on Roman Britain. Focusing on new approaches to socio-economic, cultural, power and material dynamics, it addresses pressing issues facing the field. Since the deconstruction of 'Romanisation', a lack of consensus has seen the fragmentation of approaches, theories, methodologies and archaeological specialisms. Contributors propose innovative ways forward that collectively embrace the themes of communities, connectivity, and complexity. 'Communities' concerns both professional communities in field archaeology, museums, heritage, and universities and emphasises approaches that address the diverse patchwork of ancient communities that inhabited Britannia. 'Connectivity' challenges the perceived parochialism of Romano-British studies, advocating the connection of research communities and the integration of Romano-British data with those from the rest of the Roman world. 'Complexity' underlines the generation of specialised knowledge and increasingly complex datasets, and the challenges of producing new, methodologically and theoretically innovative, historical narratives for specialist and public audiences.