Cold Kitchen Hill, 1893. 283 



sling-stone and the square bone counter came from near the old 

 surface line. The spoon was found in the first trench cut in 1892, 

 about 2ft. from the surface, but in much-disturbed soil. The coral 

 was picked up in the soil thrown out of the trench, as also was the 

 bronze ring, whilst the roe deer's horn came from a depth of about 

 &ft. in the mound. 



As to the age of the mound, the majority of the objects found 

 are certainly Eomano-Britisb ; and as the many references I have 

 given to Gen. Pitt-Rivers' volumes show, are of the same age and 

 character as those found in the Romano-British villages round 

 Rushmore. Indeed, it is evident that this was a similar settlement. 

 The presence of the worked flints proves nothing — it is possible that 

 they may have been on the ground already and have been thrown 

 up into the mound with the soil ; or, as is more probable perhaps, 

 they may have been used by the Romano-British people, for it is 

 being recognised that there is no hard and fast line to be drawn as 

 to the date at which flint implements ceased to be used, for they 

 may have continued in use for some purposes — certainly as " strike-a- 

 lights " — amongst the people, more especially in isolated localities, 

 long after the time when even iron had come into general use. 



On the other hand, the presence of so much " British " pottery, 

 scattered, together with the animal bones, throughout the whole 

 mass of the mound — for the fragments of coarse hand-made pottery 

 recognised as " late Celtic " or " British " were more numerous than 

 those of the more advanced Romano-British or Roman — goes to 

 prove either that the site of the settlement was occupied in pre- Roman 

 times, and continued to be occupied through the Roman period, or 

 that the origin of the tumulus itself, and of the urns and pottery it 

 contained, was pre-Roman, and that the Roman and Romano-British 

 articles found in it now made their way into it in later times when 

 it was surrounded by a Romano- British settlement. 



It would probably be possible to settle this question by a careful 

 and systematic excavation of the whole site of the settlement, which 

 it can hardly be doubted would yield very interesting results if done 

 with the necessary thoroughness and care. Unfortunately Cold 

 Kitchen Hill is not within the range of Gen. Pitt-Rivers' 



