Venta Belgarum: Prehistoric, Roman, and Post-Roman Winchester

This is a detailed study of the archaeology of Roman Winchester—Venta Belgarum, a major town in the south of the province of Britannia— and its development from the regional (civitas) capital of the Iron Age people, the Belgae, who inhabited much of what is now central and southern Hampshire.

‘…the single fullest and most impressive volume on any Roman town [bringing] together the observations and excavations over three centuries. The plans and sections from WEC’s excavations will allow future scholars to evaluate further, and marvel at what was achieved. The finds reports are accorded equal prominence, a real godsend to anyone working on Roman site reports in Britain and Western Europe. A volume of prime importance to everyone interested in Roman Britain, it should be on the shelves of every Archaeological Unit and indeed every excavator.’ – Martin Henig, Wolfson College, University of Oxford

‘These two volumes reveal a remarkable depth and detail of discovery, covering a breathtaking expanse of time. They are a definitive achievement, even though precise locations of some key structures of Roman and Anglo-Saxon Winchester remain to be discovered. The volumes represent six decades of patient, assiduous and careful excavation, as well as thoughtful analysis, on the part of its two authors and 62 other contributors, plus over 50 staff and volunteers. The result is a model of its kind, beautifully produced, illustrated and indexed by Archaeopress.’ – Craig R. Davis (2024): Bryn Mawr Classical Review

The two volumes are very well cross-referenced with the first reporting the excavations and the second reporting the finds, including some outstanding pieces found before 1961. Volume 1 has an introductory section detailing excavation and post-excavation methods, which is followed by general discussions on the contribution of early discoveries and the 1961–1971 excavations to deepen our understanding of the geology, prehistory, Roman and post-Roman and early Anglo-Saxon periods of Winchester and surrounding area. The meat of the volume follows with the reporting of the individual excavations themed by ‘On the Defences’, ‘Inside theWalls’ and ‘Outside theWalls’. Succinctly describing the excavations, the reports are of a very high standard and are supported by beautiful line drawings of plans and sections and excellent photography. – Michael Fulford (2024): Antiquity Vol. 98

This is a detailed study of the archaeology of Roman Winchester—Venta Belgarum, a major town in the south of the province of Britannia— and its development from the regional (civitas) capital of the Iron Age people, the Belgae, who inhabited much of what is now central and southern Hampshire. The archaeology of the Winchester area in prehistory is considered, and so too is the later evidence from the town, between the end of organized Roman life shortly after 400 and the foundation, c.650, of the church later known as Old Minster. At the heart of this account is the publication of the relevant phases of the sites excavated in 1961–71 by the Winchester Excavations Committee, and of the finds recovered from these excavations.

Volume 1 (Excavations) outlines previous work of relevance, and describes the WEC excavations and the post-excavation analysis of the discoveries, including full reports on the prehistoric, Roman, and post-Roman (to c.650) phases of the 14 sites excavated in 1961–71, with gazetteers for Roman Winchester, listing and describing all significant observations of the defences, and the streets and buildings within the walls.

Volume 2 (Finds) presents about 4000 of the finds from the excavations of 1961–71, with additional significant objects from earlier excavations in Winchester or other Winchester collections. Finds are described and discussed by era and type, with coins and selected pottery followed by objects grouped by industry or purpose. Concordances list these finds by site and phase or by material.

• | Author: Francis M. Morris, Professor Martin, CBE, FBA Biddle
• | Publisher: Archaeopress
• | Publication Date: Dec 28, 2023
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Multiple-component retail product, shrink-wrapped
• | ISBN-13: 9781803276809
• | ISBN-10: 1803276800