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University of Sheffield

The economy of the Roman south Pennines with particular reference to the lead extraction industry in its national context.

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This thesis aims to assess the archaeological evidence for the economy of the upland south Pennines in the Romano—British period.It is particularly directed towards examining the role of lead mining in the national context of that industry.The initial chapters examine the Iron Age,historical and natural backgrounds,the probable size of the population and the available transport system of the area.Chapter 6 examines the major sites within and on the periphery of the area,paying particular attention to the economic basis of military vici and the contrast with civil towns. Chapter 7 examines the highly limited evidence for rural settlement.The evidence for the lead (and perhaps silver) extraction industry,mainly the pigs or inscribed blocks which it produced, is examined in detail from a number of standpoints in Chapter 8.The evidence for the national industry,not just that of Derbyshire,is examined since it provides a vital context for the specific example under study.All the extant pips are listed in a detailed catalogue (Appendix 1) and some further implications of their study are considered in Appendices 2 and 3.Ancient and modern comparative evidence is also cited for the lead industry and a model for its nature is suggested in Chapter 9. A number of conclusions,mainly provisional because of the often incomplete evidence,are reached.It is suggested that military vici enjoyed only a limited integration into the more general economy of the area.However,it is clear that the south of the study area was more developed than the north.This is attributed to three factors,the importance of the lead industry,the spa function of Buxton and to strategic concerns.

Degree

thesis:*
Name dc:type.qualificationname
Ph.D
Level dc:type.qualificationlevel
doctoral
Grantor dc:publisher.institution
University of Sheffield
Year dc:date.issued
1990

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Dearne, Martin J

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Identifier
uk.bl.ethos.240819
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:etheses.whiterose.ac.uk:1789

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
White Rose University Consortium
Base URL
etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/cgi/oai2
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Dearne, Martin J. The economy of the Roman south Pennines with particular reference to the lead extraction industry in its national context.. doctoral thesis, University of Sheffield, 1990.