Vivien Grace Swan (née Bishop) (12 January 1943 – 1 January 2009) was a British archaeologist. She made a significant contribution to the study of Roman pottery.[1]
Vivien Grace Swan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vivien Grace Bishop 12 January 1943 London, UK |
| Died | 1 January 2009 (aged 65) |
| Occupation | Archaeologist |
| Board member of | Rei Cretariae Romanae Fautores |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England |
Career
editSwan read archaeology at Cardiff University, graduating in 1965. In December 1965 she was appointed an investigator at the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, and was one of the first women to take up such an appointment in any of the Royal Commissions.
She learnt to excavate with Leslie Alcock at Dinas Powys hillfort whilst still at school.
As an undergraduate, she excavated with Richard J. C. Atkinson at Wayland's Smithy.[2]
In the 1990s, she identified pottery from various sites on Scotland's Antonine Wall, built by the Numidian governor of Roman Britain, Quintus Lollius Urbicus, of a North African style, one being a casserole dish that may have been a precursor to the modern tajine.[3][4]
She was awarded a DLitt from Cardiff University in 2001.
Affiliations and other activities
editSwan was a member of the Study Group for Roman Pottery since its inception in 1971. After formalisation in 1985, she served as its first President until 1990. She was an active participant in almost every conference and organised six of them.
She was a Trustee of the Rei Cretariae Romanae Fautores, an international society dedicated to the study of Roman ceramics.
Awards and honours
editLifetime achievement award at the British Archaeological Awards in November 2008 at the British Museum.[1]
Selected publications
edit- 1984. The pottery kilns of Roman Britain. RCHME.
- 1988. Pottery in Roman Britain (4th edition). Shire Archaeology.
- 1995. (with H G Welfare) Roman Camps in England: the field archaeology. RCHME.
- 2009. Ethnicity, Conquest and Recruitment: Two case studies from the Northern Military Provinces. JRA Supplementary Series 72. Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
References
edit- ^ a b Breeze, David (26 February 2009). "Vivien Swan: Expert on Roman pottery and military supply systems". The Independent.
- ^ William Manning, Tribute at Vivien Swan's memorial service, published in Ethnicity, Conquest and Recruitment: Two case studies from the Northern Military Provinces by Vivien Swan. JRA Supplementary Series 72. Portsmouth, Rhode Island 2009
- ^ Africans on the Antonine Wall? Rebecca Jones Historic Environment Scotland
- ^ Jones, Rebecca H. (2021). "What Divides Us Also Connects Us: Roman Frontiers, World Heritage and Community". The Historic Environment: Policy & Practice. 12 (2): 120–145. doi:10.1080/17567505.2021.1916703. S2CID 236625898.