291 



d&n % fpatmafe of Jlmron %ents- 



By J. Buckman", F.L.S., F.G.S., F.S.A,, &c, 



Professor of Geology and Botany. 



HE object of the present notice is to show from geological 

 evidence, that during the Roman occupation of Britain, 

 communication was not only kept up with different parts of our 

 country, but that foreign countries were also made to supply some of 

 their natural stores to augment the convenience or luxuries of the 

 Romans, or Romano-British inhabitants of our island. 



In illustration of this, I propose to make a few observations on 

 the domestic implements called querns. These were circular hard 

 millstones for grinding corn, and when stones suitable for this 

 purpose were not to be found on the spot, they had to be obtained 

 from various distances, according to circumstances. 



The primary requisite in a millstone is, that it should be made 

 up of hard cutting particles, so that silicious stones would naturally 

 be chosen ; but as these are very variable in hardness, they were 

 doubtless selected according to the purposes for which they were 

 required. 



Now although silicious rocks abound in different parts of the 

 world, only certain portions of even sandstone rocks are available 

 for millstones, and hence our native stones of this kind occur only 

 in certain localities, and these often widely apart. Some notion of 

 this may be gained from the following table of rocks, which have 

 yielded us examples of home-made querns or molars. 



List of rocks from which English querns have been made, in 

 descending order : — 



1. Sarsen-stone. Tertiary Sandstone. 



2. Hone-stone. From the TTppper-green-sand. 



3. Red and Grey Stones. From the New-red-sandstone. 



4. Gritstones. From the Coal-measures. 



5. Milestone- Grit. From the Carboniferous system. 



