By Sir RICHARD COLT HOARE, Bart. FRS and S

VI. Observations upon Jour Mosaic Pavements discovered in the County of Hants; by Sir RICHARD COLT HOARE, Bart. F. R. S. and S. A. in a Letter to NICHOLAS CARLISLE, Esq. F. R. S. Secretary. Read 15th February 1827. Stourhead, January 1827. DEAR SIR, AS every circumstance relating either to British or Roman Antiquities must be interesting to your Society, I beg leave to transmit to you some account of four Mosaic Pavements discovered in the county of Hants* and which, I believe, have not yet been described in the Archaeologia. It is well known, that such relics of the Romans in our Island have been too often; unfortunately destroyed immediately after their discovery but I have great satisfaction in saying, that four of these Pave- ments have been preserved by the proper care bestowed on them by their present proprietors. And to ensure their future memory, I have had very accurate drawings made of all of them. But before I give a description of these Pavements, if is necessary that I should state the situations in which they are found. After the long residence of the Romans in our Island, it is naturally to be supposed that, when domesticated with the Britons, they would have their places of country residence, and that they would fix them, as in modern days, at a short distance from the great Roman causeways, as we do from the modern turnpike roads; and in such situations we generally find them. PAVEMENT AT THRUXTON, The first I have to record, is the one atThruxton in Hants, situate VOL. XXII. II 50 Observations upon four Mosaic Pavements at a short distance on the left of the great turnpike road between Am- bresbury and Andover. I consider it as a Temple dedicated by the nation of Bodeni to the Heathen God Bacchus, which is evident by the effigy of the God in its central compartment; and I do not think it to have been a Villa, as no adjacent apartments have been found. But the most important part of this discovery, is the inscription, which is fortunately entire on the upper side, but defective on the lower. In the former we have the au- thor, and the nation by which this temple was dedicated : Quintus NATALIUS Natalinus et Bodeni. But as the V and O are the only letters remaining at the bottom, I must be allowed to supply them with " Hoc templum [Baccho sa- crum] voto posuerunt"—or "ex voto." We must here observe that this nation was distinguished in ancient records, by the title of Dobuni; of whom we have the following account in the last edition (1809) of Richard of Cirencester De situ Britannice, page 46. " The Dobuni, styled by Dio Boduni, were bounded on the west by the Severn, on the south by the Thames, on the east by the Charwell, and on the north by the Carnabii; and their cities were Salince (Droit- wich), Branogena (near Lentwardine), on the left of the Sabrina (Severn), Alauna (Alcester), and the most venerable of all, Corinium (Cirencester). This Roman Pavement was discovered in a field at Thruxton, in the year 1823, at a short distance on the left of the turnpike road leading to London. The more ancient Roman causeway was on the right, and was called the Port-way : it led from Sorbiodunum (Old Sarum) to I'indomis (Finkley farm), and from thence to Calleva (Silchester). A little beyond Andover, it was traversed by another Roman causeway, leading from Fenta Belgarum (Winchester) to Cunetio (Milden-hall on the river Kennet, near Marlborough), but we do not find the Iter from Salisbury to Silchester complete either in Antonine or Richard. Having examined this interesting pavement with much delight, and had an excellent drawing made of it, I sent the following short de- discovered in the County of Hants. 31 scriptiori of it to the Editor of the Gentleman's Magazine, Who printed it in September 1823 : " This pavement, though small in its proportions, and consisting only of one room, is truly deserving of the attention of every lover of Roman antiquity. It is in a tolerable state of preservation, except at one of the lower corners. It represents a circle within a square. Each angle is decorated by a head. In the central compartment is the figure of Bacchus seated on a leopard, holding a cup in his right hand and a thyrsus in the left, the top of which is broken off; in another circle are eight other heads of a smaller size, each having a cap or helmet on his head; the remainder of the circles and square are filled up with ara- besques of various designs. But the most curious part of this Mosaic is the inscription designating its founders, and its orthography, in black and red alternate letters ; but it is to be regretted that a part only of two letters, viz. V and O are visible at the bottom ; otherwise we should probably have been informed of its dedication, though I have no doubt of its having been dedicated to Bacchus." Now, as the whole of this Roman relic seems to have been confined to one square apartment, I think we may conclude that it was a Temple dedicated to the deity, and not a Villa; for on digging all around it, no foundations of other adjacent buildings were found, nor any of the other concomitants. On the north side of this building were found several graves, in which five skeletons were discovered, one of which had his legs crossed, like the Knights Templars of more modern times. This circumstance corroborated my conjecture of its having been a Temple, whither the religio loci induced people to have their bones deposited, as we find attested by the numerous sepulchral barrows around Stonehenge and Abury. It must be observed that the ceme- teries were commonly situated on the north side. The coins found, were principally of the Constantines and the Lower Empire. Few similar discoveries have been fortunate enough to find so warm a patron as Mr. Noyes, the owner of the field, who, at a considerable expence, has erected a very substantial building over the pavement, and 52 Observations uponfour Mosaic Pavements has also had a very correct drawing made of it on a large scale, by a most ingenious artist, Mr. John Lickman of Hatherden School near Andover, who has engraved and printed in colours a very correct deli- neation of it. At a short distance north of Thruxton there is a place bearing the name of Redenham, the seat of Sir John Pollen, where remains of a very extensive Roman villa have been discovered, but not as yet suf- ficiently investigated, for only plain white tesserae have been found. It is unfortunately situated in three arable fields, where, I fear, the plough has committed much damage. It must be observed that both Thruxton and Redenham lie within a triangle formed by two Roman roads, between which there might pos- sibly have been a communication by means of a Via vkinalis. Note, in this line we find a place called Duck Street. PAVEMENTS AT BRAMDEAN. The second and third Mosaic Pavements which I have to describe, are situated at Bramdean near Alresford, in Hampshire, through which parish, or very near it, a Roman road must have passed, in its course from Venta Belgarum (Winchester) into the county of Surrey. The straight line of this road is very visible for a few miles out of Winches- ter, and as far as the direct line extends. At this spot the modern turnpike diverges on the left to Alresford; but, on examining the map, you will find that if the usual straight line had been followed, it would have passed close to Bramdean. On inquiry, however, amongst the natives, I have never heard that any traces of it are at present visible. These fine Roman Pavements are now the property of William Green- wood, Esquire, of Brookwood, an estate purchased of the late Lord Malmesbury, and I am gratified in saying that the utmost attention has been paid to their ultimate preservation, by a substantial building erected over them, as a security from the inclemency of the weather. discovered in the County of Hants. 53 This extensive Roman villa is situated on a gentle eminence, such as the Romans generally selected for their Stations and Residences, and presents a beautiful specimen of tessellated work, and more nicely ex- ecuted than many I have seen, dispersed over our Island. Two of the apartments deserve our attention : each decorated by historical subjects. The first that meets our eye on entering the covered building, represents a square pavement with the angles cut ofF, in each of which was the representation of a vase ; the central compartment was circular, with two intersecting squares within it; and within those squares is an octagon, in which is the head of Medusa. In the space between this circle and the outward square border were eight compartments of this form, in each of which was the head of a Heathen deity, of which four only remain perfect, viz. Venus with her glass; Neptune with his trident; Mercury with his caduceus; Mars in armour, with his helmet and spear. Parts of two more indicate Diana with her crescent, and vEsculapius with his serpent. We may suppose that the two other compartments contained the figures of Jupiter and Juno. In the same line with the above, but somewhat separated, is another Mosaic pavement, of larger dimensions, and much richer in its decora- tions than the former; it was laid on piers, and the flues that warmed the apartment are still visible all around the room.

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