Colour of the dead
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2021-01-26

The word colour is mentioned by Pliny in his Natural Histories 123 times (this figure increases to 887 in English translations of the same text). Colour is a constant refrain and oft remarked upon characteristic used by Pliny to explain the world around him. To Pliny, the origin, quality or effectiveness of anything from precious stones to medicines is revealed in their colour and so forms an integral element of the ancient world he documents. However, colour within archaeology is easily overlooked. Often due to post-depositional processes that destroy, obscure or alter the colours of artefacts, colour is secondary to form and type, with little systematic space being given to the study in excavation reports. This is unfortunate, particularly when considering ornaments and dress, specifically the dress ornaments people chose to bury their loved ones with, because colour would have been a notable and noticeable feature of such items, possibly even before the shape of a brooch or bead was considered.


Complementing the session themes of Body, Place and Material, this paper will explore the role of colour in the dress of the dead within funeral ritual and burial in Roman Britain. Colour will be considered as both a signifier of material, but also as a symbolic trigger for elements in the socio-cultural and environmental worlds. It is hoped that this avenue of investigation will further develop our knowledge of the sensory experience of mourners during funerals, as well as the role of colour symbolism in this space.


Chloe Clark, Kings College London