REMAINS FOUND NEAR HITCHIN. 
45 
Roman constructions, and is illustrated to a great extent in the 
walls of Silchester, a few miles from Reading. All the walls were 
strengthened at the angles with courses of tiles, and in other parts 
similar courses and sometimes single tiles were laid in for bonding 
and levelling-up purposes. Structural alterations were noticed in 
several other parts of the building. One remarkable feature was 
the presence of charcoal and ashes in the centre of most of the 
rooms, even that in which was the tessellated pavement being in 
this way blackened and injured. Around were scattered bones of 
oxen, sheep, red deer, swine, goats, and birds, with quantities of 
oyster-shells; also a few bones of the fox, but none of the hare or 
rabbit. Probably the antipathy to hares, which Caesar mentions 
in his description of Britain, held good then in the same way as it 
exists still among some of our population in certain parts of the 
country. Prom the untidy state of the floor, we may be justified 
in concluding that after the original occupants had been driven 
from their abode by another set of invaders, some semi-barbarous 
tribe took possession and dwelt there, that they kindled fires on 
the elaborately-designed tessellated floors in the centre of the rooms, 
to warm themselves and cook their food, and, gnawing the flesh off 
the bones, threw these aside, after extracting the marrow, as the 
marrow-bones were cracked longitudinally. 
Considering the alterations which had been made from time to 
time in the villa, and the gradual decadence in the quality of the 
material used at each change, it must doubtless have been occupied 
for a long period, and this view is further confirmed by the wide 
range in the dates of the coins found in and around the ruins, 
commencing with Severus, a.d. 195, and almost continuous up to 
Yalens, a.d. 375, probably the time of its occupation by its last 
Roman owner. Upwards of 40 coins came into my hands, and 
there were others besides which did not reach me. The following 
is a list of the coins which I know to have been found in and 
around the villa :— 
Coins found in the Yilla. 
A.d. A.D. 
Gallienus . 253-268 Allectus. 293-296 
2 Yictorinus .. 265-267 Constantine ..... ..... 306-337 
Tetricus. 267 2 Valentinianus II. . 375-392 
Tetricns, Jun. 267-272 Three barbarous imitations of Roman 
Carausius . . 287-293 coins. 
Coins found in the field in which the Villa stood. 
a.d. a.d. 
Severus. 193-211 2 Constantinus II. . 335-340 
Gallienus . 253-268 Crispus. 317-326 
Salonina (wife of Gallienus) 2 Constans . 335-350 
Yictorinus .. 265-267 Constantius II. . 335-361 
Tetricus. 267 Magnentius . 350-353 
Tetricus, Jun. .. 267-272 Gratianus . 378-383 
Claudius Gotbicus . 269-270 Valentinianus . 375-392 
Carausius . 287-293 Yalens . 364-378 
Allectus... 293-296 Several barbarous imitations of Ro- 
4 Constantine . 306-337 man coins. 
