THE ROMAN WALL IN NORTH BRITAIN. 



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the Wall, and the occupants of its fortified posts, their religious 

 life, their racial, social and military conditions. It is impossible, 

 however, in this short paper, to give any adequate description of 

 the numerous objects which fill several hundred pages in the 

 official account of the museum. A brief notice of the most 

 prominent must suffice. 



Among the legions drawn from different races in the Roman 

 Empire there were naturally " lords many and gods many." 

 For example, there is a fine altar dedicated by Germans to Mars 

 Thingsus and two female deities, Beda and Fimmilena. 



A well-carved but now headless figure of Cybele, the great 

 world-mother, standing on a bullock, the emblem of tillage, is 

 suggestive of Greek origin. 



The statue of Mithras was probably put up by soldiers from 

 lands still further east. 



Huntsmen have built an altar to some local god of the woods. 



An officer in command of the fourth cohort of Gauls has made 

 one to the Genius of the Prsetorium. 



Venenus, a German, has dedicated another to Fortuna 

 Conservatrix. 



Besides foreign deities, one, believed to be the presiding genius 

 of a neighbouring spring, and by name Coventina, is honoured 

 on a sculptured stone, where she is represented as floating on the 

 leaf of a water-lily. 



The name of each reigning Emperor had its place. Two 

 examples may suffice. " In honour of the Emperor Caesar 

 Trajanus Hadrianus Augustus the second legion (styled) the 

 August (has placed this by the command of) Aulus Platonius 

 Nepos legate, and propraetor. 



A mural slab, placed by a regiment of the 20th legion, is dedi- 

 cated to another Emperor known to us as Antoninus Pius ; 

 beneath the inscription is the figure of a wild boar, the emblem 

 of the legion. 



A stele, showing a soldier on sentry duty and another with a 

 stag and fawns, represent two sides of a soldier's life, and the 

 milestone may suggest days of weary march. 



With all the serious aspects of the busy camp, the Roman boy 

 appears to have been very much like the British boy of to-day. 

 Two stones on which he has cut his caricatures have survived 

 far beyond all the dreams of the young artist. 



Two other treasures of Cilurnum must be mentioned as of 

 special interest. One is a case of coins — gold, silver, and brass — 



s 2 



