How Do We Make the River ‘Roman’? Changing Depositional Patterns in the Middle Thames Valley

This paper offers the first detailed examination of riverine depositional practice in the Roman Middle Thames, using a comprehensive, multi-period dataset of river finds. The study reveals an abrupt deviation from long-standing martial traditions, replaced largely by low-value coinage and coarse-ware pottery. Comparative analysis of two crossing sites, the urban Kingston bridge and the rural Goring ford, demonstrates that deposition was a highly structured, likely intentional practice. It is argued that this change reflects Imperial influence and ‘soft control’, alongside the conscious adoption of new material proxies to maintain the role of ritual deposition within the new socio-political landscape.