THE TILES 93 



(3) Glass vessels. The principal fragments are necks of 

 square or cylindrical bottles with broad reeded handle 

 joining rira and shoulder. The attachment of this reeded 

 handle to the shoulder shows especial care and skill in 

 glass-working. 



One fragment is of deep blue glass with " pillar " mould- 

 ings. 



Tiles. 



A number of complete tiles and a large quantity of 

 fragments have been found at Melandra. All are of the 

 red clay commonly used for tile-making, though owing to 

 differences in firing the clay varies from an orange to a 

 purple-red. The tiles vary in shape according to the use 

 for which they were intended. 



Floor tiles are square in shape, about 2\ inches thick, 

 and with sides varying from 6| to 10^ inches. Several 

 have semi-circular lines impressed upon one side of them, 

 either to form a key for plaster or to give a clue for their 

 arrangement. On three tiles YV has been incised with a 

 sharp instrument while the clay was still soft. It is a 

 potter's mark and not an official legionary stamp, but in 

 view of the fact that it occurs three (perhaps four) times 

 at Melandra and that it must have been universally 

 recognised as the monogram of the XX. Legion 'Valeria 

 Yictrix ' (see p. 114) it would be hardly reasonable 

 to give it any other significance here. Another 

 tile still bears the footprint of some small animal 

 that ran across it while the clay was soft. Certain frag- 

 ments have holes somewhat roughly pierced through them, 

 perhaps for drainage. They differ from a thinner oblong 

 tile where the holes are pierced at regular intervals and 

 seem to be intended for the passage of hot air in a hypo- 



