The economy of the Roman south Pennines with particular reference to the lead extraction industry in its national context.

This thesis aims to assess the archaeological evidence for the economy
of the upland south Pennines in the Romano—British period.It is
particularly directed towards examining the role of lead mining in the
national context of that industry.The initial chapters examine the Iron
Age,historical and natural backgrounds,the probable size of the population
and the available transport system of the area.Chapter 6 examines the
major sites within and on the periphery of the area,paying particular
attention to the economic basis of military vici and the contrast with
civil towns.
Chapter 7 examines the highly limited evidence for rural settlement.The
evidence for the lead (and perhaps silver) extraction industry,mainly the
pigs or inscribed blocks which it produced, is examined in detail from
a number of standpoints in Chapter 8.The evidence for the national
industry,not just that of Derbyshire,is examined since it provides a vital
context for the specific example under study.All the extant pips are
listed in a detailed catalogue (Appendix 1) and some further implications
of their study are considered in Appendices 2 and 3.Ancient and modern
comparative evidence is also cited for the lead industry and a model for
its nature is suggested in Chapter 9.
A number of conclusions,mainly provisional because of the often incomplete
evidence,are reached.It is suggested that military vici enjoyed only a
limited integration into the more general economy of the area.However,it
is clear that the south of the study area was more developed than the
north.This is attributed to three factors,the importance of the lead
industry,the spa function of Buxton and to strategic concerns.