ABSTRACT
These last two points are especially relevant for Late Iron Age studies in southern Britain. In recent years a detailed examination of the forms and fabrics of Roman amphorae found in pre-Roman Britain has considerably advanced our understanding of the trade contacts, chronology, and to some extent the political events of the British La Tène III period of the 1st century BC and the early 1st century AD (Peacock 1971, 1984, Williams 1981, 1986). Over the past few years an attempt has been made by the writer to collect quantitative data on amphorae from archaeological excavations so that general trends and patterns can be recognized. In some cases this has involved the counting and weighing of every amphora sherd from particular sites. Amphorae are never very plentiful in Britain, unlike the Mediterranean homeland where they tend to be commonplace, and much research effort has been directed towards the identification of the forms to which undiagnostic bodysherds belong. This chapter reviews the amphora imports to Iron Age Britain and the implications of this trade, at a time when the country lay outside of the direct political control of the Roman Empire.
