Iron Age and Romano-British Society in the Upper Thames Valley : an analysis of settlement data in terms of modes of production

Abstract

In this thesis, Iron Age and Romano-British society is analysed in terms of modes of production. It is argued that settlement archaeology in the past has failed to justify itself as an academic discipline; its object has been the collection of data, rather than the interpretation of peoples and society. Analysis of settlement data (mainly collected by the author) is utilised to support the proposition that two types of society existed in the Iron Age of the Upper Thames Valley. One form of society was based on the common ownership of property by a "tribal", community. These tribal communities appear to have been fairly egalitarian, and stable through time. The second type of community had a basis in the independence of the local lineage. from society as a whole. These lineage-based societies had a tendency towards the deveiopment of stratification and from a historical perspective were unstable. The influence of Romanisation in relation to these two forms of society is studied; and it is argued that lineage-based societies were more susceptible to transformation than tribal communities. Transformation or lack of transformation is a consequence of the inherent structure of the societies. Finally, the significance of these arguments to the analysis of settlement and society in other areas of Britain is assessed.

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