The mortarium assemblage from Wallsend is heavily biased towards second-century material, consisting of 52% (by weight) dated to the second century, 20% to the late second or early third centuries, 27% to the third or fourth centuries and less than 1% to the fourth century.
Of the mortaria dated to the second century, 60% as measured by EVES come from local or regional sources, and the rest from a wide range of other sites in Britain, with only a minimal amount of imported material. Colchester (21% of the mortaria dated to the second century) and Mancetter-Hartshill (13%) were the major suppliers from southern Britain, while the other sources (6%), although numerous, supplied only small quantities of vessels, presumably arriving as a minor element of other cargoes or as private possessions of soldiers or civilians coming to the northern frontier.
By the late second century the local industries were in decline, probably going out of business by the third century, and their wares make up less than 10% of the mortaria made during this period. Instead, Mancetter-Hartshill becomes the major supplier (34% of mortaria made in the late second/early third century), followed by Germany (23%; although it should be noted these were being made up until the end of the century). The importance of Germany as a supplier seems to be the result of the ease of maritime trade at the eastern end of the Wall, as German mortaria are rare in the central sector (Bidwell and Speak 1994, 210).
Amongst the mortaria dated to the third and fourth centuries, examples from Mancetter-Hartshill decrease slightly in importance, to be taken over by Lower Nene Valley, which supplied over half the mortaria. This seems to have been an important source at the eastern end of the Wall, making up 19% at Wallsend (by EVEs), 19% of all mortaria from South Shields (by vessel count) and 14% at Newcastle (by EVEs; Bidwell and Speak 1994, table 8.2; Bidwell and Croom 2002, table 15.6).
Very little stratified fourth-century material survives from the site. Of the 27 complete or incomplete Crambeck mortaria rims, only two were stratified (both of which were late fourth-century Corder 1937 type 8s). There were 15 Corder type 6 or related rims, dating to c.280+ and 12 late fourth-century types.
The catalogue entries include record number, original small finds number, context, location and period. The fabric examined with hand lens at X20 magnification. ‘Right facing’ and ‘left facing’ when applied to stamps indicates the relation of the stamp to the spout looking at the mortarium from the outside.
Table 22.06: Dated mortaria from excavations inside the fort, 1975–1998 (stratified and unstratified) shown as percentages of the totals
*Small quantity of non-rim sherds present in the group
Key: NRFRC = National Roman Fabric Reference Collection
1. Road 8, E09:41, 2368, WSP239 (12K).
Wt:0.020kg. Orange-brown fabric throughout except for 2mm of pale grey near underside of flange; ?cream slip. The fairly frequent, tiny to smallish, ill-sorted inclusions are mostly quartz with rare red-brown and black.
A stamp from die 1A of Anaus survives (Birley and Gillam 1948, fig. 1).
2. Area over Building 10, unstratified, E14:01, 1458, WSP241 (8K).
Wt:0.160kg. D:260mm. 16%. Pale orange-brown fabric fired almost to cream at the surface; buff-brown slip. The inclusions are fairly frequent, large to tiny and random, mostly quartz with rare brown. No trituration grit survives.
A left-facing stamp from die 1A of Anaus survives (Birley and Gillam 1948, fig. 1).
3. Area over Buildings 4 and 5, and Alley 3, unstratified, G04:01, 189, WSP245 (11K).
Wt:0.020kg. Flange fragment in fine-textured, powdery drab cream fabric, probably self-coloured. The fairly frequent inclusions are extremely tiny and almost all quartz with very rare orange-brown and perhaps black material.
The broken stamp is from die 1A of Anaus (Birley and Gillam 1948, fig. 1).
4. Nine joining sherds from Alley 1, dump of demolition material, N05:23, 296, WSP255; 4 sherds Alley 1, demolition material dump, lower fill, N05:19 (7K).
Wt:1.795kg. D:300mm. 94%. Orange-brown fabric throughout except for a thin trail of buff-brown in the flange and the edge of base; cream slip. The fairly frequent, random ill-sorted inclusions are mostly quartz with few black and red fragments. The trituration grit, concentrated mainly in the base is a mixture of smallish to large (up to 7mm) quartz, quartz sandstone, and red-brown sandstone; many fragments have fallen out.
The left- and right-stamps survive, both from die 1A of Anaus (Birley and Gillam 1948 1A).
5. Area over Road 4 and north fort wall; unstratified, Q04:35, WSP96 (36K).
Wt:0.178kg. D:280mm. 19%. Hard, orange-brown fabric throughout with cream slip. The fairly frequent, tiny to small inclusions are mostly quartz with very rare black material. No trituration grit survives.
Parts of the left- and right-facing stamps survive from die 1A of Anaus (Birley and Gillam 1948, fig. 1).
6. Area over Building 12, unstratified, WSP153 (40K).
Wt:0.020kg. Flange fragment in slightly powdery, very pale pinkish-brown fabric with grey core; no slip determined. The fairly frequent, ill-sorted inclusions consist mainly of quartz with rare brown material.
The broken and poorly impressed stamp is from die 1A of Anaus (Birley and Gillam 1948, fig. 1). AD120–160
7. Area over Building 1 and Alley 1, unstratified, N05:02, 62, WSP252 (13K). Other sherds which are probably from same vessel but do not join: Alley 1, dump of demolition material, N05:23; Surface over Building 1, Period 4 or later, N04:11 (four small joining flange fragments and 1 sherd not joining).
Wt:0.085kg. D: c.260mm 7% (+11%). Very hard, finetextured, orange-brown fabric with thick blackish core and cream slip. There are moderate to fairly frequent, tiny to small inclusions, mostly quartz with some pebbly redbrown.
The broken stamp is from die 1B of Anaus (Birley and Gillam 1948, fig. 1). AD120–160. Anaus had a range of fabrics and this is the easiest one to recognize.
8. Road 4, N04:21, 511, WSP253 (10K).
Wt: 0.011kg. Flange fragment in orange-brown fabric with lighter, almost drab cream core and cream slip. The fairly frequent, ill-sorted inclusions are mostly quartz with rare black and red-brown material.
The very fragmentary stamp is probably from die 1B of Anaus (Birley and Gillam 1948, fig. 1).
9. Six joining sherds plus one other, Alley 1, upper layers, N05:07, 290, WSP254; one sherd, Alley 1, dump of demolition material, lower level, N05:23 (14K).
Wt:1.140kg. D:290mm. 8%.Very hard, fine-textured, orangebrown fabric with buff-brown core and cream slip. The fairly frequent inclusions are extremely tiny, mostly quartz with rare red-brown material. The fairly frequent trituration grit is composed entirely of milky quartz and is confined largely to the lower half of the vessel. Worn.
Two joining sherds have the incomplete, left-facing stamp of die 1B of Anaus (Birley and Gillam 1948, fig. 1).
10. Thirteen sherds, intervallum road (Road 4), primary surface, P04:10, 170, WSP259; one sherd with modern break, Alley 1, dump of demolition material, lowest level, N05:23 (15K).
Wt: 0.420kg. D:280mm. 13%. The fabric and trituration grit are in every way identical to no. 10 above, but the survival of parts of the two spouts leave no doubt that they are different vessels. This example has dents in the ends of the spout, a characteristic typical of Anaus.
The incompletely impressed left-facing stamp is from die 1B of Anaus (Birley and Gillam 1948, fig. 1).
Also:
10.2. Alley 1, dump of demolition material, N05:23.
Wt:0.190kg. D:290mm. 10%. No stamp surviving (eight joining sherds and one base sherd not necessarily from same vessel). The seven joining sherds are from a third mortarium in identical fabric, which can be attributed to Anaus.
11. Area over Road 9 and Alley 5, unstratified, H14:23, WSP95 (37K).
Wt:0.444kg. D:340mm. 20%. Five joining sherds making up about a quarter of a mortarium in orange-brown fabric with drab core and traces of cream slip. The fairly frequent inclusions are mostly quartz with some red-brown material. The abundant trituration grit is mostly quartz with quartz sandstone and red-brown material. Worn.
The stamp was too damaged in antiquity for identification. One letter survives, either V or reversed N; it is likely to be a stamp of Anaus, perhaps the middle letter of die 1Bi (Birley and Gillam 1948), but certainty is not possible. North of England, possibly Binchester or Corbridge. Probably AD120–160.
12. Post-Roman rubble over drain in Road 9, H15:06, WSP98 (38K).
Wt:0.020kg. D:300mm. 6%. Flange fragment in very hard orange-brown fabric with pale grey core and cream slip. The fairly frequent, ill-sorted inclusions are mostly quartz with rare red-brown and black material.
The poorly impressed, fragmentary stamp is likely to be a stamp of Anaus, but it does not match his nearest stamps, die 1B, exactly. Probably AD120–160.
13. Alley 10/Building 17 surface, G05:06, 403, WSP246. Wt:0.058kg. D:290mm. 6.5%. Fine-textured, orange-brown fabric with thin brownish core in flange and cream slip. The fairly frequent inclusions are mostly quartz with some red-brown; the inclusions are small to tiny with few larger.
The left-facing, incompletely impressed stamp is from die 1C of Anaus (Birley and Gillam 1948, fig. 1).
