An international team will study the tanning economy of the Roman Empire. This research project aims to uncover how leather was produced, traded and used in Ancient Rome. The study is led by Teesside University in Middlesbrough, UK. The three-year project has received EUR 1.5 million in funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through a call by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
Studying tanning in the Roman Empire
The project will examine leather artefacts from several key archaeological sites. These include Vindolanda, near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, which holds the largest collection of Roman leather objects in the Empire, as well as the sites of Trimontium in Scotland and Valkenburg and Vechten in the Netherlands. The research team will also collaborate with the Vindolanda Trust (source of the images), the National Museum of Scotland and the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, the Netherlands. Artefact analysis will be carried out using “cutting-edge scientific techniques” — including ancient DNA sequencing (palaeogenomics) — combined with the archaeological expertise that underpins the project.
The first large-scale biomolecular analysis
The project is led by an international team headed by Gillian Taylor, Professor at Teesside University. Other members include Rhiannon Stevens (University College, UK), Elizabeth M. Greene (Western University, Canada) and Matthew Breen (North Carolina State University, USA), according to a statement from Teesside University. “This work will help us understand not only how people lived, but also how they adapted, innovated and connected with one another across vast distances”, says Taylor. “It is the first large-scale biomolecular analysis of Roman-period leather. By identifying the species, sex and origin of the animals used in the tanning cycle, we can reconstruct and deepen our understanding of the socio-economic networks that sustained Roman life — from military supply chains to civilian craftsmanship”.
The appeal of archaeological leather
“Archaeological leather always captures the public’s imagination because it is fascinating to see so many shoes and everyday objects preserved from almost 2,000 years ago”, adds Greene (source: news.westernu.ca). “The project aims to fill gaps in our knowledge of the entire tanning process in antiquity, which is fundamental to understanding the impact of conquest and military occupation of the provinces by the Roman Empire. Archaeological leather has far more to tell us than might first appear”.
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