Papers by Victoria Leitch
International audienceLes travaux qui composent cette publication sont issus de l’atelier doctora... more International audienceLes travaux qui composent cette publication sont issus de l’atelier doctoral Fish & Ships. Production et commerce des salsamenta durant l’Antiquité, qui s’est tenu à Rome du 18 au 22 juin 2012, à l’École française de Rome et à la British School at Rome.L’objectif de cette rencontre était de réunir sur une longue durée des spécialistes de la recherche sur la conservation du poisson et sur son commerce durant l’Antiquité, des spécialistes de céramique, mais également des chercheurs travaillant sur l’économie, tout cela dans un double objectif : à la fois faire le point sur des zones qui désormais sont les vitrines de nos disciplines : l’Afrique et la péninsule Ibérique pour ne pas les citer, mais également mettre l’accent sur des zones ou des périodes qui sont encore trop peu connues ou étudiées.L’ouvrage est composé en trois chapitres, respectivement dédiés à des approches historiographiques et technologiques, aux études archéologiques sur l’Afrique et enfin à c...
The Chora of Metaponto 4, 2012
Libyan Studies, 2008
The second season of the Desert Migrations Project took place in January 2008, with work followin... more The second season of the Desert Migrations Project took place in January 2008, with work following several substrands. The Burials and Identity component of the project is the subject of this report. Excavation and survey work were concentrated in the Watwat embayment, expanding on, and completing the work begun in 2007. Forty burials have now been excavated from the approximately 2,500 surveyed by the project team in a series of different cemeteries and burial zones within the closed valley that cuts back into the escarpment of the Massak, approximately 3 km southwest of Jarma. The most exciting discovery this year was the recovery of two mummified bodies from the UAT008 cemetery, along with further well-preserved textiles, including some exquisitely woven multi-coloured fragments. Another major discovery was a richly furnished Garamantian burial (UAT050.T5), containing numerous imported vessels (fineware, glass and amphorae) from the Roman world. Additional excavations included tw...
Antiquité Tardive, 2013
Les fermes fortifiées et les autres sites pareillement défendus marquaient les paysages de l'Afri... more Les fermes fortifiées et les autres sites pareillement défendus marquaient les paysages de l'Afrique du Nord au cours de l'Antiquité Tardive. Leur présence a été relevée dans toutes les provinces romaines de l'Afrique du Nord, même dans les zones au-delà des frontières, comme le coeur de la contrée des Garamantes dans le Fezzan (Sud-Ouest de la Libye). Huit types de fortifications sont ici définis afin de servir de base à un réexamen de la diffusion des fortifications rurales publiées à la suite des principales prospections archéologiques conduites dans ces régions. On constate de nettes prédominances régionales (par exemple les villages fortifiés en Numidie, les temples et mausolées convertis en maisons carrées dans la steppe tunisienne et les églises fortifiées en Cyrénaïque). Toutefois, dans presque tous les régions, les sites fortifiés jouent un rôle essentiel dans le hiérarchie des établissements. En Tripolitaine et au Fezzan, par exemple, ces sites fortifiés sont majoritaires. Les constructions le plus précoces sont datées du 2e siècle après J.-C. et leur occupation a continué jusqu'à l'époque islamique, mais, en Libye au moins, le pic des constructions se situe au cours du 4e siècle. Bien que certains sites fortifiés s'inspirent de modèles militaires, on soutient l'hypothèse que loin d'être stimulé par l'armée romaine, ce phénomène de protection doit être interprété dans un contexte de faiblesse de l'autorité centrale et d'essor de l'indépendance régionale. Fortified farms and other fortified sites were a key component of the Late Antique landscapes of North Africa. Their presence has been noted in all the Roman provinces in North Africa and in areas beyond the frontier such as the Garamantian heartlands of Fazzan (south-west Libya). Eight broad morphological types are proposed and are the basis for a review of the distribution of rural fortifications from all major archaeological surveys. There are strong regional preferences (e.g. fortified villages in Numidia, temples and mausolea converted into block houses in the Tunisian steppe and fortified churches in Cyrenaica). However, in almost all areas fortified sites were important elements in the settlement hierarchy and in Tripolitania and Fazzan, for instance, they were the dominant settlement form. The earliest constructions have been dated to the 2nd century AD and their development continued into the Islamic period, but. In Libya at least, there was a peak in construction in the 4th century. Although some of the types of fortified site seem to follow military models, It is suggested that rather than simple emulation of the Roman army, these fortifications should be seen in the context of a weakening central authority and growing regional independence.
Libyan Studies, 2012
In October-November 2010 a pilot survey was carried out along the coastal landscape west of Lepci... more In October-November 2010 a pilot survey was carried out along the coastal landscape west of Lepcis Magna from the Villa of the Odeon. Intensive new building activities, in particular the development of tourist villages and luxury villas, made this archaeological survey particularly urgent. Earlier plans for a longer programme of research over several years were interrupted by the revolution in Libya; however, it is hoped that work can resume in the near future, and in the meantime the first overview of the season is given here. The survey revealed 52 ancient sites, including productive villas, ceramic kilns, sites equipped for oil and/or wine production and fish processing installations. This survey adds to previous archaeological work in the area and highlights the importance, wealth and economic role of the coastline of Lepcis Magna within the Roman Empire: not only do we see dense occupation, but also a wide range of activities, whether agricultural or the exploitation of marine ...
Nouvelles données sur les pots dits « à garum » du Latium, d'après les découvertes subaquatiques ... more Nouvelles données sur les pots dits « à garum » du Latium, d'après les découvertes subaquatiques du Rhône (Arles)
Libyan Studies, 2010
The fourth season of the Burials and Identity component of the Desert Migrations Project in 2010 ... more The fourth season of the Burials and Identity component of the Desert Migrations Project in 2010 focused on completion of excavation work at two main cemeteries (TAG001 and TAG012) and smaller-scale sampling work at a number of nearby cemeteries. The investigation of a number of burials in a semi-nucleated escarpment cemetery TAG063 produced interesting new information on Proto-Urban Garamantian funerary rites, dating to the latter centuries BC. The excavations at TAG001 were extended to two areas of the cemetery characterised by different burial types to the stepped tombs that were excavated in 2009. A second type of fairly monumental burial was identified, but these had been heavily robbed and it was not possible to demonstrate conclusively that these pre-dated the stepped tombs. Most of the other burials excavated were simple shaft burials and were relatively sparsely furnished with imported goods, in comparison with the larger tombs, though quite a lot of organic material was id...
The Desert Migrations Project is a new interdisciplinary and multi-dimensional collaborative proj... more The Desert Migrations Project is a new interdisciplinary and multi-dimensional collaborative project between the Society for Libyan Studies and the Department of Antiquities. The geographical focus of the study is the Fazzan region of southwest Libya and in thematic terms we aim to address the theme of migration in the broadest sense, encompassing the movement of people, ideas/knowledge and material culture into and out of Fazzan, along with evidence of shifting climatic and ecological boundaries over time. The report describes the principal sub-strands of the project's first season in January 2007, with some account of research questions, methods employed and some preliminary results. Three main sub-projects are reported on. The first concerns the improved understanding of long-term climatic and environmental changes derived from a detailed palaeoenvironmental study of palaeolake sediments. This geo-science work runs alongside and feeds directly into both archaeological sub-pr...
The 'Burials and Identity' team of the Desert Migrations Project carried out two main e... more The 'Burials and Identity' team of the Desert Migrations Project carried out two main excavations in the 2009 season, at the monumental Garamantian cemeteries of TAG001 and TAG012, by the Taqallit headland. In addition, a detailed survey was made of cemeteries and other sites on the west side of the Taqallit headland, to set the two main cemetery excavations in context. A total of over 2,100 individual burials was recorded in this small area of a few square kilometres. This cemetery survey was combined with further research on the well-preserved foggara systems in this area, which originate at the escarpment among the cemeteries and run in a north-westerly direction towards the valley centre, where some additional Garamantian settlement sites were also located. The foggara research also involved excavation at four locations to try to elucidate issues relating to the dating of these. A total of 22 burials was investigated at TAG001, an imposing cemetery of stone-built stepp...
Trade in the Ancient Sahara and Beyond
This book, and the conference upon which it was based, were funded by: the Oxford Roman Economy P... more This book, and the conference upon which it was based, were funded by: the Oxford Roman Economy Project (OxREP), University of Oxford; a private contribution from Jim Ball (former FAO forestry director, and Commonwealth forests director); the British School at Rome; and the Finnish Institute of Rome. The editors would also like to acknowledge the support of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, and the Department of Archaeology (University of Sydney).
This thesis is a comprehensive investigation of Roman African cookwares that examines their contr... more This thesis is a comprehensive investigation of Roman African cookwares that examines their contribution to studies on the consequences of the incorporation of Africa into the Roman imperial economy. It aims to synthesise and analyse the most significant evidence and examines how the flow of capital, technical knowledge and people, between provinces and regions, affected production, trade and distribution trends. The technology and organisation of Roman African cookware production are examined first, in order to create a solid foundation for the following distribution study. Scientific analyses of African cookware samples from production and consumption sites offer important additions to our knowledge of the fabric composition, technical superiority, provenance and movement of these wares around the Mediterranean. The key discussion focuses on the commercial dynamics of Roman African cookwares from local, regional and Mediterranean-wide perspectives. Beginning at the production site...
L’ouvrage de Pol Trousset, publie en 1974, fournit l’etat le plus avance de l’inventaire des site... more L’ouvrage de Pol Trousset, publie en 1974, fournit l’etat le plus avance de l’inventaire des sites de la portion du limes tripolitanus situee entre le Chott el-Jerid et la frontiere tuniso-libyenne mais ce n’est qu’a partir de cette date que des prospections complementaires, effectuees par Roger Guery en 1974 et 1981, ont permis d’adjoindre a ce dossier un volet ceramologique, publie en 1986, permettant de “poser quelques jalons chronologiques sur la duree d’occupation” de ces sites.La revision de l’etude de R. Guery montre que la penetration des ceramiques mediterraneennes ou des grands ateliers africains destines a l’exportation outre-mer ne semble pas depasser la region du Tebaga, ou des ouvrages militaires, notamment le fort de Vezereos, “verrouillent” l’acces a la mer, distante seulement d’une soixantaine de kilometres. Les regions plus a l’ouest, notamment les sites du limes de Numidie prospectes par R. Guery, semblent plutot integres a un modele de developpement propre a l’Af...
This article provides a brief summary of the preliminary survey season at Lepcis Magna. A fuller ... more This article provides a brief summary of the preliminary survey season at Lepcis Magna. A fuller report will be published in the Journal of Libyan Studies 43 (2012). The clay analysis and a short summary of the ceramic finds are published by Leitch, V. in the Journal of Libyan Studies 42 (2011).
The First Libyan Pottery Workshop, held in July 2014 in the Society for Libyan Studies archives a... more The First Libyan Pottery Workshop, held in July 2014 in the Society for Libyan Studies archives at the University of Leices-ter, set out to review the pottery samples from the Ghirza excavations and the Libyan Valleys Survey. A new archaeological and archaeometrical (petrographical) examination of these sherds (some of them previously published by John W. Hayes and John Dore in 1984 and 1996) allowed us to better characterise the Red Slip ware production of the pre-desert region of Tripolitania between the end of the 2 nd and the 7 th century. a new archaeological and archaeometrical examination of red sliP ware from the ghirza excavations and the libyan valleys survey this short, preliminary study is based on a pottery workshop carried out in July 2014 at the University of Leicester, in collaboration with the Centre Camille Jullian (aix-en-Provence). 1 the aim of the project was to examine and scientifically analyse a selection of pottery sherds from the Society for Libyan Studies ...
Fish & Ships
Nouvelles données sur les pots dits « à garum » du Latium, d'après les découvertes subaquatiques ... more Nouvelles données sur les pots dits « à garum » du Latium, d'après les découvertes subaquatiques du Rhône (Arles)
Mélanges de l’École française de Rome. Antiquité
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Papers by Victoria Leitch