Villas, Sanctuaries and Settlement in the Romano-British Countryside: New Perspectives and Controversies

Villas, Sanctuaries and Settlement in the Romano-British Countryside had its genesis in a conference held at the British Museum in 2009 and brings together a range of papers on buildings that have been categorised as ‘villas’, mainly in Roman Britain, from the Isle of Wight to Shropshire. It comprises the first such survey for almost half a century. While some of these structures were indeed country houses and the centres of agricultural estates as their designation as ‘villas’ implies, others are here shown to have been administrative or industrial centres, hunting lodges or religious sanctuaries, or a combination of more than one such function. The art associated with these prestige structures and its relevance to their function is also considered.