A holistic approach to ‘barbarian’ migrations: cultural transformations in Germania Secunda

Van Der Meulen, Berber ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5297-0269 2024. A holistic approach to ‘barbarian’ migrations: cultural transformations in Germania Secunda. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Studies of the Late Roman Lower German frontier have often focused on the evidence for Germanic migrants from either burials, material culture or settlement forms. This thesis adopts a multi-variate approach combining data on settlements, finds and metallurgy in both Germania Secunda and Germania Magna to present a more complex picture. A long-term comparison of structural evidence, archaeobotanical data and handmade pottery from rural settlements challenges the role of migration in the changes observed in the Late Roman settlement landscape. Instead of distinct migration events, this thesis argues for long-term interactive processes such as trade, exchange and multi-directional? mobility. Dating evidence, spatial distributions and find contexts of 4540 civilian and military copper-alloy dress ornaments were examined. Some objects traditionally linked to specific social groups, such as Germanic women, are shown to have developed simultaneously across the study area, reflecting the formation of a Late Roman regional style of dress that incorporated “Germanic-style” elements. The deposition of military-associated dress accessories increased in Germania Magna in the 5th century, which may reflect veterans; belts are predominantly deposited pars pro toto in burials in Germania Magna, and occur relatively frequently in graves of women. Systematic pXRF analysis of 686 objects showed standardisation and control in the alloying and casting stages of the chaîne opératoire. Consistent differences in lead and tin contents were found between military- and civilian-associated objects, indicating that military belts and brooches were manufactured on a larger scale and in more centrally overseen workshops, which the comparison of dimensional standardisation supported. Decoration of non-Kerbschnitt military belts was variable, suggestive of a lack of centralised oversight. No major chronological changes in composition or standardisation of military belts were identified, countering previous narratives of increasingly localised 5th-century production.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology D History General and Old World > DD Germany D History General and Old World > DH Netherlands (The Low Countries) G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GT Manners and customs
Funders:	Arts and Humanities Research Council
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	3 May 2024
Date of Acceptance:	25 April 2024
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 13:44
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/168693

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