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Show 178 BURIAL OF THE REMAINS CnAP. IV. was carried away, we rna y agree with Elie de Beaumont, who, in discussing this subject, says, "pour une voiture de materiaux " qui en sort, on y en fait entrer cent." * Nor should we overlook the effects of fires, the demolition of old buildings, and the removal of rubbish to the nearest vacant space. Auinger, Surrey.-Late in the autumn of 1876, the ground in an old farm-yard at this place was dug to a depth of 2 to 2-k feet, and the worlnuen found various ancient remains. This led Mr. T. II. Farrer of A binger I-Iall to have an adjoining ploughed field searched. On a trench being dug, a layer of concrete, still partly covered with tesserre (small red tiles), and surrounded on two sides by brokendown walls, was soon discovered. It js believed t that this room forrned part of the atrium or reception-room of a Roman villa. The walls of two or three other small rooms were afterwards discovered. Many fragments of pottery, other objects, and ·coins of several * 'Le9ons de Geologic pratique,' 1845, p. 142. t A short account of this discovery was publi shccl in ''l'l!c Times' of ,January 2, 1878; and a fnllcr account iu ''!'lin Buik1er,' January 5, l 878. CnAP. IV. OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS. 179 Roman emperors, dating from 133 to 361, and perhaps to 375 A.D., were likewise found. Also a half~penny of George I., 1715. The presence of this latter coin seems an anomaly; but no doubt it was dropped on the ground during the last century, and since then then~ has been ample time for its burial under a considerable depth of the castings 'of worms. From tl1e different dates of the Roman coills we may infer that the building was long inhabited'. It was probably ruined and deserted 1400 or 1500 years ago. I was present during the commencement of the excavations (August 20, 1877) and Mr. Farrer had two deep trenches dug r1t opposite ends of the atrium, so that I might exami11e the nature of the soil near the remains. The field sloped from east to west at an angle of about 7° ; and one of the two trenches shown in the accompanying section (F'io·. 8)' was at the upper or eastern end. Tl1e diagram is on a scale of 'I\ of an inch to an inch ; but the trench, which was between 4 and 5 feet broad, and in parts above 5 f'c·0t deep, has necessarily been reduced out of all proportion. The fine ·mould over the floor N 2 |
