This is the first of two volumes dealing with the major research excavations on the Chester Amphitheatre in 2004–2006. The amphitheatre was discovered in 1929 and partially excavated in the 1970s, after which the northern half was laid out as a public monument. Subsequent questions about the future of the site and the original interpretation prompted the recent work which was part funded by English Heritage and the (then) Chester City Council. The first amphitheatre was built in the 70s AD. It had a stone outer wall with external stairs and timber framed seating, the structure of which can be reconstructed. The second amphitheatre was built concentrically around the first, sealing deposits relating to the behaviour of spectators and the economy of spectacles in the first building. Amphitheatre 2, probably built in the later second century, was the largest and most impressive amphitheatre in Britain, featuring elaborate entrances, internal stairs and decorative pilasters on the outer wall. Although heavily robbed, sufficient survives to enable a confident architectural reconstruction to be proposed. Arena furniture hints at the type of spectacles that took place here. Beneath the seating banks of the amphitheatres evidence for prehistoric settlement was recovered – the first substantial prehistoric archaeology to be found in Chester. Occupation began with a Mesolithic phase, followed by a Middle Iron Age agricultural settlement and finally Late Iron Age cord-rig ploughing. This fully integrated volume tells the story of the site from the Mesolithic to the end of the life of the amphitheatre. It contains full stratigraphic and structural detail, including CGI reconstruction of Amphitheatre 2, artefactual and ecofactual evidence, and takes account of the findings of all excavations on the site since 1929. A second volume will deal with the robbing and reuse of the amphitheatre in the post Roman period, and the development of the medieval and post-medieval urban landscape of the site.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• CONTENTS
• List of figures
• List of tables
• Acknowledgments
• Summary
• Résumé
• Zusammenfassung
• PART 1: INTRODUCTION
  • THE SITE: GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY
  • THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ROMAN CHESTER
    • Pre-Roman activity
    • Military occupation before the fortress
    • The construction of the fortress
    • The second-century hiatus
    • Third-century recommissioning
    • The fourth century and later
  • THE AMPHITHEATRE
    • The discovery of the amphitheatre
    • The 1930s
    • Excavation and presentation 1952–72
    • Dee House and development, 1992–2000
    • Research 2000–2003
  • THE CHESTER AMPHITHEATRE PROJECT
    • Background
    • Non-invasive survey
    • Excavation
    • Public access, popular publication and the amphitheatre conference
    • Post-excavation assessment and analysis
• PART 2: BEFORE THE AMPHITHEATRE: THE PREHISTORIC PHASES
  • NATURAL GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY AND SOILS (Phase 0)
  • MESOLITHIC TO EARLY BRONZE AGE (PERIOD 1, Phase 1a)
    • Archaeological features
    • Struck flint and stone
    • Discussion: The Mesolithic to Bronze Age evidence in its wider context
    • By Dan Garner
  • IRON AGE SETTLEMENT AND LAND USE (PERIOD 1, Phases 1b–2)
    • Middle Iron Age settlement (Phase 1b)
    • Middle Iron Age cultivation (Phase 1c)
    • The later Iron Age (Phase 2)
    • Archaeobotanical evidence
    • By Ruth Pelling
    • Pollen samples
    • By David E Robinson and Zoë Hazell
    • Radiocarbon dating
    • By Peter Marshall, Ruth Pelling, Gill Campbell, Tony Wilmott, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Gordon Cook and Paula Reimer
    • Phases 1b–2: Finds
    • Discussion: Iron Age Chester and its wider context
    • By Dan Garner
  • ROMAN OCCUPATION BEFORE THE AMPHITHEATRE (PERIOD 2: Phase 3)
• PART 3: THE ROMAN AMPHITHEATRES
  • 3.1 THE FIRST ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE (PERIOD 3)
  • AMPHITHEATRE 1a CONSTRUCTION (Phase 4)
    • Area A
    • Newstead, 1929–31
    • Trench XII
    • Area B and Trench X
    • Trench 18
    • Watching brief
    • Finds and dating
    • By Gillian Dunn, Alison Heke, Margaret Ward and Tony Wilmott
  • AMPHITHEATRE 1a USE (Phase 5)
    • Area A
    • Trench 48
    • Finds and dating
    • By Gillian Dunn, Alison Heke, Quita Mould, David Shotter, Margaret Ward and Tony Wilmott
  • AMPHITHEATRE 1b: STRUCTURAL ALTERATIONS (Phase 6)
    • Area A
    • The outer wall and external stair
    • Robbing of the radial wall
    • The timber-framed seating structure
    • Area B
    • Previous work
    • Finds and dating
    • By Gillian Dunn, Alison Heke, Quita Mould, David Shotter, Margaret Ward and Tony Wilmott
  • AMPHITHEATRE 1b USE (Phase 7)
    • Area A
    • South and west of the vomitorium
    • North and east of the vomitorium
    • Previous work
    • Finds and dating
    • By Gillian Dunn, Alison Heke, Quita Mould, David Shotter, Margaret Ward and Tony Wilmott
  • THE FIRST ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE: DISCUSSION
    • Survey and layout
    • By Julian Baum and Tony Wilmott
    • Outer wall and cavea
    • Entrances
    • The Nemeseum
    • External activities
    • Sand supply
  • 3.2 THE SECOND ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE (PERIOD 4)
  • INTRODUCTION
  • AMPHITHEATRE 2: THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE (Phase 8)
    • The outer wall
    • The major entrances
    • The vomitoria
    • The pilaster bases
    • The arena wall and arena
    • Architectural stonework
    • Finds and dating
    • By Gillian Dunn, Alison Heke, Quita Mould and Tony Wilmott
  • AMPHITHEATRE 2 USE (Phase 9)
    • The exterior
    • The Arena
    • Finds and dating
    • By Gillian Dunn, Alison Heke and Tony Wilmott
  • AMPHITHEATRE 2: STRUCTURAL RECONSTRUCTION AND DISCUSSION
    • Survey and layout
    • By Julian Baum and Tony Wilmott
    • Architectural reconstruction
    • By Tony Wilmott and Julian Baum
    • Seating capacity
    • By Tony Wilmott and Julian Baum
    • The arena wall coping-stone inscriptions
    • Nemeseum
    • Arena and spectacles
    • Dating
• PART 4: LIFE IN EARLY ROMAN CHESTER: ARTEFACTUAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
  • SYNTHESIS
  • 4.1 ARTEFACT STUDIES
  • THE ROMAN COINS
  • By David Shotter
  • THE SAMIAN WARE
  • By Margaret Ward
    • Introduction
    • Methodology
    • Summary of quantities and environmental condition
    • Distribution by phase
    • Composition of the assemblage
    • Vessel types and forms
    • Evidence of wear, repair, re-working and re-use
    • Chronology
    • Phase summary and samian ware catalogue
    • Post-Roman phases containing residual samian ware
    • Post-Roman Phases 12–21 medieval, post-medieval and modern
  • ROMAN FINE AND COARSE POTTERY
  • By Gillian Dunn
    • Introduction
    • Pottery supply
    • Pottery fabrics
    • Vessel forms
    • Roman pottery from post-Roman phases
    • Chronology
    • Condition
    • Surface treatment, decoration, re-use and stamps
    • Roman pottery Site Phase summaries and catalogue
    • Post-Roman Site Phases
    • Discussion
  • ROMAN GLASS VESSELS
  • By Gillian Dunn
    • Introduction
    • Colour
    • Forms
    • Polychrome vessels
    • Facet-cut beakers
    • Summary
    • Catalogue
    • Post-Roman Phases
  • FINDS IN FUNCTIONAL CATEGORIES
  • By Gillian Dunn, Alison Heke, Quita Mould and Martin Henig
    • Introduction
    • Military equipment
    • Personal items and dress accessories
    • Objects associated with written communication
    • Tools
    • Household equipment
    • Structural ironwork
    • Medical and toilet implements
    • Recreation
    • Weights and measures
    • Buildings and services
    • Structures associated with food preparation
    • Portable ovens
    • By Alison Heke
    • Miscellaneous
    • Addendum
  • ROMAN BUILDING MATERIALS
  • By Alison Heke
    • Introduction
    • Ceramic building material (CBM)
    • Cement mix
    • Earth mix (daub)
    • Plaster
  • 4.2 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
  • ARCHAEOBOTANICAL SAMPLES: ROMAN PHASES
  • By Ruth Pelling
    • Introduction
    • Sample selection
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Conclusions
  • MAMMAL, BIRD AND AMPHIBIAN BONE FROM ROMAN PHASES
  • By Peter Popkin
    • Introduction
    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Amphibians
    • Conclusions
  • FISH BONE FROM ROMAN PHASES
  • By Jen Harland
    • Introduction
    • Methodology
    • Taphonomy
    • Description
    • Discussion
    • Conclusions
• PART 5: SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS AND THE AFTERLIFE OF THE AMPHITHEATRE
  • Prehistory
  • The advent of Rome and the first amphitheatre
  • The second Roman amphitheatre
  • Change of use and robbing (Phases 10–11)
  • The use of the site in the Middle Ages (Phases 12–13)
  • The Dissolution and the English Civil War (Phases 14–15)
  • 17th and 18th centuries (Phases 16–18)
  • 19th and 20th centuries (Phases 19–21)
  • Conclusions
• APPENDIX 1: Quantification of archaeobotanical remains from Iron Age deposits
• APPENDIX 2: Samian stamps recorded from all excavations at Chester amphitheatre
• APPENDIX 3: A brief summary of Roman pottery from the 2000–03 excavations
• APPENDIX 4: Roman pottery fabric descriptions
• APPENDIX 5: Roman earth mix (daub) fabric descriptions
• APPENDIX 6: Quantification of archaeobotanical remains in Roman and early post-Roman samples
• APPENDIX 7: Faunal remains: metrics by species
• Bibliography