These ten papers from two Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference (2007) sessions bring together a growing body of new archaeological evidence in an attempt to reconsider the way in which the Roman army was provisioned. Clearly, the adequate supply of food was essential to the success of the Roman military. But what was the nature of those supply networks? Did the army rely on imperial supply lines from the continent, as certainly appears to be the case for some commodities, or were provisions requisitioned from local agricultural communities? If the latter was the case, was unsustainable pressure placed on such resources and how did local communities respond? Alternatively, did the early stages of conquest include not only the development of a military infrastructure, but also an effective supply-chain network based on contracts? Beyond the initial stages of conquest, how were provisioning arrangements maintained in the longer term, did supply chains remain static or did they change over time and, if so, what precipitated those changes? Addressing such questions is critical if we are to understand the nature of Roman conquest and the extent of interaction between indigenous communities and the Roman army. Case studies come from Roman Britain (Alchester, Cheshire, Dorset), France, the Netherlands and the Rhine Delta, looking at evidence from animal products, military settlements, the size of cattle, horses, pottery and salt. The editors also provide a review of current research and suggest a future agenda for economic and environmental research.

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Appetizer: preface and acknowledgements
• 1. For starters: producing and supplying food to the army in the Roman north-west provinces
  • Introduction
  • Research context
  • Volume structure
• 2. Feeding the wolf in Cheshire: models and (a few) facts
  • Introduction
  • Frontier society in Roman Britain: general models
  • ‘Feeding the wolf’: economic demands
  • The response: changes in settlement pattern
  • Some parametric models
  • Economic and social development
  • Conclusions
• 3. Supply-chain networks and the Roman invasion of Britain: a case study from Alchester, Oxfordshire
  • Introduction
  • Alchester
  • Materials and methods
  • Results
  • Discussion and conclusions
• 4. Food supply at two successive military settlements in Arras (France): an archaeobotanical and archaeozoological approach
  • Introduction
  • The first military settlement: Arras “Actiparc”
  • The second military settlement: Nemetacum
  • The archaeobotanical results from “Actiparc”
  • The archaeobotanical results from Nemetacum
  • The archaeozoological results
  • Conclusions
• 5. Food supply to the Roman army in the Rhine delta in the first century A.D.
  • Introduction
  • Time periods
  • Landscape
  • The research
  • Conclusions
• 6. Surplus production of animal products for the Roman army in a rural settlement in the Dutch River Area
  • Introduction
  • The Roman period in the Dutch River Area
  • Acknowledgements
  • Bibliography
• 7. A biometric perspective on the size of cattle in Roman Nijmegen, The Netherlands: implications for the supply of urban consumers and the Roman army
  • Introduction
  • Methodological issues
  • Materials
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
• 8. Feeding the army from Dorset: pottery, salt and the Roman state
  • Introduction
  • Black Burnished Ware
  • Pottery: history’s hero?
  • Contextualising the distribution of BB1
  • Conclusion
• 9. Commodities or logistics? The role of equids in Roman supply networks
  • Introduction
  • What are equids and how were they important to the Romans?
  • Commodities or logistics? Evidence from Roman art and literature
  • Archaeological evidence for the logistical use of equids
  • Selected zooarchaeological evidence
  • Equids–Commodities and logistics
• 10. Food for thought: what’s next on the menu?
  • Introduction
  • Why are studies of foodstuffs and other natural resources a particular challenge? The case of the Roman army
  • Why are studies of foodstuffs and other natural resources a particular challenge? The case of the archaeologists
  • The contributions of these case studies: advances and persistent gaps
  • Food for thought: later courses
  • Conclusions