Pottery jars, dishes and bowls

Roman Britain, 2nd century AD
From Stonea Grange, near March, Cambridgeshire

Towards the middle of the second century AD, a carefully-planned settlement was established at Stonea, near March, in the Cambridgeshire Fenland. A lavish and unusual stone building stood at its heart, that may have been the Roman administrative centre for the region. The centre had a relatively short life and was closed down in the early third century. At that time, as part of the clearance, many pots were dumped into a nearby ditch. This selection shows a typical range of pottery of the time. The red samian ware dish is from Gaul, while the grey jars and bowls and the relief-decorated beakers on the right were made locally in the Nene Valley, near Peterborough.

R.P.J. Jackson and T.W. Potter, Excavations at Stonea, Cambrid (London, The British Museum Press, 1996)