gems, history of gemology, Roman, Rome, Greek, Greece, history of mineralogy, history of science, glyptic

In the late 1960s, York Minster was in imminent danger of collapse. By means of extensive engineering the building was saved, and, in a campaign of archaeological excavation, the opportunity was taken to retrieve years of little-known history from beneath the floors. Underneath was found the headquarters of the Roman legionary fortress which was subjected to numerous modifications, both subtle and drastic, over a span of a 1000 years. This sequence of history closed in AD 1070 with the construction of the Norman Cathedral of Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux. The historical evidence contained in this text offers a detailed account of social, economic and ideological change in a place favoured by Roman, Anglian, Viking and Norman invaders. This publication describes the rescue excavations of part of the Roman legionary fortress (in particular, barracks, headquarters building, and streets), post-Roman use of the fortress, and an Anglo-Scandinavian cemetery. Part 1 is devoted to the excavation and its techniques. Contributions include `From the foundation of York to the end of the Roman period' by B Heywood (1-8), `The post-Roman period to 1066' by E James (9-15), `The excavation campaign' (16-22) and `The excavations' (23-176) by A D Phillips, `Note on the first-cohort barracks' by D P Davison (170-3), and `Roman to Norman at York Minster' by M O H Carver (177-205). Part 1 concludes with several tables, including phasing and dating.Part 2 on the finds begins with `Roman architectural and sculptured stonework' by T F C Blagg (223-45), followed by `Roman inscribed stones' by R P Wright & R S O Tomlin (246-7), `Roman wall-plaster from York Minster' by F J Weatherhead (248-64), `Analysis of mortar samples from the Roman phases of York Minster' by S E Warren & J Evans (265-8), `Roman tile fabric' by I M Betts (268-9), `Stamped and marked tiles' by E M King (270-1), `The samian pottery' by G Simpson (272-90), `Amphorae' by D F Williams (291-303), `Mortaria' by K Hartley (304-23), `Roman coarse pottery' by J R Perrin (324-45), `Roman glass' by J Price (346-71), `Roman intaglios' by M Henig (372-3), `Roman ironwork' by W H Manning (374-7), `Roman non-ferrous metalwork' by G Lloyd-Morgan (378-90), `Roman brooches' by S A Butcher (391-3), `Roman coins' by P J Casey (394-413), `Roman and early medieval bone and antler objects' by A G MacGregor (414-27), `An ivory weaving tablet' by P Walton (428-9), and `Objects of shale and jet' by M Henig (430-2).Under the section devoted to finds of the early medieval period, c 400-1100, contributions include `Pre-Conquest sculpture' by J Lang (433-68) with a note on the Anglo-Saxon pigment by P Wilthew (465), `Post-Roman pottery' by J Holdsworth (468-80), `Early medieval glass fragments' by V I Evison (481-3), `Iron objects' by I H Goodall (484-8; note on the spur by B Ellis on 487-8), `Iron-bound coffins and coffin-fittings from the pre-Norman cemetery' by B Kjolbye-Biddle (489-521), `Non-ferrous metal objects' by A R Goodall (522-6), `Post-Roman coins' by E J E Pirie (527-30), `Ferrous slag' by J G McDonnell (531-2), `Animal bone from post-Roman contexts' by D J Rackham (533-58, including `The bird bones' by E P Allison on 556-7), and `Palaeopathological report on selected skeletons from the pre-Norman cemetery' by F Lee (559-73). The report concludes with an `Assemblage summary' by M O H Carver & B Heywood (574-617), and an `Index to material held in archive' by A Sinclair (618-20).