According to the ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy, the Parisi tribe occupied the area of the present-day East Riding of Yorkshire during the Roman period. Over the last few decades our understanding of this region and its inhabitants has been transformed through the work of research projects, archaeological investigation, and even chance finds. Discoveries including the Hasholme logboat, chariot burials, hoards of Iron Age gold coins and Roman settlements and villas have all helped to develop our knowledge of this area and provide a fascinating insight into the lives of a local tribe and the impact of Rome on their development. In The Parisi: Britons and Romans in Eastern Yorkshire, Peter Halkon tells this captivating story of the history of the archaeology of the Parisi, from the initial investigations in the sixteenth century right through to modern-day investigations.
Peter Halkon provides a highly valuable volume which gives an insight into how and why people lived where they did in Iron Age and Roman Eastern Yorkshire.
The author explains how the geography of the landscape influenced the peoples of the area, something which is often forgotten in many texts. It explores the rich and distinctive archaeology of Iron Age and Roman Eastern Yorkshire within its landscape setting and assesses the extent of Roman impact on the region. By looking at the initial investigations in the sixteenth century through to the most modern high-tech analysis.
The book focuses on the Parisi, who were a Celtic tribe which occupied areas of eastern Yorkshire. The boundaries of their territory have not hitherto been clear, but, as recent flood events have shown, old river-tributary routes linked many settlements and archaeological finds and suggest occupation patterns from Scarborough to Brough, the probable site of Petuaria their capital, mentioned in Ptolemy’s Geographica. Situated on a tidal inlet from the Humber, from it they could reach as far as Market Weighton (and nearby Arras) by boat, and through other river systems well into the region.
He discusses the funerary traditions, such as chariot burial, burials with swords and spearheads, pigs and horses, and burial within square enclosures, appear to link their 'Arras culture' to, for example, the La Tène culture in Europe. In particular there is a link with the Parisii of Gaul. He also discusses the spectacular metalwork finds suggest an advanced culture and the involvement of high-ranking individuals.
He moves on to consider how the Romans brought a new culture, including literacy. Parisi settlements near water sources and on trade routes attracted them, and Roman towns and farms appear in the landscape alongside and overlying Parisi sites. Agriculture was always important, but iron smelting,and goldsmithing also appear in the archaeological record at this time.
He finishes by looking at the end of the Romano-British era took, which is a hotly debated topic with a sparsity of information, though evidence of burning, which may be a survival of an old custom, may also mark the coming of the Anglo-Saxons.
The first single authored book for 35 years to bring together the exciting archaeology of Eastern Yorkshire in the Iron Age and Roman periods. It features a wealth of illustrations including colour plates: hill forts, linear earthwork systems, settlements, chariot burials, landscape and sea level change, Roman settlements, forts, and mosaics.
This book is outstanding both in terms of its content and accessibility to read. It is an ideal in depth study of the Parisi in Eastern Yorkshire and provides a very good overview of all the finds and features associated with this particular period and area.
Book: The Parisi
Author: Peter Halkon
Review by Joe Medhurst