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IV.—Excavations at Caerwent, Monmouthshire, on the Site of the Romano-British City of Venta Silurum, in 1901

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 November 2011

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The work for the year 1901 began on 10th June, and was continued till 22nd October. It consisted in the excavation of the west wing of House No. 2, the rest of which had been uncovered in 1900, and of the whole of House No. 7. House No. 8, which was partly excavated in 1901, has been completed (with Block A) during June and July of the present year, 1902. Excavations were also carried on in the field adjoining the north gate, now the property of Lord Tredegar, F.S.A., the cost of which was entirely defrayed by him. As, however, these excavations are by no means complete, and many problems which they present still await solution, it has been thought better to postpone all detailed report of this portion of the work until next year.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1902

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page 119 note a The Committee desire to express their obligations to Messrs. Drake and Pizey, architects, of Bristol, who are in large measure responsible for the plan, and have given much time and trouble to it, and also to Mr. William Moline, of Clifton, who has kindly allowed them to make use of several photographs taken by him.

page 119 note b Archaeologia, lvii. 295Google Scholar, sqq.

page 120 note a See Journal of British Archæological Association, iv. (1848) 250.Google Scholar

page 120 note b The reference is to the capital described in Archaeologia, lvii. 302Google Scholar, and fig.5.

page 121 note a The measurements of the rooms of House No. 2 are as follows: Courtyard, 85 feet north side 87 feet south side, 49 feet east side, 46 feet west side; Room 1 (corridor), 61 feet 3 inches by 8 feet 9 inches; Room 2 (corridor), 93 feet 6 inches by 9 feet 3 inches; Room 3, 21 feet by 19 feet 6 inches; Room 4, 21 feet by 6 feet 3 inches; Room 5, 22 feet by 32 feet 9 inches; Rooms 6 and 7 (corridor), 74 feet by 7 feet; Room 8, 14 feet 6 inches by 6 feet; Room 9, 13 feet 6 inches by 19 feet 6 inches; Room 10, 6 feet 6 inches by 19 feefc 9 inches; Room 11, 5 feet 9 inches by 6 feet; Room 12, 19 feet 9 inches by 13 feet 6 inches; Room 13, 9 feet 9 inches by 19 feet 6 inches; Room 14,12 feet 9 inches by 20 feet; Room 15, 19 feet 3 inches by 20 feet; Room 16, 16 feet 9 inches by 20 feet; Room 17, 8 feet 6 inches by 10 feet; Room 18, 14 feet by 8 feet; Room 19, 19 feet 6 inches by 20 feet; Room 20, 19 feet by 19 feet 3 inches; Room 21, 14 feet by 10 feet 3 inches; Room 22, 20 feet by 41 feet; Room 23, 48 feet 6 inches by 22 feet 6 inches: Room 24 (yard), 64 feet wide; Koom 25, 12 feet by 29 feet; Room 26, 16 feet by 11 feet 9 inches; Room 27, 16 feet 6 inches by 21 feet; Room 28, 15 feet 6 inches by 17 feet 3 inches; Room 29, 23 feet 6 inches by 17 feet; Room 30, 14 feet 6 inches by 17 feet 6 inches; Room 31, 13 feet 6 inches by 13 feet; Room 32, 14 feet by 7 feet; Room 33, 19 feet square; Room 34, 12 feet by 6 feet; Room 35, 11 feet square; Room 36, 12 feet 6 inches by 7 feet; Room 37, 20 feet by 23 feet 6 inches; Room 38, 23 feet 6 inches by 23 feet; Room 39, 7 feet 9 inches by 42 feet 9 inches; Room 40, 8 feet by 30 feet; Room 41, 62 feet 9 inches by 8 feet 6 inches; Room 42, 8 feet by 16 feet; Room 43, 8 feet 6 inches by 16 feet; Room 44, 23 feet by 16 feet; Room 45, 18 feet 6 inches by 16 feet; Room 46, 6 feet by 2 feet 9 inches; Room 47, 5 feet by 2 feet 9 inches; Room 48, 5 feot 9 inches by 2 feet 9 inches; Room 49, 49 feet 6 inches by 14 feet 6 inches (average width); Room 50, 20 feet by 8 feet 6 inches; Room 51,9 feet 6 inches by 9 feet; Room 52, 21 feet 3 inches by 13 feet 3 inches.

page 121 note b When the mound was in existence, it must have fallen into the street which ran below and on the east of this, see pi. IX. section E F.

page 121 note c The measurement is taken from the south wall of the old south aisle, which was about 10 feet in width. From the chancel wall the distance would be 60 feet.

page 122 note a The only thing of interest discovered in it was a fragment of a small sandstone cornice, broken into four pieces, which fitted together, the whole being 2 feet 11 inches in length.

page 122 note b See plan, Archaeologia, lvii, plate xlGoogle Scholar. To the east of it are traces of a gravel floor, and a piece of concrete flooring, 3 to 4 inches thick, was found.

page 122 note c The width of this street is 19 to 20 feet.

page 123 note a Here were discovered a fine pair of millstones and also the capital of a small column, with part of the shaft. The fragment was 9 inches in height, the shaft being 7 inches in diameter.

page 123 note b Compare Archaeologia, lii. 745Google Scholar.

page 125 note a Part of a small column, the capital and a portion of the shaft with the astragal in one piece, was also discovered in Room 8 (total height 1 foot 1 inch, diameter of column 8 inches), and a well preserved bronze spoon.

page 125 note b 4 inches thick with a layer of rough stones 6 inches to 8 inches in thickness below it.

page 125 note c The pilæ rested upon a floor of stone tesserse, belonging to the earlier building, of which more will be said later on.

page 126 note a Between these slabs and the pilæ are small irregular pieces of sandstone. In some cases where a pila is too short, there are two or three sach pieces on top of it to make up the necessary height.

page 126 note b A portion of the hypocaust has been removed to the local museum at Caerwent, where it has been reconstructed.

page 127 note a Both these pavements, as well as that found at the earlier level in Room 16, have been removed to the Cardiff Museum, where they are now exhibited.

page 127 note b From 18 feet to 19 feet 6 inches.

page 129 note a The floor of the earlier room was of gravel concrete, 3 feet 6 inches below that of the later room.

page 130 note a This lies about 1 foot 6 inches below the surface of the gravel floor, which is 4 inches thick.

page 131 note a This pavement, from its level, belongs to the earlier house, but the spaije itself was provided with new outer walls on its incorporation into the later house, while those of the other two (34 and 36) apparently remained as they were.

page 131 note b On the east side of th e east wall of 34, the lower portion of a pot 11 inches in diameter of ordinary rough black ware was found in situ, embedded in the ground; inside it were pieces of a smaller pot of finer ware, glazed with diagonal hatching. Why it was put there is not apparent.

page 131 note c It is curious that the cross wall running east and west which bisects all the north and south spaces is absent in Room 22.

page 131 note d The south wall of Room 29 descends no less than 10 feet 2½ inches before it reaches its off set the masonry, though rather rough, being very solid and strong; at the offset is a longitudinal slit 4½ inches high, probably due to the giving of the foundations, which descend 1 foot 7 inches further down. The great depth to which the wall was sunk was merely due to a desire for strength in building in what must in Roman times have been loose ground. It appeared from the condition of the soil that quite a narrow trench had been dug when the wall was built, only sufficiently wide to give room for its construction.

page 132 note a In the former room many clinkers were found.

page 131 note b Some clinkers and a quern stone were found here. To the west of it again a wall runs south. The walls connecting it with the rest of the building (except on the north) have, however, perished. In the angle it makes with the first cross wall to north, a black pot (ordinary type) was found in situ, mortared against the wall. Pots similarly deposited have been found in several houses at Silchester.

page 131 note c Apparently it had a gravel floor, but the floors here have almost entirely perished.

page 131 note d At this point the tesserae of a mosaic floor were found, but nothing but the bedding on which it rested remained in situ.

page 132 note a This well, which was lined with stonework, was much ruined at the top, but preserved from a point 6 feet 7½ inches below the top of the wall on the south side for a depth of 6 feet 6 inches; after this it had fallen in. The stonework was 1 foot 8 inches to 2 feet 2 inches in thickness, and gave a diameter of about 2 feet 4 inches to the well. It was found necessary to remove all the stonework in order to proceed with the exploration of the well, as it was in a dangerous condition.

page 132 note b See Archaeologia, lvii. 311Google Scholar.

page 132 note c Both the wall to the west and the wall to the south are built on a massive foundation of boulders mortared together; the latter wall being carried over this rough foundation by an arch.

page 132 note d Much of it belonged to a scheme of wall decoration in which panels imitating veneering slabs of marble (the varieties known as giallo antico or Numidian, a yellow marble with red veining, and bigio, a grey marble) were separated by vertical bands 1¾ inch wide imitating columns, alternately red and grey. The rest was of the most various colours and designs, defying all attempts at restoration.

page 134 note a Two of these still show the holes for the nails by which they were fixed.

page 135 note a One which we lifted measured 3 feet 2 inches by 2 feet 8 inches; another occupies the entire interior of the hot bath (No. 48), measuring 5 feet 4 inches by 3 feet 3 inches.

page 135 note b The internal height of this furnace at the south end (the north has perished) is 2 feet 6 inches on the east side and 2 feet 1 inch on the west (where the block supporting it rests on the west wall of Room 48 prolonged) and its internal width is 2 feet 3 inches. The top block at the south end measures 3 feet 11 inches long by 1 foot 6 inches wide by 11 inches thick. There is an outlet for the drainage in the south wall of Room 48, a hole about 4 inches square, but not in any othei place, though we dug below the set-off of the south wall to search for it. See Archaeologia, lvii 299Google Scholar, for the furnace in House No. 1.

page 138 note a The measurements of the several rooms are as follows: No. 1, 9 feet by 24 feet; No. 2, 91 feet 6 inches by 38 feet; No. 3, 16 feet 3 inches by 12 feet 6 inches; No. 4, 37 feet by 14 feet 6 inches; No. 5, 10 feet by 17 feet 3 inches; No. 6, 20 feet by 20 feet 3 inches; No. 7, 26 feet by 17 feet 6 inches; No. 8, 74 feet 3 inches by 6 feet; No. 9, 20 feet by 3 feet 3 inches; No. 10, 10 feet square; No. 11, 8 feet 3 inches by 17 feet 6 inches; No. 12, 5 feet 3 inches by 17 feet 6 inches; No. 13, 14 feet 3 inches by 17 feet 6 inches; No. 14, 15 feet by 18 feet; No. 15, 17 feet by 16 feet 3 inches; No. 16, 13 feet by 16 feet; No. 17, 12 feet by 8 feet 9 inches; No. 18, 12 feet by 20 feet; No. 19, 12 feet by 11 feet; No. 20, 12 feet by 9 feet 6 inches; No. 21, 24 feet 9 inches by 16 feet 9 inches; No. 22, 12 feet by 16 feet 9 inches; No. 23, 27 feet 6 inches by 16 feet 9 inches; No. 24, 10 feet by 17 feet; No. 25, 7 feet by 6 feet 9 inches; No. 26, 6 feet 9 inches by 8 feet: No. 27, 15 feet 9 inches by 16 feet 9 inches; No. 28, 16 feet by 12 feet 3 inches; No. 29, 5 feet 6 inches by 9 feet 6 inches; No. 30, 8 feet 6 inches by 9 feet 4 inches; No. 31, 16 feet by 6 feet 9 inches; No. 32, 16 feet by 5 feet 9 inches; No. 33, 16 feet by 12 feet 3 inches. Courtyard (excluding corridors), 60 feet 9 inches by 36 feet 9 inches. Corridors, 5 feet 9 inches wide (average width).

page 139 note a Here is a loose block of sandstone measuring 4 feet 5 inches by 1 foot 5 inches by 10 inches thick, and just west of it a fragment of the threshold in situ, 2 feet 6 inches by 1 foot 6 inches by 8 inches thick, projecting 3 inches south from the face of the wall, which is 1 foot 6 inches in width.

page 139 note c The upper street is about 1 foot 5 inches below the grass, the lower from 3 feet 8 inches to 4 feet 2 inches.

page 141 note a This pavement, though parts of it had sunk, was almost perfect, so that the design could be recovered with certainty, and is therefore shown as complete on Plate XI. though some small portions were missing. All the three pavements have been removed to the Newport (Monmouth) Corporation Museum.

page 142 note a A fragment of a sandstone capital about 8 inches in diameter was found built into the later east wall of Room 6.

page 143 note a A small model in bronze of a fmrr-legged stool, decorated with enamel, (a child's toy?) was discovered here.

page 144 note a The rooms at the eastern end of this range (Rooms 13. 14, 15, and 16) must have been accessible directly (or indirectly in the case of Room 16) from the south corridor of the courtyard (see the sections). If this were not the case one would be compelled to resolve the house in its later state into two: a corridor house to the south with a yard attached (Rooms 1-16), and a courtyard house with rooms on three sides of it to the north (Rooms 17-33).

page 145 note a In the south-west angle of Room 17 was found a fragment 1 foot O½ inch high (broken) of a capital of yellow sandstone; shaft 7¾ inches in diameter, abacus 1 foot 0½ inch square.

page 145 note b The east section is about 10 inches wide and 6 inches in depth, the west 1 foot wide and 8 inches in depth.

page 146 note a In this drain at the north-east angle of House No. 7 some lumps of clinker and wood mixed were found, also some green glazed pottery at a depth of 4 feet. The pottery, from the depth at which it was found, is very likely Roman, and some similar specimens have been found at Silchester. In front of House No. 8 the drain was half full of water-washed dark sandy stuff.

page 146 note b Near the north-east angle of House No. 7 it is 4 feet 4 inches wide, 6 inches above road level, and mortared. Here there is no drain.

page 146 note c The ancient road is paved with gravel, and its bed is composed of a hard mass of sand and pebbles for a depth of 2 feet 9 inches to 3 feet 3 inches, after which comes loose sandy stuff with bits of stone for 1 foot 10 inches, and then the hard deep red clay bottom. In another place the thickness of the road bed is only 2 feet, while the sandy stuff with bits of stone is 2 feet 3 inches thick.

page 146 note d It is possible that at this point there was an entrance into the house from the street; no traces of one have, however, been found either here or elsewhere in the north façade.

page 146 note e In Room 22 there are no floors traceable. Here was found part of a small column 7 inches in diameter.

page 147 note a Two gravel floors were found in Room 27, one 2 feet 8 inches to 3 feet 9 inches below grass level (having subsided in places) the other 7 inches deeper, both below the level of the lip of the drain.

page 147 note b The measurements of the rooms in House No. 8 are as follows: No. 1, 19 feet 6 inches by 28 feet; No. 2, 18 feet 6 inches by 13 feet; No. 3, 5 feet by 8 feet 6 inches; No. 4, 12 feet 9 inches by 13 feet 6 inches; No. 5, 18 feet by 28 feet; No. 6, 18 feet by 16 feet 6 inches; No. 7, 6 feet by 58 feet; No. 8, 18 feet by 8 feet 6 inches; No. 9, 17 feet 6 inches by 9 feet; No. 10, 9 feet by 13 feet 6 inches; No. 11, 5 feet by 9 feet; No. 12, 8 feet by 12 feet; No. 13, 2 feet 6 inches by 12 feet; No. 14, 13 feet by 10 feet; No. 15, 13 feet by 2 feet 6 inches; No. 16, 13 feet 6 inches by 57 feet; No. 17, 13 feet by 7 feet; No. 18, 15 feet by 29 feet.

page 147 note c The only exceptions are Room 2, which has a roughly pitched floor, while Room 11 has traces of flagging, and Rooms 11, 16, and 20 of rough gravel flooring.

page 148 note a Journal of the British Archæological Association, iv. (1848) 250.Google Scholar

page 148 note b This is incorrect, as will be seen from our plan.

page 150 note a In front of these blocks is a rounded block of sandstone, flat at the top and at the bottom, foot in diameter, and 1 foot 3 inches in height. It had apparently been placed there for some purpose which we cannot now ascertain; perhaps for offerings at the shrine.

page 150 note b One dating from the seventeenth century was dug up in Bristol last year, and is figured in the Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Arehseological Society, xxiv. 279. There was also found here a portion of an alabastron of Egyptian (?) alabaster, the body of which when complete measured 6 inches in height and 2i inches in diameter inside, the thickness of the sides being ¾ inch.

page 151 note a The measurements of the rooms of Block A are as follows: Room 1, 15 feet 6 inches by 17 feet; Room 2, 4 feet wide; Room 3, 9 feet by 9 feet 6 inches; Room 4, 7 feet 6 inches by 9 feet; Room 5, 9 feet long.