Woad, Tattooing and Identity in Later Iron Age and Early Roman Britain
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11446387 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gillian Carr (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2005 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 273-292 |
| Publication date | 2005-08-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Oxford Journal of Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0262-5253 • E-ISSN: 1468-0092 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1468-0092.2005.00236.x |
| OpenAlex | W2129389142 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 29 |
This paper explores the archaeological evidence for the practice of facial and corporeal dyeing, painting and tattooing in the later Iron Age and early Roman period. The aim is to construct a hypothesis which explains how, why, when and by whom such pigments were worn. Although this hypothesis discusses woad‐derived indigo, this is used mainly, although not exclusively, as an experimental tool, as no conclusive archaeological evidence exists which reveals the identity of the ‘real’ pigment(s). Woad has also long held a place in the popular imagination as the source of the dye which the ancient Britons used to paint themselves. This paper explores the possibility that the cosmetic grinder was the focal artefact used in body painting or tattooing, and was used for grinding and mixing body and face paint. It is suggested that, rather than being a ‘Roman’‐style tool for cosmetic application from the start, it may have begun life as an artefact first used by the later Iron Age Britons for body painting and expressing indigenous identities
Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Clothing · Construct (python library · Face (sociological concept · Identity (music · Indigenous · Painting · Shot (pellet · Social science · Sociology · Style (visual arts · Visual arts · Computer Science · Fashion and Cultural Textiles · History · Law in Society and Culture · Tattoo and Body Piercing Complications
Britons in blue
Pagan Pilgrimage in Rome's Western Provinces
Textiles, Tattoos and the Representation of Pilgrimage in the Roman and Early Christian Periods
The Material Culture of Roman and Early Christian Pilgrimage
Archaeological Evidence of Christian Pilgrimage in Ephesus
Pilgrimage Made Portable
Unity and Diversity in the European Iron Age
A Fresh Eye on Familiar Objects
Reinvigorating object biography
Animal-Themed Tattoo Narratives
Britons and Romans
Frozen tombs of Siberia
Dialogues in Roman imperialism
In small things forgotten
I.— On Late-Celtic Antiquities discovered at Welwyn, Herts
The cosmetic grinders
Use of vegetative remains in the identification of dyeplants from waterlogged 9th–10th century AD deposits at York
Creolisation, Pidginisation and the Interpretation of Unique Artefacts in Early Roman Britain
A Brief Comment on the TRAC Session Dedicated to the Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Roman Women
The Interpretation of the Pictish Symbols
Woad and the BRITONS Painted BLUE
Non Isatis Sed Vitrum Or, the Colour of Lindow Man
Brooches and Identities in First Century AD Britain
Inventing Britain
Stigma
Late Roman objects from Chalton, Hants
The Warrior's Beauty
Dragonby. Report on Excavations at an Iron Age and Romano-British Settlement in North Lincolnshire
I.—A La Tène III Burial at Welwyn Garden City
Creolizing the Roman Provinces
Necessary comparisons
| Citations per year | 0.59 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2009 - 2023 (15) |
| Highly cited | No |