Sunderland, St Mary's Way, Roman Mortarium

HER Number:
17343

District:
Sunderland

Site Name:
Sunderland, St Mary's Way, Roman Mortarium

Place:
Sunderland

Map Sheet:
NZ35NE

Class:
Monument

Site Type: Broad:

Site Type: Specific:
Findspot

General Period:
Roman

Specific Period:
C2-4

Form of Evidence:
Physical Evidence

Description:
Piece of Mancetter-Hartshill Roman mortarium rim found during a watching brief on St. Mary's Way. The rim is 81mm in length, 38mm wide and up to 12mm thick. It is in a hard, creamy-white fabric with sparse inclusions of fine (<1mm) red/brown and black particles. The rim is a reeded hammerhead type and has traces of a red-brown external wash. The edges of the sherd are worn and abraded and no grinding grits survive. Curvature suggests an original vessel diameter of c.310mm. These mortaris were manufactures between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD at Mancetter and Hartshill, Warwickshire, and had an extensive distribution in the Midlands and Northern England.

Easting:
39

Northing:
57

Grid Reference:
NZ3957

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
Archaeological Services Durham University, 2015, St. Mary's Way, Sunderland - Archaeological Watching Brief