My ‘great site’ this month is one close to many people’s hearts. When I think of the locations that embody the best of Current Archaeology as a magazine and British archaeology as a community, I consistently alight on Fishbourne Roman Palace in West Sussex. This site has it all – great coverage in the magazine, enthusiastic public engagement, stunning finds, and charismatic custodians.
CUNLIFFE COMMENCES
Although evidence for Roman activity in the area had been known since the early 19th century, the story of Fishbourne formally commences in 1960, when workers for the Portsmouth Water Company discovered the foundations of a building north of the main road when digging a trench for a water main. The first excavations were initiated by the Sussex Archaeological Society, directed by the then little known (and prodigiously young – aged only 21) archaeologist Barry Cunliffe between 1961 and 1968. Current Archaeology entered the stage at this point, when CA 6 (January 1968) reported on work up to this date. By this time, the general layout and main phasing of the building had been established, the famous mosaics carefully uncovered, and the site’s socio-economic context – especially its possible links to the ‘client king’ Cogidubnus – considered: see CA 324 (March 2017) for a more modern take on the latter.
CA 6’s 1968 column is a beautiful piece of archaeological writing and a reminder of just how skilled the team who undertook this excavation was. The value of their work and the significance of the site were shown again in CA 9 (July 1968), which reported on the new museum that was swiftly built there, attracting more than 100,000 visitors in the first eight weeks of opening – heady numbers by any standard. Jumping ahead in terms of the chronology of the site’s coverage, CA 100 (June 1986) discusses some of this wider context in a fascinating interview with Barry Cunliffe: at its peak, 120 volunteers a day were working there in eight-week cycles, which is huge by modern-day standards, but which was not even the biggest project under way at that time – the teams then working at Winchester and South Cadbury were even larger.
RUDKIN REINTERPRETS
In terms of pure reporting on the site, Current Archaeology went quiet after 1968 for nearly 30 years until 1997. However, I flag four articles that are worth a read between these dates, all of which refer to Fishbourne: first, CA 21 (July 1970), which examined the overall evidence for Roman villas in Britain and is a fascinating ‘state of the nation’ review at this time; second and third, CA 29 (November 1971) and
CA 71 (April 1980) on Romano-British mosaics, considering both their artistic schools (geographically varied) and their physical state (worryingly poor – see CA 398, May 2023, for more cheerful modern reporting on their condition); and finally, CA 102 (November 1986), examining finds of relief-patterned flue-tiles, among the most distinctive tiles of Roman Britain and found widely on sites across the country, including at Fishbourne.
The palace may not have often featured in the pages of Current Archaeology in this era, but it was in the minds of many, and the history of the site at this point is usefully told in retrospect in CA 217 (April 2008), in an interview with David Rudkin, director of the site between 1979 and 2008. When new fieldwork was initiated in 1996, there was no shortage of support, and Current Archaeology was soon back on site, reporting first in CA 152 (April 1997), then in CA 165 (October 1999), and again in CA 187 (August 2003). Intriguingly, the first of these articles mentions fieldwork undertaken in 1983 to the east of the palace, which was, much to my surprise, not reported on by the magazine at the time. Thankfully, CA 152 outlined the new position: the 1983 fieldwork led to excavations in 1995-1999 and again in 2002, which identified an enigmatic structure from the pre-palace period. Was this part of an early fort on the site, a construction workshop, or something else? By CA 165, the team were no closer to a clear understanding of these features, but by CA 187 the lead excavators, John Manley and David Rudkin, were willing to share their views on the pre-Roman/early Roman history of the site, including a ‘proto-palace’ and bathhouse to the east, built as part of the gradual Romanisation of the communities there and more widely across south-east England.
Moving on to more recent explorations, CA 249 (December 2010) is a useful reminder that, at a site like Fishbourne, the research never really stops. With such a wealth of materials from such a large site, there is always room for new analyses, such as that reported in this issue of the uses of the semi precious stone lapis lazuli there, the earliest known such example in Britain. The report in CA 352 (July 2019) on the evidence for Roman rabbits (yes, really) from there is another example in this vein.
While large-scale fieldwork may no longer be a priority, the process of rediscovery continues: CA 340 (July 2018) summed up the many strands of research, engagement, curation, and consolidation undertaken over the 50 years since the museum first opened, and also showed why the site and its custodians continue to be so influential, proud of their past but never resting on their laurels, as full of energy, enthusiasm, and new ideas in 2018 as they were in 1968. Most recently, and new ideas in 2018 as they were in 1968. Most recently, CA 379 (October 2021) shared a similar story of achievement among the wider professional community supporting the museum as part of the series of sites cared for by the Sussex Archaeological Society, founded in 1846 and working as energetically as ever across the county 175 years later. And the wider landscape of research continues to contribute too: see, for example, CA 387 (June 2022) on recent finds from Roman Chichester, and CA 409 (April 2024) on evidence for the army in Roman Britain, both of which refer to Fishbourne. Elsewhere in this issue of the magazine you can see some of the latest interpretations of data from the site – see this month’s ‘Context’ on pp.16-17. Fishbourne continues to delve, discover, and deliver, 65 years after its discovery; the museum remains a delight to visit; and its team are consistently among the most cheerful custodians that you will encounter. It’s a winning combination.
For more information about Fishbourne, see https://sussexpast.co.uk/attraction/ fishbourne-roman palace. The museum is usually open seven days a week, but please check in advance of any visit. The museum is one of several cared for by the Sussex Archaeological Society: see https://sussexpast.co.uk. sussexpast.co.uk/attraction/ fishbourne-roman-palace.
About the author
Joe Flatman completed a PhD in medieval archaeology at the University of Southampton in 2003, and since then has held positions in universities, and local and – most recently – central government. Since March 2019, he has been a Consultancy Manager in the National Trust’s London and South-East Region, leading a team working on Trust sites across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. You can follow him on X: @joeflatman.
