Excavations at Chester. The Northern and Eastern Roman Extramural Settlements

Excavations at Chester: the northern and eastern Roman extramural settlements presents the results of fifteen archaeological investigations carried out within the canabae to the north and east of the Roman legionary fortress at Chester between 1990 and 2019. The results demonstrate that there was sparse development of the canabae to the north of the fortress during the 1st and 2nd centuries; instead, this area was predominantly used for the extraction of building materials - sandstone and clay. By the 3rd century, the final phase of usage took the form of a small cemetery, the first to be examined in this area. Subject to more constraints, the sites investigated within the eastern canabae close to the fortress produced limited evidence for urban plot divisions, whilst those further east provided evidence for the division and management of agricultural land forming the prata legionis.