This highly anticipated eleventh and final planned fascicule within the Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani catalogue series of all decorated Roman sculpture from Britain represents the completion of a long-established and well-developed scholarly endeavour. The first British volume, by E.J. Philips, was published 45 years before in 1977. Its publication means that Britannia is the first province for which a full set of volumes is available, a tremendous achievement by all involved. In this instalment, 499 carved objects are described, many of which (about a quarter) are now lost or unlocated. Indeed, the detective work and thoroughness of this cataloguing by Allason-Jones is astounding and one of the major advantages of the volume. It is likely that this will be primarily a reference work, which makes it regrettable that the production is perfect-bound and not sewn like previous fascicules. The entries themselves are impressive, including accessible yet technical descriptions and comprehensive treatment of the wide range of objects and previous literature relating to each. Allason-Jones's introduction contextualises and explains in fascinating depth some of the vagaries and personalities involved in amassing the surviving examples and the losses over the centuries. Very few misprints or errors can be found.
The slightly curious geographic coverage here ‘tidies up’ the remaining areas of the country to ensure full coverage of Britannia. Part 1, the majority, is dedicated broadly to the hinterland of Hadrian's Wall, and together with the other fascicules from the north of England by Philips in 1977 and Coulston and Philips in 1988 emphasises the considerable quantity of carved stone in the so-called military zone. The three catalogues include nearly 1500 pieces in total. Part 2 on Derbyshire is much briefer, including just 19 pieces, and so is more comparable in quantity of carved stone to the liminal areas of the south-west.
With this new publication, variation in character and function can now be analysed both in more detail and more holistically. Many of the objects here are of a modest size and around 300 of the 500 pieces in this volume may be categorised as religious or funerary in nature, underscoring the uses to which carved stone was put. Very few portraits and almost no large-scale relief sculpture (excepting the handful of large and sometimes ornate Reiter tombstones, nos 180–189, among other more fragmentary tombstones), no sarcophagi and little in the way of decorative public architectural fragments can be found in this region. The general style (always a thorny term) seems less concerned with fine-grained detail and naturalistic classicising proportions (for instance, see nos 70, 84). Exceptions include no. 2, the dedication to Aesculapius, 14 and 17, figures of Fortuna, and 68, a possible statue of Mars, and extensive decoration and detail are seen on large altars (such as nos 4, 50, 53, 119). While this speaks in part to the kind of sites and relatively rural nature of the areas from which much of the material published here derives – this is not well-connected Londinium or the monumental complex of Aquae Sulis, or even a region with the wealth of villas such as the Cotswold area – it also indicates a different kind of relationship with Roman carved stone, one which was in the main focused on small-scale commission and personal impetus.
As well as the exceptions noted, some of the pieces, however, are of considerable size and/or worth highlighting for other reasons. The altars to Jupiter Optimus Maximus from Maryport are one such group (nos 45–56, 61–63), and discussion of their burial in pits is included within the introduction (pp. xxxii–xxxiv). In some cases, they provide testimony to the long-range connections of the Roman military, such as the dedication (no. 53) by the First Cohort of Spaniards led by its prefect from Sicca, Tunisia. The famous serpent stone from Maryport (no. 422) remains enigmatic, but parallels are usefully drawn with Cotswolds examples. It is good to see discussion of lesser-known items such as the head in Weston Park Museum (no. 470).
As might be expected, materials were typically sourced locally: almost every item is made from sandstone of the north-west and north-east or Derbyshire/Yorkshire gritstone, with no objects of bronze or marble. It is understandable that the petrological analysis that was an important innovation for the tenth fascicule is not attempted here: accurate sourcing of sandstones to specific quarries is particularly challenging owing to the nature of the material (p. xxxix). A few colour plates would, however, have been a welcome addition to demonstrate colours and textures of the materials.
Indeed, turning to the images, a methodological innovation here is the use of ‘Structure from Motion’ photography and structured light scanning to prepare high-resolution 3D models of 65 of the pieces. This was an important element of the ‘Elusive Sculptures’ project at Newcastle University, funded by the British Academy and Leverhulme Trust, which ultimately ensured completion of this volume. The digital archive of the resulting scans is available, hosted by the Archaeological Data Service (https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/1004457/). The replication of the scans within the plates is less successful, since the final render and feel of the images is, in black-and-white print, unconvincing. The quality of the photography more generally is patchy, and with some straightforward editing could be improved. Yet, given that many of the objects are dispersed and in less-than-ideal settings for good lighting and positioning, or even lost entirely, it is a bonus that so many are illustrated.
The completion of this volume and the series sets the foundations for future research into sculpture from specific sites from Roman Britain and the north-west provinces, since useful comparison may be made across the wider region. First, printed catalogues are invaluable for recording in durable format, but of course they are difficult to update when new discoveries or interpretations are made. There have been new finds and debates since previous volumes were published and some appendices may be needed, especially if further petrological analysis of southern limestones is possible. Beyond that, the format of the series with entries listed according to iconography or identification has allowed consistency, but the corpus needs to be analysed in different ways: reviews for the tenth fascicule noted the constraints that this arrangement applies. Chronology and geography are difficult, since dates of the pieces and original context are seldom well-known. Digital tools, applied advisedly, with long-term plans for updating and hosting, using definitions and ontologies that respect the multivalency of context and motif, can be crucial to understand comparisons and patterns: the impressive Roman Inscriptions of Britain online provides an excellent example. Connection and comparison, too, with corpora across Europe and beyond will be invaluable to show what choices and selections of visual culture were made regionally and locally in Britain, how this differs from other areas of the Empire, and will help us to ask and understand why. This tremendous work sets us on the path to do so.
