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Show 202 BURIAL OF THE REMAINS CnAP. IV. discovered. Mr. Joyce made careful coloured sections, and measured the thickness of each bed of rubbish, whilst the excavations were in progress ; and he has had the kindness to send me copies of several of them. When my sons Francis and Horace visited these ruins, he accompanied them, and added his notes to theirs. Mr. Joyce esti1nates that the town was inhabited by the Romans for about three centuries; and no doubt much matter must have accumulated within the walls during this long period. it appears to have been destroyed by £re, and most of the stones used in the buildings have since been carried away. These circumstances are unfavourable for ascertaining the part wl1ich worms have played in the burial of the ruins ; but as careful sections of the rubbish overlying an ancient town have seldom or never before been made in England, I will give copies of the most characteristic portions of some of those made by Mr. Joyce. They are of too great length to be here introduced entire . .An east and west section, 30 ft. in length, was made across a room in the Basilica, now CHAP. lV. OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS. 203 called the Hall of the Merchants (Fig. 9). The hard concrete floor, still covered here and there with tesserre, was found at 3 ft. rn i {1 .. td -g 1:>1) .g ;g:a ~ ~ .!2 E ~ b0-3 ~ :;a·~ ~~£.~ . ~- ·- ~ Q) ~ Q) ~-s ~ ~ 6E. ~ :::::; ;.~... .B'ig. v. Section within a room in the Basilica at Silchester. Scale 1 1 11• |
