This edition of Britannia (like the two that preceded it) has come together during the continued turbulence caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Gradually, however, restrictions have been lifted and it has been possible to go to museums, lectures and libraries again, while those of us within universities have been able to re-engage face-to-face with students. The long-delayed RAC and TRAC conferences in Split were also finally able to go ahead and a sense of normality is returning, notwithstanding fresh challenges brought about by the ever-increasing cost of living and the uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine.
Despite the restrictions placed on people's lives by the pandemic, it has been an extraordinary period for Roman archaeology in Britain, with a range of discoveries that have hit the headlines and captured the public imagination. The mosaic depicting scenes from the Trojan War from Rutland, the extraordinary portrait heads from Stoke Mandeville and the wooden figure from Twyford all attest to the wealth of archaeological material that continues to be recovered from across the country. Several of these discoveries come from excavations in advance of the High Speed 2 rail-link construction between London and Birmingham and, notwithstanding the wide range of opinions of this scheme, there can be no doubt as to the significance of the archaeological finds that have resulted.
2022 also marks 1900 years since Hadrian's progress through the north-west frontier provinces in 121 and 122 and we have chosen to mark this occasion with a specially commissioned series of papers, which has come together under the editorship of Paul Bidwell. Hadrian and his northern frontier have long been a distinctive cornerstone in the study of Roman Britain, and it is fitting that the journal should commemorate the anniversary of a date already familiar to anyone who travels on the AD122 bus route from Hexham to Haltwhistle!
Stewardship of an institution like Britannia carries responsibilities in relation to ensuring the long-term health of the journal and the subject area, and to this end the editorial board continue to monitor the sources of submissions to the journal. Britannia authors are split between academia, the commercial sector, museums and independent scholars. While this diversity in professional background is a real strength of the journal, it presents challenges in a climate in which academic journals are increasingly moving towards ‘read and publish’ models in which authors based with institutional subscribers have easier routes to Open Access publishing. We are mindful that we need to maintain a publishing model that does not disadvantage those from outside academia.
The need to develop greater diversity in the authors submitting to the journal is also paramount and to this end I participated in a workshop alongside the editors of the Journal of Roman Studies and the Journal of Hellenic Studies. The well-attended virtual event was aimed at demystifying the process of publishing with the journals and was targeted particularly at women, non-binary people and people of other marginalised genders, and early career researchers.
This edition of Britannia is the first under my editorship and I am very grateful to Hella Eckardt for her help with the transition and her continued invaluable assistance, alongside the other members of the editorial board. I am also grateful to Michael Fulford for his ready assistance. Editing a journal alongside my ‘day job’ as head of a university department is challenging and would not be possible without the help of all these colleagues. Nick Hodgson takes over as Reviews Editor replacing Natasha Harlow and me. I am very grateful to Natasha for all her work on the reviews since we took on the role together.
All of us involved with the production of Britannia were greatly saddened by the death of Gina Coulthard, our copy editor, in early 2022. Gina first took on the Britannia role for the 2020 volume and carried out the work remotely from her home in Australia with efficiency and good humour. Despite her worsening health she continued to work on all the journals with which she was involved. She will be much missed. I am very grateful to Anne Chippindale who took on the role at short notice and has seen this volume successfully to publication.
OBITUARIES
2021 and 2022 saw the death of a number of prominent Romano-British archaeologists.
Anthony Beeson (1948–2022) was an expert on Roman and Greek art and garden design. He was archivist of the Association for Roman Archaeology and reassembled the Orpheus mosaic in Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery. Most recently he was involved in the excavation of the extraordinary mosaic at the Boxford villa (published in this issue of Britannia).
Margaret (Maggi) Darling (1939–2021) was an archaeologist and pottery specialist at the Lincoln Archaeological Trust and a former president of the Study Group for Roman pottery. She published pottery from a wide range of sites in the East of England as well as assemblages from Wroxeter and Inchtuthil and was a pioneer of techniques in quantification and pottery analysis. She also published a masterful deconstruction of the so-called ‘massacre’ at Caistor-by-Norwich (Britannia 18).
Neil Faulkner (1958–2022) published widely on late Roman Britain (notably The Decline and Fall of Roman Britain, 2020) and carried out significant doctoral research quantifying construction in late Roman towns. A revolutionary Marxist, he was a strong advocate for the ‘short and brutal’ model of the end of Roman Britain. He also carried out research on T.E. Lawrence and the Arab Revolt but will be perhaps best remembered for founding the long-running community excavations at Sedgeford in Norfolk, which have provided a generation of archaeologists with their first experience of fieldwork.
David Rudkin (1943–2021) was director of Fishbourne Roman Palace from 1979 to 2008. He oversaw Fishbourne's transition into a major educational centre. He was instrumental in refurbishment of the museum and construction of the Collections Discovery Centre and also led a number of major excavations at the site.
Roberta Tomber (1954–2022) was a leading specialist on Roman pottery and an Honorary Visiting Researcher at the British Museum. Previously she worked for the Museum of London Archaeology Service (1988–2001) and the University of Southampton (2002–2004). Although known particularly for her work on Roman pottery in the Mediterranean, she carried out important research on pottery from London and co-authored (with John Dore) The National Roman Fabric Reference Collection. A Handbook (1998).
