WELLS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS AT THE END OF ROMAN BRITAIN: A CASE STUDY FROM ROMAN LONDON

The recent discovery of a large hoard of copper-alloy, pewter and iron vessels in a late 4th to early 5th c. well at Drapers' Gardens in the City of London highlights the role that wells and shafts played in late antique ritual life. Examination of the well's contents reveals that these 'pots and pans' were not hidden in a time of crisis but were carefully placed alongside ritually killed objects and a dismembered juvenile red deer in a complex ritual act. This paper undertakes a speculative exploration of this act's significance and its possible meaning.