The Piercebridge Project
Roman Pottery from the River Tees
Project description
The Piercebridge Project is a collaborative project to catalogue and publish a large collection of Roman artefacts from the River Tees at Piercebridge.
It is led by Dr Philippa Walton (British Museum) who is assessing the coins and metal small finds.
Dr James Gerrard and The Centre for Interdisciplinary Artefact Studies are currently engaged in assessing and publishing an extensive collection of Romano-British ceramics.
The finds represent an internationally important assemblage.
Their recovery over a period of several decades by divers searching a small part of the bed of the River Tees near the site of the Roman bridge suggests that they are a votive deposit.
Unique opportunity
The analysis of this collection of finds provides a unique opportunity to assess this type of votive practice and place it in a national and international context.
The project will catalogue, assess and analyse some 40kgs of Romano-British pottery.
This assemblage includes samian, amphorae, mortaria as well as Romano-British greywares and black burnished wares. Due to this a number of external specialists will be consulted.
There will also be opportunities for under- and post-graduate students to engage with the assemblage.
Funding has been provided by Dr Walton at the British Museum via a number of external grants.
- Project Dates: From January 2013
- Project Leader: Philippa Walton: British Museum, James Gerrard: Newcastle University
- Staff: Frances McIntosh: Newcastle University/English Heritage
- Partners: British Museum