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Legionary Tile Production in Britain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2010

Peter Warry
Peter Warry
Affiliation:
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, peter.warry@merton.oxon.org
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Abstract

There are over two thousand legionary stamped tiles incorporating some two hundred different dies now admirably collated and listed in Roman Inscriptions of Britain. Dates have been tentatively suggested for a minority of these dies, but some of these are inconsistent with the other evidence. Inter alia, by using dating derived from the different forms of tegulae on which these stamps have been impressed, revised dating is proposed. Linking these dates with the distribution of the stamped tiles sheds new light on legionary practices and movements, particularly on Hadrian’s Wall and in post-Antonine Scotland, as well as the relationship between the legions and the auxiliary units. The multiplicity of different dies could be explained by each cohort having its own stamp and stamping every one of the tiles they produced, a practice that all the British legions seem to have followed. The discovery of legio XX stamped tiles referring to Viducius at a rural tile-works in Merseyside confirms him as a legionary contractor; close examination of tile sizes shows that contractors appear to have played a significant part in the production for at least two of the legions.

Type
Articles
Information
Britannia , Volume 41 , November 2010 , pp. 127 - 147
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2010. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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References

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