A Late Roman Well at Heslington East, York: ritual or routine practices?

Abstract

The supply of fresh water is a central requirement for human settlement. This article discusses evidence associated with the construction, use and demise of a late-Roman well recently excavated at Heslington East near York, UK. It seeks to suggest that, by a holistic analysis of all archaeological evidence, we can distinguish the ideological from the functional dynamics that made up the site formation processes within this feature. The assemblages that evidence these activities might be considered mundane in some respects but their integrated assessment, along with a detailed examination of depositional and formation processes in the feature, produces compelling evidence for what has been termed 'structured deposition'.

Keywords

• structured deposition
• site formation process
• symbolic practice
• closure deposits
• water
• Roman
• well
• waterhole
• faunal remains
• York