40 The Roman Cemetery of TJriconium. 



the west, or south-west." At the spot marked G in our plan, 

 where considerable traces of Eoman sepulchral interments were 

 found in the garden of a cottage occupied by Miss Bythell, a 

 similar pit was found, with this difference in its circumstances : 

 in the former case, the soil into which the pit was cut is a 

 clayey loam, which would itself form a tolerably firm wall ; but 

 the soil on the site of Miss Bythelr's garden was a light and 

 sharp sand, which would crumble in unless supported. In this 

 case, therefore, the pit, which was somewhat more than six feet 

 square, was lined with clay, both bottom and sides, to a thick- 

 ness of twelve or fourteen inches ; and the heat of the fire had 

 been so great, that the clay was baked quite through ; and even 

 the sand beyond it, in its changed colour and appearance, 

 showed evident marks of the action of fire. Mr. Wood, who 

 was also present immediately after this grave was opened, de- 

 scribed it as having somewhat the appearance of a large square 

 baked vessel. The remains of the corpse had been collected, 

 and deposited in a very large urn, which was placed upon some 

 flat tiles, and supported and surrounded with clay and broken 

 flue-tiles. Under it was found a coin of the emperor Trajan, of 

 the description termed by numismatists second brass. 



In most of the other cases of interment yet discovered in the 

 cemetery of Uriconium, a small hole or pit appears to have been 

 sunk in the ground, and the urn, which had no doubt been 

 brought from the ustrina, was placed in it and covered up. 

 These interments were not far distant from each other, and, as 

 I have already remarked, appear to have been placed in rows, 

 nearly parallel to the road. Perhaps the ground may have 

 been bought for this purpose in common, by associations of the 

 townsmen — such as trade corporations ; or it may have been set 

 aside for burial purposes by the municipal authorities, and sold 

 in small portions to individuals, as the practice now exists in 

 modern cemeteries. It may be remarked that the accumulation 

 of soil above the Eoman level is here very much less than in the 

 interior of the ancient city, where we have to dig frequently 

 from ten to twelve feet to reach it. The top of the clay walls 

 of the pit in Miss BythelPs garden was from fourteen to sixteen 

 inches iolow the present surface; and the inscribed slab, com- 

 memorative of Flaminius Titus, which was found lying on its 

 face, probably on the original level of the ground, or very near it, 

 was met with at about eighteen inches below the present surface. 

 We may, therefore, probably reckon the accumulation of earth 

 on the side of the cemetery at from eighteen inches to two feet. 

 The average depth at which the urns have been found is some- 

 what less than four feet, so that the Romans seem to have dug 

 pits about two feet deep for their reception. 



These recent excavations in the cemetery have contributed 



