234 Archceologia. 



of a Roman votive altar, which had been used for material in 

 building. It was dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus. Several altars 

 have been found in Britain dedicated to Jupiter under this name, 

 which is said to have been derived from Doliche in Macedonia, 

 where there were extensive iron mines. This makes about half 

 a dozen Roman inscriptions to Jupiter Dolichene found in this 

 island, and, as we understood Mr. Scarth, he considers that they 

 generally mark the neighbourhood of iron mines worked by the 

 Romans, as being placed under the protection of the god under this 

 character. Perhaps, however, we ought to take this suggestion 

 with some reserve. It was a common practice with the Legionaries 

 to dedicate their altars individually to the deities who presided 

 over the native country of each, and in all these cases the altar, or 

 votive tablet, may have been offered by a soldier who came from the 

 district of Doliche. The presence of mines in the localities 

 where they are found is easily accounted for. We know that the 

 Roman mines were worked by men generally of bad character, 

 condemned criminals, degraded slaves, and others, whom it must 

 have required an armed force to hold in check, and there were no 

 doubt small military posts in their neighbourhood. It may be 

 added, that the stone on which this inscription was cut has been 

 somewhat mutilated and defaced, and that, although Mr. Scarth's 

 explanation was perfectly satisfactory as far as it went, a part of it 

 has not yet been fully deciphered. 



The Roman remains found on the brow of a cliff at Filet in York- 

 shire in 1857, and described in a brief paper by Dr. W. S. Cortis, 

 were brought for exhibition at the meeting at Durham. They were 

 numerous, and of a miscellaneous character, consisting of upwards 

 of forty coins, in third brass, of the later emperors j of a quantity 

 of bones and pottery, among which was one fine vessel of the 

 Durobrivian ware ; of oyster, limpet, and mussel shells ; and of 

 various other articles, among which were several legs of fighting 

 cocks, showing that the well-known love of the Romans for cock- 

 fighting had reached even this remote corner of the earth. Much 

 charred wood was found scattered about, and other indications of 

 burning, so that whatever building had stood on this spot, appa- 

 rently a watch-tower or lighthouse, had perished in a conflagration. 

 Five square bases of columns were found, arranged in a parallelo- 

 gram, which measured seventeen feet by fourteen, one at each cor- 

 ner, and the fifth in the centre, which had evidently supported a 

 superstructure. A smaller column, on the northern side, seemed to 

 indicate the position of a doorway. Close to the eastern stone a bit 

 of shale was found, which had broken off a larger piece, in the 

 middle of the one side of which was drawn a large A, with 

 scrawls which appeared to have no meaning. On the other were 

 parts of two lines of an inscription, of which the following words 

 remain : — 



CAESAR SE 

 QVAM- SPE 



It has been written probably by some individual in mere playful- 



