ETHNOLOGY AND AECHiEOLOGT. 221 



ETHNOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGY. 



CRANIA OF THE ANCIENT B0MAN8. 



Among the abstracts of papers in the departments of Ethnology, printed in 

 the Report of the British Association for 1855, is one by Josepli Barnard Davis, 

 M.R.C.S ; F.S.A., on the forms of the Crania of the Ancient Romans, which 

 possesses an interest on various grounds. There is indeed an important element 

 of error, probably not overlooked by the discriminating observer, though unnoticed 

 in the following abstract. It would be contrary to all known facts to assume that 

 Crania found in Roman Cemeteries at the British sites named below, were 

 necessarily those of Romans. In the majority of cases, our information would justify 

 an opposite conclusion. The Roman Legions, were Roman only, politically, not 

 ethnologically. At Eburacum for example, the permanent station of the Sixth 

 Legion, the memorial inscription of Lucius Ducciua. proves that he was a native of 

 Gaul; while the inscriptions on tiles found there, pertain both to the sixth, and to 

 the ninth, a Spanish legion. Inscriptions on altars and sepulchral slabs; the 

 Notitia ; the earlier notices by Tacitus of the Roman forces in Britain <fec, all 

 combine to prove that of the ethnological elements introduced into Britain by 

 Roman occupation, we must include Gauls, Germans, Iberians, Greeks of Asia 

 Minor, and even Africans; and indeed so small was the actual Italian element of 

 population, that it would be difficult to over state the chances of an Anglo- Roman 

 Sepulchre containing a representative of any of the conquered provinces of the 

 •mpire, rather than by an actual Roman. In the special case however, described, 

 and chiefly dwelt upon here, it will be seen that means of identification existed, 

 and receive due consideration. The following is the abstract of Mr. Davis's 

 paper, containing ampler details on a subject previously noticed in the Canadian 

 Journal, (vol. I, p. 76.) 



" A numerous series of ancient Roman skulls, derived from three different 

 sources in Italy arid from the Roman cemeteries at Eburacum, Londinium, Lind- 

 um, and Glevum, has fallen into the hands of the author. As the basis of these 

 observations, he selects the cranium of Theodorianus, a Roman of consequence, 

 who died at Eburacum in his 35th year, and whose inscribed stone sarcophagus 

 was discovered many years ago. The venerable antiquary of Roman York, the 

 Rev. Charles "WellVieloved, has referred him to a Roman family of Nomentum. a 

 town of the Sabini in Italy. His skull is an elegant example of the capacious 

 Roman cranium. It is marked by the squareness of face common to the typical 

 form of the Roman head, the fine prominent nasal bones of aquiline profile, their 

 position being more expressed from the broad nasal processes of the superior 

 maxillae — the expanded and capacious forehead, of somewhat low elevation, 

 terminating below in a prominence of the supra-nasal region, which distinguishes 

 it from the regular skull of Grecian type. It may be regarded as belonging to 

 the typical section of ancient Roman crania, although not presenting the typical 

 character in so decided a form as others exhibited. It will come under the 

 division of what may be called platy-cephalic crania, those distinguished by a 

 horizontal expansion of the vertical region. The diacritical marks which 

 distinguish the crania of the ancient Britons from those of the ancient Romans 

 may be expressed as follows : after remarking that those of the Romans were 

 decidedly the larger, ho adds : — The face of the former wa3 rather shorter, mor* 



