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The Roman Pottery of Kent
by Dr Richard J. Pollard  -  Chapter 7  page 197
Doctoral thesis completed in 1982, published 1988

CONCLUSIONS

The preceding chapters have presented a description and analysis of the trends in the development of production, importation and dispersal of pottery in Kent from the first to the fifth century A.D. The patterns that have been propounded evince complex networks of trade/exchange connections both within the region and between it, neighbouring and more distant regions, which change in directions and intensity several times during the course of the period. These changes may be gradual, as with the expansion of the Oxfordshire industry’s market during the third century, or abrupt, such as the flood of samian that entered Britain in the Flavian period. Certain elements of the network remain comparatively stable over a period of centuries, such as the parallel development of forms and fabrics in north Kent and south Essex, the apparent dominance of the Upchurch industry of the market for  beakers, and the isolation of east Kent from west Kent in

coarse ware exchange.
   The principle adopted in defining the various elements in these networks has been to work from known production units, whose styles are frequently quite distinct from one another. These units, — the Canterbury sandy ware kilns, the ‘BB2’/grey ware kilns of the lower Thames area, the Brockley Hill-Verulamium kilns, for example — form a framework for discussion of many aspects of production, importation and dispersal, but they only produced a part of the total pottery found in Kent. The remainder has been divided on the grounds of fabric and form into ‘wares’ such as ‘Patch Grove’, early shelly, and late grogged. The system is not dissimilar to that employed by Cunliffe (1978) in his work on Iron Age pottery. In this, Cunliffe argues that ‘the only value to be gained from defining minor regional variations

Page 197

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