STUDY GROUP FOR ROMAN POTTERY - 2025 Conference

The Roman army first came to the Gloucester area c AD 49 setting up a legionary fortress at Kingsholm just north of the City, possibly to defend the crossing of the River Severn at this point. The Kingsholm site was abandoned and a second legionary fortress established on the site of Gloucester City around AD 61.

The ramparts of this fortress were still standing when the colonia was founded sometime in the last decade of the first century AD. Gloucester (Glevum) is one of only four such coloniae established in Britain and it soon became a flourishing defended Roman settlement with various public buildings, shops and houses, and extensive dockside facilities fronting the River Severn. This is reflected in the pottery arriving at the town which shows a diverse range of continental and regional imports alongside local wares. The Gloucester City type fabric series was first developed during the extensive excavations in Gloucester during the 1970s and is now available on-line.