206 BUEIAL OF THE EEMAINS CHAP. IV. 



beneath the surface of the field, which was 

 here level. On the floor there were two 

 large piles of charred wood, one alone of 

 which is shown in the part of the section 

 here given. This pile was covered by a thin 

 white layer of decayed stucco or plaster, 

 above which was a mass, presenting a singu- 

 larly disturbed appearance, of broken tiles, 

 mortar, rubbish and fine gravel, together 2*7 

 inches in thickness. Mr. Joyce believes that 

 the gravel was used in making the mortar 

 or concrete, which has since decayed, some 

 of the lime probably having been dissolved. 

 The disturbed state of the rubbish may have 

 been due to its having been searched for 

 building stones. This bed was capped by 

 fine vegetable mould, 9 inches in thickness. 

 From these facts we may conclude that the 

 Hall was burnt down, and that much rubbish 

 fell on the floor, through and from which the 

 worms slowly brought up the mould, now 

 forming the surface of the level field. 



A section across the middle of another hall 

 in the Basilica, 32 feet 6 inches in length, 

 called the ^Erarium, is shown in Fig. 10. 

 It appears that we have here evidence of two 



