Re-Evaluating Richborough: A view from the site archive

In the early 1920s the Society of Antiquaries took the decision to excavate the Roman shore fort at Richborough after noticing significant crop marks inside the walls. That initial finding led to 16 years of excavations from 1922-1938 over a large area of what was an island during the Roman period. The aim of this thesis is to return to the finds and features discovered during those excavations to better understand the site with nearly 100 years of hindsight and new archaeological techniques and perspectives.

Since the excavations, the Richborough collection has remained largely untouched apart from a few specific object studies. The site is of great significance to our understanding of the Roman period, but the current level of knowledge remains largely in the early 20th century. By returning to the excavation archive I have provided a new interpretation and chronology for the site using published and unpublished data, with significant insights regarding the 1st and 3rd - 5th centuries and how Richborough relates to other sites in Britain and beyond. I have also undertaken a detailed finds study, initially focusing on the military objects and tools but this has evolved into a reinterpretation of the site. As well as this, there is now a detailed finds catalogue of nearly 9000 objects, which is included in the appendices. Finally, this thesis provides case studies on several topics: comparable sites; recycling at Richborough; an object study (belt fittings) which sets 4th century Richborough in its wider context; and a significant collection of objects from one feature (Pit 20), which demonstrate the potential for different types of study. These case studies have contributed to our knowledge of site use during the 1st and 3rd - 4th centuries, the disconnection with Continental Europe in the 4th century in terms of objects and recycling and how Richborough relates to the other sites known as Shore Forts.

The results of this thesis show that the initial publication of the Richborough collection was very much a product of its time, much detail was missed and our current reading of the evidence when compared with evidence from other Romano-British sites makes us rethink both the beginning and the end of Richborough.