The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon : a history of the early inhabitants of Britain, down to the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, illustrated by the ancient remains brought to light by recent research / by Thomas Wright.

  • Thomas Wright
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon : a history of the early inhabitants of Britain, down to the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, illustrated by the ancient remains brought to light by recent research / by Thomas Wright. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    110/568 (page 88)
    doors, locks aud keys, aud a variety of Romau coins, of which the small brass of the lower empire are the most numerous, aud par- ticularly those of the Constantine family. Of the larger aud first brass, we have coins of Vespasian, Nerva, Antoninus, Trajan, Julia Mammaea, and Postumus; of the denarii, we have Caligula, the elder Faustina, Julia MammiBa, the elder Philip, Gallienus, aud Gratianus: the small brass are too numerous to particularise, but some of the smallest are remarkable, having only a imliated head (often very rude), and one or two Roman letters, which, perhaps, may have been struck during the latest struggles between the Britons and Saxons. In digging within these British villages, we have but rarely discovered any signs of building with stone or flint; but we have several times found very thin stones laid as floors to a room. The fire-places were small excavations in the ground, in which we have frequently found a large flat hearthstone ; and in two parts of this extensive village we have discovered hypocausts similar to those in the Roman villa at Pitmead, near Warminster. These are regular works of masonry, made in the form of a cross, and covered with large flat stones, well cemented by mortar. We have also, during our investigations of this spot, repeatedly found pieces of painted stucco, and of brick flues; also pit-coal, and some fragments of glass, or crystal, rings, beads, &c. In one of the banks raised for the old habitations, we discovered a skeleton with its head laid towards the north; at its feet was a fine black celt [of stone], aud at the distance of a few feet was a bead. In this, as well as in the generality of other British villages, the attentive eye may easily trace out the lines of houses, and the streets, oi rathei hollow ways conducting to them; these are particularly visible in the upper village on these downs, as well as the entrance to it. The whole adjoining country is also strongly marked by the intersection of slight banks along the sides of the hills, which point to us the limits of ancient British cultivation, and in many instances the smallness of them will show the contracted scale on which agriculture was at that time carried on.” Several groups of similar works are described by the same writer in different parts of his great work on ancient W^iltshiie. Of these not the least remarkable is the very extensive group called the Pen Pits, near Stourton, the character of which appears somewhat doubtful. Another group, of a more definite character.