07-22-2007, 09:05 PM
Quote:It could be argued that rubbish pits seldom reflect the day-to-day use of a site but rather reflect the end of the life of a site.I absolutely take your point, Mike. (And welcome back to RAT!) And, furthermore, I accept that the following tidbit from Inchtuthil is perhaps not the best example to generalise from.
But it is interesting that, in the few barrack blocks that Richmond investigated "properly" (?), he found evidence that "Rubbish pits had been dug along the verandah, one per contubernium; their shape suggests that they were wicker-lined; a removable basket would make emptying easier. These pits were mainly used for food refuse; their contents included animal bones" (Pitts & St Joseph, [amazon]Inchtuthil. The Roman Legionary Fortress[/amazon], p. 151).
Incidentally, this is a very good example of how rumours start! Richmond's own drawings show clearly that, although there were several pits, there wasn't "one per contubernium", and I'm not sure how the shape of a pit is supposed to prove that it was once wicker-lined! The final report omitted any study of animal bones, so it's not clear exactly what Richmond found in his verandah rubbish pits. :roll:
