This book is about our understanding of Roman urbanism and settlement change. It focuses on an archaeological study of the late Roman phases of towns in Roman Britain through a critical examination of the term ‘decline’ and examines the way in which towns as sites and places continued into the later Roman period. The emphasis on decline is a theoretical approach like other interpretative theories within archaeology, but authors of late Roman studies have not always felt comfortable in engaging in such debates when analysing archaeological material. The structures and uses of public buildings within towns provide a detailed case study for redressing this situation: the monumental architecture was used traditionally to demonstrate romanisation and civilised living, which was then followed by decay and ruin when their appearances began to change. Public buildings were meaning laden with rich biographies that formed major parts of the significance of towns as places. The towns themselves were symbolic places with long histories within wider landscapes. This book discusses the varied evidence for the continuing use of public buildings and alternative ways of interpreting these material representations of action in the past. Themes here include structural changes to buildings, timber additions to buildings, industrial activity within them, and their continued focus for many other kinds of activities.