On ilie Excavations at Rotherley, Woodcuts, and Bolerly Dyke. 301 



Between the Roman Road and the first bend of the Mid Drain, the 

 ground being* cut up in small enclosures by the ditches, appeared to 

 be a probable place for the site of habitations. It was, therefore, 

 trenched all over, with the result of discovering several pits, and a 

 hearth with marks of fire on it. Also a skeleton in a grave 2 ft. 9in. 

 deep. To the east of the road near this spot a cluster of pits were 

 found. Another skeleton was found in a recess in the Cross Drain; 

 it was in a crouched position, and a bronze fibula was found on the 

 pelvis. Probably the fibula was used for the same purpose as the 

 one found on the hip of a skeleton at Rotherley. Lower down, the 

 skeleton of a horse was found, buried in a grave cut across the drain. 

 This shows that, although they ate the horse, it was in this instance, 

 as also at Rotherley, sometimes buried entire. Further to the south, 

 another hearth was found, with marks of fire, and on each side of 

 the drain there were traces of habitations, as if the watercourse 

 had drained through the houses. The lines of the drains in the 

 settlement can only be shown by fine black lines in the annexed 

 map, but in my third volume of excavations detailed maps will be 

 given. 



Nine bronze fibulas were found in the settlement and in the sections 

 of the dyke. They were of the same form as in the other villages, 

 but one was more distinctly Roman in character than any of the 

 others. Iron cleats, similar to those of the other villages, were 

 also found in several places, and two with hobnails at the feet of a 

 skeleton. The coins, of which three hundred and eighty- one were 

 found in the settlement, tallied with those found in the sections of 

 the dyke, and extended from Trajan to Gratian. Of this total number, 

 only two hundred and thirty-one could be identified, being in very 

 bad condition on account of having lain near the surface, and being 

 much exposed to moisture. They were occasionally found in batches, 

 and it is probable that the Roman workmen must have come upon 

 a large batch of them in digging the ditch in front of where 

 Section 2 was cut, and that the coins were thrown up into the 

 rampart with the soil without any notice having been taken of them. 

 No British coins were found in this settlement. The animal remains 

 throughout the settlement were the same, and the animals of the 



y 2 



