Uncertain Destruction?

Establishing a Methodology for Assessing Destruction Horizons in the Northwestern Provinces of the Roman Empire

Abstract

Uncertain Destruction? Establishing a Methodology for Assessing Destruction Horizons in the Northwestern Provinces of the Roman Empire

Destruction horizons are a common part of the archaeological record and site biographies are punctuated by catastrophic events across all periods, which in many cases, result in settlement failure. These levels present significant issues when trying to develop broad settlement trends. This is a major problem in understanding the rural trajectories of Roman Britannia, Gallia Belgica and Germania Inferior, where poorly understood pulses of destruction have been teleologically projected to construct narratives of violent barbarian raiding and invasion. This paper addresses this by presenting a clear methodology for assessing destruction horizons in Roman Northwestern Europe. It examines the current state of research on the topic and builds a categorisation for certainty grading of the data as well as examining the typologies of destruction present in the archaeological record. To achieve this, it will apply the system to a test-case of destructive events at villa complexes.