200 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE. — 1915< 



Excavations on Roman Sites in Britain. — Report of the Com- 

 mittee, consisting of Professor Eidgeway (Chairman) , Pro- 

 fessor E. C. BosANQUET (Secretary), Dr. T. Ashby, Mr. 

 WiLLOUGHBY GARDNER, and Professor J. L. Myres, ap- 

 pointed to co-operate with Local Committees in Excavations 

 on Roman Sites in Britain. 



The Committee was reappointed in September, 1913, with a grant of 

 20L This sum was divided in equal shares between (1) the Committee 

 of the Abergele Antiquarian Association, which in conjunction with 

 the Cambrian Archaeological Association is exploring the hill-fort in 

 Parc-y-meirch Wood, Denbighshire; and (2) the Committee represent- 

 ing the Society of Antiquaries and the Shropshire Archseological Society, 

 which is excavating the Roman town of Uriconium (Wroxeter). 



Owing to the early date fixed for the delivery of reports in 1914 it 

 was not possible for the excavators to present the results of work done 

 that summer in time for the Australian Meeting, and the Committee 

 therefore submitted an interim statement, explaining that fuller 

 accounts of the results obtained on both sites would be presented in 

 1915. These are appended to the present Report. 



(1) Dinorhen. Previous discoveries on the Denbighshire site were 

 described by the excavator, Mr. "Willoughby Gardner, in papers laid 

 before the British Association in 1912 and 1913. The work of 1914 

 threw further light on the extent and character of the fourth-century 

 occupation, but was chiefly directed to tracing the growth of the 

 fortifications and endeavouring to correlate the successive entrances, 

 ramparts, and ditches. It is now clear that the main south-east gate, 

 with its successive roadways and guard -houses, was not the original 

 entrance; an earlier gate, destroyed by fire, has been found embedded in 

 the stone rampart a few yards to the east, and the road belonging to it 

 has also been laid bare. An early rampart, corresponding with this 

 gateway in its mixed stone-and-timber construction and showing 

 still plainer evidence of a great conflagration, has been traced 

 under the guard-houses and main rampart on the west of the south-east 

 entrance. The dissection of the enormous main rampart has been 

 continued and the finding of revetment-walls gives a clue to two, if 

 not three, periods of construction. The ditches which Mr. Gardner in 

 his previous Report explained as perhaps constructed in the first 

 century of our era, when native forts were hastily strengthened in 

 view of Roman attacks, have been further explored ; wherever examined 

 they show the same phenomenon, a filling of freshly quarried stone, 

 the unmistakable ddhris of a stone rampart overthrown soon after its 

 erection. Owing to the dearth of pottery and other characteristic finds, 

 Mr. Gardner does not at present assign dates to the successive stages 

 in the history of the stronghold. He has shown much ingenuity and 

 patience in surmounting the natural obstacles presented by this 

 exceptionally difficult site, and his plans, sections, photographs, and 

 records of levels are full and accurate. The Committee hopes that he 

 may be enabled to continue this very promising investigation. 



