I. MODES OF PRODUCTION
Peacock, on the basis of extensive ethnographical research, has provided a
series of models of production systems that might have operated in the Roman
Empire (1982, 6—11). These are, starting with the simplest, household
production, household industry, individual workshop, nucleated workshops,
and manufactory. Two variants are also proposed, estate production and
official production, the latter including military output. Three of these
models are of particular relevance to pottery production in Roman Kent:
household industry, individual workshop and nucleated workshops. Their
characteristics as defined by Peacock may be summarised as follows (see also
van der Leeuw 1977).
Household Industry: A secondary, part-time,
non-essential means of livelihood, commonly associated with impoverished
farming communities seeking to supplement their income and practised in the
spare time that the farming calendar allowed. Any aids to production will be
simple; for example, a turntable and oven or crude kiln, and permanent
industrial sheds are unnecessary. Products tend to be coarse kitchen wares,
often of a high resilience and are aimed at all types of community within a
confined area which may
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nonetheless be of considerable size. Long-distance marketing is also
sometimes practised.
Individual Workshop: A major source of subsistence,
essential to the livelihood of the potter but often only part-time. The use
of kilns and potter’s wheels is usual. Permanent industrial sheds need not
be built, although it is usual for a wheel to be housed under cover (Rudling
1986). Rural tenant potter-farmers may have manned the bulk of individual
workshops, working singly or with a small group of assistants in a sedentary
existence, and perhaps adopting an itinerant mode in order to serve
dispersed communities and produce cumbersome or very low-value items without
incurring inordinately high transport costs. The distribution from any one
kiln site is usually extremely restricted, and may be oriented towards the
most lucrative markets. In the Romano-British context ‘grey wares’ are
particularly characteristic products, along with storage jars and ceramic
building materials. Fine wares are seldom produced. A rural location is
usual, as the existence of a large population nucleus is likely to encourage
aggregation.
Nucleated Workshops: The primary means of subsistence,
any other activities being wholly subsidiary. The highest available
technology will be exploited and drying sheds may be built in
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