Characterising urban life, City in Transition is the second volume
reporting on the archaeology of the continuing excavation of Silchester
Insula IX, taking the story down to the early 2nd century. In describing
the evidence for the occupation of the 2nd and 3rd centuries it follows
on from Life and Labour in Late Roman Silchester (2006), which published
the late Roman occupation. Geochemical and micromorphological analyses
inform the interpretation of the use of space within buildings and,
together with the study of an abundant material culture and
environmental record, provide a rich characterisation of the houses and
their occupants. The report sheds important light on the urban
condition, debating such themes as population density, status,
occupation, diet and domestic ritual.