ARA3021 : Frontier Communities of Roman Britain
- Offered for Year: 2026/27
- Module Leader(s): Professor Rob Collins
- Owning School: History, Classics and Archaeology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The sheer quantity of information available for the frontiers of Roman Britain allows unparalleled opportunities for archaeological analysis.
This module aims to:
1. Introduce students to the archaeology of frontiers and Romano-British society.
2. Develop students’ ability to work with archaeological evidence from the frontier zone.
3. Explore and assess the degree to which theories of community, ethnicity and identity can illuminate the archaeological record.
Outline Of Syllabus
This course will not only examine the fascinating structures and settlements that formed Rome’s frontier systems, focusing on Hadrian's Wall with supplementary evidence from the Gask Line, the Stanegate, and the Antonine Wall, it will also investigate the remarkably diverse communities which lived and worked in their vicinity. We will ask what archaeology can tell us of these different groups. In each case, whether discussing the diverse contingents of successive Roman garrisons or the varied civilian populations that interacted with them, we will gain rich insight into life in Northern Britain under imperial rule.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 64 | 1:00 | 64:00 | for 2 assessments, 30 hours toward the essay and 34 hours toward the research paper |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | 1 lecture per week |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 33 | 1:00 | 33:00 | 3 hours reading per week supporting lectures |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 1 | 8:00 | 8:00 | A full-day fieldtrip practical. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 1 | 3:00 | 3:00 | One practical session in the Great North Museum (no cost) focusing on material culture and display of Hadrian's Wall. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | 1 seminar per week |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 27 | 1:00 | 27:00 | 3 hours per week for seminar preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 43 | 1:00 | 43:00 | general consolidation activities |
| Total | 200:00 |
Jointly Taught With
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| ARA8030 | Frontier Communities of Roman Britain |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The structure of the course ensures that students acquire detailed knowledge of sites, with extensive experience of finds materials, with an appreciation of wider synthesis.
Lecture materials will introduce topics and provide expert orientation and exposition on a broad range of themes and issues, supplemented by the module reading list, imparting core knowledge. In-person lectures will provide opportunities for dialogue, while lecture materials can be reviewed at any time across the week and revisited numerous times afterwards.
Seminars will also consolidate the learning progress from lectures, lecture materials, and weekly readings by
enabling students to focus on connected issues and material in greater depth. Seminars will be student-led and
facilitated by teaching staff, and will hinge upon group discussion and debate about materials circulated in advance (for example, sets of evidence, scholarship, and questions).
Two practicals provide students with direct experience of examining primary archaeological remains and artefacts, including a fieldtrip to Hadrian's Wall and a session in the Great North Museum.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 2 | A | 60 | 2,500 words |
| Portfolio | 2 | M | 40 | 1,500 words |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The Portfolio and Essay examine students’ understandings of key concepts, and allows students to develop expertise in one particular area (building knowledge in outcomes 1, 2, and 3).
The Portfolio is set mid-module (1,500 words, 40%), an acts as a feed-forward formative development to further underpin skills and knowledge required for the final module assessment (Essay at 2,500 words worth 60%).
Submitted work tests intended knowledge and skills outcomes, develops key skills in research, reading and writing.
All of the assessments for this module will be submitted and marked online.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- ARA3021's Timetable