This innovative book adopts a new approach to Roman objects, focusing on the relationship between their physical features and social practices and behaviours. In contrast to previous approaches, which have concentrated on objects as commodities or on the link between non-functional aspects and the expression of identities, Swift is interested in how artefacts were used and what everyday activities reveal about Roman societies. Central to the book is both a theoretical focus on design theory and the careful examination of objects. The introduction discusses concepts such as design, craft process and ‘affordance, [a term used] to describe the perceived functional properties of an artefact that make possible, and incline people towards, specific uses’ (5). Artefact design can also limit actions and exclude certain groups, and has a profound effect on cultural traditions. S. considers the concept of agency and the tension between a presumed single intended function and the multiple uses that an object can be put to.

S.’s methodology combines the consideration of published material (often with good context information) with the personal examination of finds in museum collections. The latter gives her an opportunity to consider aspects not normally described in print, such as handling properties, smell and wear marks. The material mainly relates to Roman Britain but also incorporates objects from antiquarian excavations in Egypt now held in British museums, offering a rare opportunity to examine organic materials. The underlying data are set out in Appendices, though an online version may have allowed for more information to be tabulated and easily queried by future researchers. Experimental work and discussion with craft specialists offer valuable insights, for example into calligraphy and sheep shearing, on which more below.

The well-illustrated book is divided into four chapters (2. Function, 3. Behaviour/Experience, 4. Users and 5. Production and Users), each offering a rich array of case studies. In ‘Function’, the most substantive concern reed pens and shears. For the former S. relates the ways in which a pen nib was cut to script styles and for the latter, rather than simply focusing on size to distinguish function, she focuses on the way the blades are set. Left-set shears are argued to relate to sheep-shearing, while other shears may have been used to cut hair or cloth. The following chapter examines dice, exploring the experience of gambling with different materials (e.g. amber or rock crystal vs. bone). Regardless of whether imperfect dice represent the limitations of the material or deliberate cheating, S. carries out experimental work and a statistical study of probability. Overall it appears that bone dice are much more likely to have a shorter axis (and provide a non-random experience) than the materials used by elite gamers. Amber and rock crystal dice on the other hand are less standardised in the numbering system (opposite sides do not always total seven).

‘Users’ focuses on the relationship between object design and the life course. The internal diameter of finger-rings relates to the age and sex of the wearer (once it is established that certain fingers were preferred using iconographic evidence and combining the metric data with burial information). This analysis identifies some fascinating trends, such as the association of phallic decoration with children's rings, while Jupiter and Chi-Rho designs are biased toward adult males. This approach also offers interesting new perspectives on assemblages, suggesting that dedications at the Great Walsingham temple consisted mainly of ring sizes associated with men. The chapter concludes with a consideration of handedness as evidenced in the design of zoomorphic brooches and wear on spoons.

Ch. 5 considers the relationship between production processes and user experience, for example the ways in which the size and shape of metapodial bones will determine that of dice. The evidence points to a highly standardised production process, resulting in most dice having one markedly shorter axis. Data for standardisation in mould-blown glass bottles is more ambivalent, with some evidence for clustering around known measurements such as the sextarius Italicus but also considerable regional variation. There is also a tendency for the material and production process (wall thickness, repeated taking of moulds) to counter any attempts at producing vessels with standardised volumes.

Overall, this book is an excellent and innovative piece of work, highlighting how a new emphasis on function and design can offer profound insights into ancient practices and behaviours. S. offers a nuanced discussion of continuity and change, elite and non-elite experiences and both the success and failure of cultural transmission.