This new 3-year AHRC-funded collaborative project, led by Teesside University with Rhiannon Stevens as Project Co-Lead, will unlock clues to the Roman Empire’s leather economy, shedding new light on ancient manufacturing, trade, and everyday life.
The PELLIS project aims to uncover how leather was produced, traded, and used across the Roman Empire, a topic that has long remained elusive due to the rarity of preserved organic materials.
The project will combine cutting-edge scientific techniques with ancient DNA sequencing, and archaeological expertise to explore leather artefacts from key Roman sites in Britain, the Netherlands, and Syria.
Rhiannon will work alongside researchers Dr Gillian Taylor (Project Lead and Associate Professor in Analytical Chemistry, Teesside University), Dr Elizabeth M Greene (Canada Research Chair in Roman Archaeology, Western University in Ontario), and Professor Matthew Breen (Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology Genetics, North Carolina State University).
The interdisciplinary team will focus on leather artefacts from sites such as the Roman fort of Vindolanda, near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, which boasts the largest collection of Roman leather objects in the Empire. Other key sites include Trimontium in Scotland, Valkenburg and Vechten in the Netherlands.
According to Rhiannon:
I am excited to contribute to this interdisciplinary research initiative. Learning more about leather artefacts through biomolecular approaches will reveal new understanding of Roman trade networks"
This project is particularly timely as climate change continues to accelerate the degradation of archaeological sites. The research findings will help to shape future policies for archaeological recovery and identification of leather, particularly where organic artefacts are at risk.
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Image: Leather baby boot from Roman Vindolanda. Image courtesy of Vindolanda Trust (via Teesside University)
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