The Excavation of a Romano-British Site at Netherhall Road, Maryport, Cumbria

We’re thrilled to share a this article exploring our excavations at Maryport, Cumbria. This paper is available online, for free, in Issue 61 of Internet Archaeology.

At this site, CFA’s archaeologists discovered a large enclosure ditch related to a late Iron Age and Romano-British farmstead. This site boasts a long lifespan, with pottery and radiocarbon evidence suggesting that it started life prior to the Roman invasion and was later adapted and reused throughout the Roman period.

Our settlement may even have supplied the nearby Maryport Roman Fort with food, possibly in exchange for goods like pottery.

The site was located directly beside the fort, which itself was once part of a line of defensive fortifications running along the Cumbrian Coast. These fortifications were contemporaneous with Hadrian's Wall and served to define the limits of the Roman Empire, to defend it from attack, and to control trade across its border.

Of particular interest is a beautiful fragment of mortaria stamped with the word ‘]IGOBATEVS’. This maker's mark even allowed us to identify the name of the potter who made it – Figobateus.

If you think all this sounded good, take a peek at the article for more, including a Hadrianic-Antonine cremation cemetery, further info on the pottery assemblage, and an exploration of some other exciting finds.

The article doi is: https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.61.7