Samian Studies - Challenges and Opportunities in an Electronic Age

1. Samian Studies - Challenges and Opportunities in an Electronic Age

2. Where are we at? • Philosophy - why study samian? • People - who is available • Publication - how to publish in future?

3. Philosophy • General artefact studies have been neglected over the last 25 years • Archaeologists, particularly in ‘rescue’ situations, increasingly fail both to understand, study and/or consider their artefacts • This has led inevitably to a decline in research and specialists

4. Why Study samian? • To date archaeological sites • To evaluate social and cultural status • As a unique example of proto-industrialisation • Because of the huge statistical populations available • As an insight into provincial Iconography • As a insight into provincial onomastics

5. Dating • There is no substitute for samian as a dating medium for the first 250 years of the Principate

6. BUT there are differing views! • ‘Répetons cependant que les fourchettes mentionnées pour chaque marque ne sont pas des butoirs intangibles et nous avions, dans ce sens, exclu la recherche de datations trop précises qui nous parait une démarche illusoire don’t la rigidité est génatrice d’erreurs. Il va de soi que ces hypothéses doivent été corrigées, voire bousculées, des lors qu’on a la chance de disposer d’un faisceau d’indices permettent en faire.’ Genin, 2008

7. Social and Cultural Aspects • Samian as a measure of acculturation • Samian vessels in use (eating and drinking)

8. Proto-industrialisation • The organzation of the industry • Markets • Competition between production centres • Transport and distribution

9. The numbers • Only coinage (and perhaps brooches) exceed samian in data available for quantitative analysis • la Graufesenque alone seems to have produced millions of vessels • Consequently, detailed statistical analysis can be validly pursued

10. Iconography • The corpora of poinçons do not deal with the development of artistic schemes: • The evolution of types • Groups of figures • The use of different types at different regional production centres

11. Onomastics • What can the names tell us about status? • What can the names tell us about familial relationships? • What can the names tell us about the Gallicisation of the industry?

12. People • What sort of person studies samian? • Who is currently in the field? • What can be done to ensure continuity?

13. People- the personae of corpora • Dragendorff Academic • Loeschcke Academic • Ritterling Academic • Déchelette Industrialist • Ludowici Industrialist • Hermet Curé • Oswald Civil Servant (registrar) • Stanfield Civil Servant (Admiralty) • Simpson Private consultant • Hartley Academic • Rogers Computer specialist

14. The Current Crop -Britain • Bird R SR Iconography • Dickinson R Stamps & Signatures • Dannell R General • Hopkins R SR Lezoux • Mills SR • Pengelly SR • Pitts R Lezoux (C1) • Monteuil R SR Methodology; social • Ward SR • Webster R General? • Wild SR • Willis R SR Methodology; social • R=Researcher SR=Site Reports

15. The Current Crop -Continent • Bet FR ? • Bourgeois FR R SR • De Clerq SR BE • Deschieter SR BE • Delage FRR Lezoux • Driessen NE SR • Gabucci IT R Piedmont • Huld – Zetsche DE ? Trier • van der Linden NE SR • Martin FR R SR Montans • Niemeijer NE SR • Menichelli IT R Pisa • Mees DE R General • Polak NE R General • Tilhard FR R Espalion, W. France • Thomas FR R Rheinzabern; Trier? • Viegas PT SR?

16. Continuity • The evidence is that there are two specialisations, which are mutually dependent: • General experience of samian directed towards site reporting leading to the ability to engage in: • Research and the production of corpora

17. Site Reporting • This is the ‘bread and butter’ of samian studies • Recent experience indicates that the speciality cannot be ‘taught’ in a formal way • The speciality cannot survive unless general archaeology supports proper standards of reporting

18. Publication • Samian in archaeology: • The need to publish samian (as other artefacts) in archaeological reports is no longer considered mandatory • There are no publication standards for dealing with samian

19. Research & Corpora • Most corpora are now very dated • Most are based on drawings, which lack precision • Many are not generally accessible

20. What is being done? • The revision to Oswald’s ‘Index’ will be completed by 2010 • The Mainz website will contain all South Gaulish stamped and signed decorated vessels, and decorated vessels with ovolos • Manuel Thomas is working on the Rheinzabern poinçons

21. Priorities • Acceptance of a minimum publication standard by commissioning authorities • Mentoring for upcoming specialists • ‘Fast-track’ support for a successor to Brenda • Support for the Mainz project • Archiving of original records • Centres of Excellence?

22. Summary: • Prime Needs: • Recognition by MIFA, EH and Units of the need to publish samian to a minimum standard • Support for specialist development • An extension to the Mainz project for other production centres

23. Why is the Mainz database approach so crucial? • Future studies cannot be based upon traditional physical collection of data across the western Roman provinces • The database is on the Web • It can be updated remotely