Baldock torcs: penannular neck rings from south-eastern Roman Britain and their significance for the development of provincial identities

Authors

  • Michael Marshall Museum of London Archaeology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5617/acta.10449

Keywords:

adornment, jewellery, Roman Britain, Baldock torcs, identity, social identity, provincial identity

Abstract

This study defines and characterises the ‘Baldock’ group of copper-alloy penannular torcs, which were worn in south-eastern Britain during the 1st century AD. Torcs had an important local pre-Roman pedigree, but this new regional style of dress seems to have emerged around the time of the Claudian invasion and was worn in the heart of the new Roman province of Britannia. The significance of these torcs is explored, focusing on the new social contexts in which they circulated, their connections to new kinds of provincial identities, and the ways in which torcs were reimagined and transformed within Romano-British society.

On cover:
Late Roman wall, the portion immediately south of the West Gate (Porta Oea) with re-used blocks from first-century mausolea (Drawing by Francesca Bigi) and Tombstone of Regina from South Shields (Arbeia) (Tyne and WearArchives and Museums/ Bridgeman Images).

E-ISSN (online version) 2611-3686

ISSN (print version) 0065-0900

 

Late Roman wall, the partition immediately south of the West Gate (Porta Oea) with reused blocks from first-century mausolea (Drawing by Francesca Bigi) and Tombstone of Regina from South Shields (Arbeia) (Tyneamd WearArchives and Museums/ Bridgeman Images)

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Published

2023-08-01

How to Cite

Marshall, M. (2023) “Baldock torcs: penannular neck rings from south-eastern Roman Britain and their significance for the development of provincial identities”, Acta ad archaeologiam et artium historiam pertinentia, 33(19 N.S.), pp. 321–355. doi: 10.5617/acta.10449.

Issue

Vol. 33 No. 19 N.S. (2021)

Section

Part 2: Adornment as Expression of Everyday Identity in Ancient and Medieval Life

License

Copyright (c) 2023 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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