ABSTRACT
Twenty years ago, our understanding of the Roman countryside on the Lower Danube was limited because few sites had been excavated, and most were inadequately published (Poulter, 1983b). Systematic survey had not begun to exploit the potential of an unexplored landscape. Since then, archaeology has contributed further detail, despite the fact that political changes in the late 1980s were accompanied by severe financial restraints, slowing the pace of both rescue and research excavation. But the most significant development has been a reappraisal of existing evidence, challenging assumptions about the form and social structure of settlements. This new research direction is supported by fieldwork designed to meet specific objectives and by the application of fresh methodologies, developed to provide the requisite data. Amongst other results, this approach has contributed to the breakdown of stereotypical divisions between the traditional categories of settlement and is now widening our understanding of the ancient landscape, suggesting a much more diverse and subtle picture than I – or others – had previously thought.
