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The Newly Excavated Tiles Kilns in the Vindolanda North Field
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This article presents a recently excavated brickyard at the archaeological site of Vindolanda, located in the frontier zone of Roman Britain, which have shed new light on the production and supply of bricks and tiles along this Roman frontier. These kilns, located in the site’s North Field, appear to be part of a larger industrial complex that also included a series of hydraulic installations such as wells and drains. Although the oven floors of these kilns do not survive, the largest kiln preserves its rectilinear form and stone-built supports, comprising pilasters and a central tongue-support. Such kilns typically date to late first century CE, but excavation of this area suggests they were primarily in operation from the mid-second into the third century CE. Surprisingly for a kiln site, excavation did not uncover large quantities of wasters; however, the presence of fragmentary brick and tile in nearby ash pits as well as a misfired brick of local clay confirm the site’s production of this material. Nevertheless, the discovery of a possible figurine mold and what may even be part of a potter’s wheel suggests that the production range of these kilns extended beyond brick and tile. This paper presents and discusses this newly discovered brickyard and places it within the wider context of brick production and supply along the Roman frontier in Britain. The seemingly small size of this production centre suggests that it was primarily intended to supply the needs of the site’s auxiliary troops and the inhabitants of the adjacent vicus. Similar auxiliary brickyards have been found along this frontier, such as those at Brampton and South Shields, and when taken together, they allow for a more complete understanding of the distributed system of brick production that once existed in this region.
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- Date created
- 2024-01-01
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- Type of Item
- Article (Published)