Silchester: the Iron Age and Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum: archives of antiquarian and modern excavations: a dynamic situation

The Iron Age oppidum and Roman city of Calleva Atrebatum at Silchester, Hampshire, UK has been the subject of periodic, extensive excavations since 1864. The paper reviews the changing character and potential research value of the archives generated by these excavations over time. In particular it draws attention to how developing research, particularly in bioarcheology, has drawn attention to the potential, long term research value of a wide range of materials, ecofacts and soil samples which, even if collected at the time of excavation, would have previously been discarded before deposition in a museum. These research resources demand more space and present challenges of conservation and preservation.