Online–Abendvortrag: Justine Bayley und Thilo Rehren zu "Parting precious metals: evidence from Britain soon after the Roman conquest"

Roman Networks

Online-Abendvorträge zur Archäologie der Spätlatène und Römischen Kaiserzeit

In Kooperation mit dem LVR-Amt für Bodendenkmalpflege im Rheinland, der Universität des Saarlandes und der Universität zu Köln führt die Römisch-Germanische Kommission eine digitale Vortragsreihe durch. Durch das Online-Format der Abendvorträge wird der internationale wissenschaftliche Austausch gefördert und Einblicke in neue Forschungen vermittelt. Der Themenschwerpunkt der Vorträge liegt auf spätlatènezeitlicher und frühkaiserzeitlicher Archäologie im Arbeitsgebiet der Römisch-Germanischen Kommission. Betrachtet werden zeitliche und räumliche Übergänge in dieser Kontaktzone provinzialrömischer und benachbarter Kulturen. Spezialisten verschiedener Disziplinen präsentieren ihre aktuellen Ergebnisse und stellen sich danach den Rückfragen des Publikums. Einwahldaten zu allen kommenden Vorträgen sind per email an roman-networks@lvr.de erhältlich.

Der nächste Vortrag der Reihe findet am 09.03.2026 um 18:00 Uhr statt. Der Vortrag von Justine Bayley und Thilo Rehren steht unter dem Titel "Parting precious metals: evidence from Britain soon after the Roman conquest".

 

abstract:

Parting is the process by which gold and silver were separated. It came into widespread use in Britain in the later first century AD to ‘Romanise’ the pre-existing pool of mixed precious metal alloys in use in the late (pre-Roman) Iron Age. 

There are a number of sites scattered across southern England that have produced good evidence for parting precious metals in the decades immediately following the Claudian conquest in 43 AD. New analyses are expanding our understanding of details of the processes that were carried out at Chichester, Exeter and London. Ceramic vessels of varied designs were used as reaction vessels. Most are small, hand-made forms, probably manufactured by the metalworkers themselves, but others are competently wheel-thrown, suggesting cross-craft interactions with professional potters working in a fully Roman tradition.

Archaeological evidence for parting is known in Asia Minor from at least the 6th century BC but we are not aware of any excavated finds from continental Europe before the early medieval period. We hope this seminar will change this situation by raising awareness of the process and the diagnostic finds it leaves behind.

Justine Bayley worked for many years for what is now Historic England, the government’s heritage service, and is an honorary researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. She is an archaeological scientist specialising in metal and glass working of the Roman to post-medieval periods. She has a long association with The Historical Metallurgy Society, and edited its journal Historical Metallurgy for over 30 years.

Thilo Rehren specialises in the archaeometry of ancient metals and glass. He is Director of the Science and Technology in Archaeology and Culture Research Center at The Cyprus Institute since 2017. Before, from 1999, he had the Chair in Archaeological Materials and Technologies at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, from where he was seconded for five years to set up UCL Qatar in Doha.