Source L shows a bronze ring that would have been part of a horse’s harness. This could indicate that the villa was involved in farming. On the other hand, the harness may have been left behind by a visitor on the farm or the horse may have been used for leisure purposes rather than farm related reasons.
The source also shows a broken Amphora handle. These large jars were used to transport liquids such as olive oil and wine. The most obvious explanation for these containers is that the villa sold or traded these liquids. To further back up this theory it is possible to examine the distance from major roman towns. Chedworth is situated only fifteen miles from Cirencester the roman town of Corinium. If the villa was indeed used for farming purposes then the distance from Cirencester would mean that goods and livestock could be easily transported for sale or trade.
Archaeologists have also discovered sheep shears at the villa. This evidence alone only tells us that sheep may have been sheared at the villa but not if they were permanently kept there or used for food. However whilst visiting the site we were shown sheep bones. This obviously gives us much more reason to believe that sheep were kept at the villa on a regular basis and also used for wool and meat. This does not necessarily mean that the villa was used as a farm. It is possible that Chedworth housed animals for its own personal use and did not sell on the produce for profit. However another find at the villa; burnt grain; most likely used in the process of brewing beer seems to indicate that at least some of Chedworth’s produce was not simply for personal use as it would be unlikely that the villa would brew beer on this scale without selling or trading most of it.
In conclusion the evidence seems to point towards Chedworth being used as a farm to some extent. However I doubt that this is the only function the villa was used for.
Evidence which supports the theory that the villa was used for worship are the shrines found at Chedworth. They seem to indicate that there may have been a religious aspect to the Villa. The shrines depicted in source D show carefully carved stones that could have been used for worship. The idea that religion was a prominent factor of Chedworth is backed up by the fact that in the North-East corner there is what appears to be a religious temple which encloses a small water pool and is filled by the natural spring in the surrounding area. The temple is octagonal in shape. This gives the impression that it was used for religious purposes. This small pool was most likely used as a peaceful place for worship and perhaps a spot to collect drinking water. There are two bath-houses at the villa so it seems doubtful that the pool would be used for bathing.
A map of Cotswold villas around Chedworth show that the villa was situated less than a mile away from a temple. This further supports the idea that Chedworth was used for religious reasons. The source also shows that the villa was set back around 2.5 miles from a main roman road. This is grounds for a theory that the founders of the villa did not want to attract travellers but at the same time did not want to distance it from civilisations such as the roman town of Corinium.
Many finds from Chedworth seem to show a domestic environment. For example the bone hairpins in source L indicate that there may have been a family aspect at the villa. Possibly, one of Chedworth’s purposes was to house a large family. There are scales and lead weights depicted in the source; possibly used for weighing kitchen ingredients. Also in source L there is a fragment of a Samian Ware bowl which points towards a lavish living style.
An interesting feature of Chedworth (mentioned in source Q) is its two bath-houses. This feature shows how there might have been a large number of residents; therefore requiring the multiple bath-houses. Also in Source Q there is a description of twelve separate mosaic floors and over 50 rooms that once made up Chedworth. This evidence illustrates the high status and wealth of the residences of Chedworth but also that they wanted to be conspicuous with their wealth.
In conclusion I find the evidence very helpful in creating theories of the purpose of Chedworth but not solid answers. There are many different possibilities into the use of the villa and there are perhaps multiple purposes. However without the evidence that has been uncovered through archaeology there would only be limited resources and the question ‘How valuable was all the evidence in helping you understand the purpose of Chedworth?’ would not have been answered with as much knowledge.
