This book discusses the variety of settlements in Roman Britain that can be grouped under the neccessarily broad title of 'village' and aims to reduce the confusion in terminology that exists in Roman rural studies. The existence of the village as a recognisable Romano-British settlement type is demonstrated, with references to many example sites. The Iron Age background is briefly examined in terms of its village-type settlements, and in the Roman period considerable continuity is demonstrated in highland areas, using regional examples from the northern frontier and Cornwall. The smaller and poorer settlements of the lowlands are also examined. These basically agricultural communities are investigated in terms of such features as building types and economy. In the section concercing more prosperous lowland settlements, a particular region - the Cambridge Fens - is discussed in detail in the light of recent research. A large chapter deals with the type of settlements known as 'small towns'. Terminology is reviewed, and other aspects referred to include settlement origins, development, affluence and economic activity, as well as their possible administrative and military roles, using evidence from a wide range of sites. Villages in the-post Roman period are discussed, as is the historical evidence relating to villages from other provinces of the empire.
