Fabric and technology
Hard, fine-textured fabric, sometimes with slightly laminar texture; colour varies from orange-buff to red or red-brown, often with grey core; moderate or abundant fine sub-angular red iron ore inclusions (occasionally coarser) and sparse large (up to 5mm) chalk lumps, set in micaceous matrix; smooth slip varies from orange-red to red to dark brown – latter more characteristic of closed forms. Wheel-thrown. Can be soft and powdery, with deteriorating slip, in poor soil conditions, but best examples have high gloss. Commonly decorated with wide variety of techniques, including moulded figures and face masks, bosses and indentations, barbotine, rouletting, stamps and painting.
Forms
Young (1977) describes the range of forms in this fabric:
| Form | Description |
|---|---|
| C1-C11 | Bottles and flagons |
| C12-C15 | Jugs and handled jugs |
| C16-C19 | Jars |
| C20-C39 | Beakers |
| C40-C96 | Bowls |
| C97-C100 | Mortaria |
| C101-C117 | Miniature vessels |
| C118-C119 | Miscellaneous types |
Table 1. Classification of Oxfordshire red/brown-slipped wares (after Young)
Many forms (including many of the commoner types) are derived from late East Gaulish sigillata prototypes, probably by imitation rather than migration of potters (Bird and Young 1981).
Stamps
Name stamps are used on some samian-derived forms (particularly Drag. 31 and Drag. 36 copies). Most are illiterate combinations of lines and dots, but one reads PATERN (Young 1977, 176-81).
Chronology
Production of red-slipped wares commences by c. AD 240 and continues until end of 4th cent. Many of the individual forms can be dated more accurately.
Source
The Oxfordshire potteries.
Distribution
Extensive across much of central England, from Severn valley to Thames Estuary, by late 3rd cent. Distribution expands and intensifies during 4th cent. Quantified distribution data interpreted by Hodder and Fulford as due to transport costs, but by Millett as result of civitas networks.
Aliases
Bath fabric 6.1. Caister-on-sea fabric OXON-50. Chelmsford fabric 3. Colchester fabric MP. Dorchester fabric 18. Gestingthorpe fabric A3. Gloucester fabric TF12A. JRPS bibliography fabrics orc and oxr. Leicester fabric C13. Lullingstone fabric 11. Milton Keynes fabric 24. Kent fine fabric 16a. Sidbury fabric 29. Towcester fabric 13.
Bibliography
Young 1977; for kilns RCHM gazetteer 102-4, F561-73. For relationship with sigillata and derivative industries: Bird and Young 1981; on distribution: Fulford and Hodder 1974; Millett 1990, 171-4.
References
Bird and Young 1981. Bird, J. and Young, C. J., ‘Migrant potters - the Oxford connection’ in Roman Pottery research in Britain and North-West Europe. Papers presented to Graham Webster, ed. A. C. Anderson and A. S. Anderson, British archaeological reports. International series, 123, BAR, Oxford, (1981), pp. 295-312.
Fulford and Hodder 1974. Fulford, M. G. and Hodder, I., ‘A regression analysis of some later Romano-British pottery: a case study’, Oxoniensia, 39, (1974), pp. 26-33.
Millett 1990. Millett, M., The Romanization of Roman Britain, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, (1990).
Young 1977. Young, C. J., The Roman pottery industry of the Oxford region, British archaeological reports, 43, Oxford, (1977).
