In many senses, the period around 1970 marks a watershed in the development of the study of Roman Britain, for since that date, a much broader variety of approaches to the subject has emerged and there has been less interest in writing narrow narrative histories. This diversification is partly a reflection of broader changes in British archaeology and partly a symbol of changed approaches to the classical world. There has been a general move toward professional excavation, with the growth of permanent excavation teams who deploy a full variety of techniques and investigate sites of all periods, not just Roman sites.

../images/British4.jpg

A well-preserved Roman mosaic floor uncovered on the site of the ancient Verulamium in England during an excavation led by Shepard Frere, 1958

(Hulton Deutsch Collection/Corbis)

Changes in educational background of those who study Roman archaeology have also had a profound impact. Before the 1960s, most people came to the subject from classics or history, but after the growth of universities in the 1960s, most now offer degrees in archaeology. This change led to the diversification of approaches, with the people working on Roman Britain being interested in a wider variety of subjects like agriculture, environment, food, and trade as well as the traditional themes of art history and historical events. Different universities teaching archaeology have had varying approaches, so individual teachers and some major excavations created informal networks that have been of enduring influence. The groups who worked on the major excavations at Verulamium, Cirencester, Winchester, and Corbridge created one such set of networks. Others can be traced to the students who attended university at Durham, Cardiff, the Institute of Archaeology in London, and Manchester during the 1960s and 1970s.

On one level, the period since 1970 has seen