What Do Objects Want? This paper develops an argument for the
agency of objects, looking at the effects objects have on
people. Groups of related objects, such as pots or metal
ornaments, create stylistic universes which affect producers and
users of new objects, bound by the canons of style. For an
object to be socially powerful in a recognized manner, the form
of the object lays down certain rules of use which influence the
sensory and emotional impacts of the object. Formal properties
of artifacts are influenced by the genealogy of the object
class, including historical continuities and changes, and also
its perceived source. The forms of objects, the historical
trajectories of the class of objects and their perceived sources
combine to have social effects on people, shaping people as
socially effective entities. Britain’s incorporation into the
Roman Empire between 150 BC and AD 200 provides an excellent
case study through which to look at the changing corpora of
objects, which had continuities and change