Workshops, artists and patrons in Roman Britain

This paper focuses on the existence in Britain of different traditions, regional styles and Roman workshops, producing mosaics, wall-paintings, sculpture, jewellery and silver. Apart from some 1st century A.D. mosaics in London, Fishbourne, Exeter and Caerleon, the earliest ones date from the 2nd century A.D., when, as it has long been suggested, there were two traditions. One of them, in the southeast, was responsible for mosaics elaborated in Colchester and Verulanium, and may include pavements at London and Chichester. The second one, in the southwest, was centred on Cirencester and extended as far as Leicester. For mosaics dating to the 3rd century A.D. onwards, the author establishes connections between some pavements in order to distinguish styles and plausible workshops (Chichester, Winchester and Gloucester). In addition, he points out that mosaic workers moved from one place to another.