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Tintagel

Trans-European connections in the post-Roman world

Project description

This three-year project will provide a detailed assessment and analysis of the internationally significant post-Roman imported ceramic assemblage from Tintagel, Cornwall.

This would represent a major contribution to the knowledge of Britain and Europe during the fifth to seventh centuries AD – specifically the:

  • nature of connections between the East Mediterranean and Atlantic
  • evolution of contacts between communities living along the Atlantic Seaboard
  • function of exotic commodities within the emerging societies and political structures of late antique/early medieval Western Europe
Tintagel, Cornwall

Collaboration with the Fitch Laboratory

The project involves a one-year collaboration with the Fitch Laboratory at the British School at Athens, which will enable a detailed scientific examination of the studied assemblage.

A comprehensive, illustrated catalogue of the pottery will be produced, complemented by a digital archive. After 80 years of excavations, establishing the origins, range and quantity of material from Tintagel will allow a detailed reconsideration of the site in its British, Atlantic and international context during this crucial period of European transformation.

The project is grateful for the support from The Duchy of Cornwall, English Heritage, The Royal Cornwall Museum, The British Museum, and Cornwall Archaeology Unit for accessing collections.

Project dates: 2018 - 2022

Sponsors: British Academy

Partners: Fitch Laboratory