CC'TSNOLO ARChAEOWGY qj~.Zlt\ CA {let. 1\~5 ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERIES AT CIRENCESTER - COTSWOLD ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST LTD. This volume is dedicated to the memory of Ca lvin Wells ( 1<)( lH-1'J7H) CIRENCESTER EXCAVATIONS II ROMANO-BRITISH CEMETERIES AT CIRENCESTER by Alan McWhirr, Linda Viner and Calvin Wells WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM Dorothy Charlesworth, T.e. Darvill, Brenda Dickinson, Margaret Guido, B.R. Hartley, M. Hassall, M. Henig, R.H. Leech, D. Mackreth, R. Reece, Valery Rigby, T. Slater, Clare Thawley, T. Waldron, DJ. Wilkinson AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY Nick Griffiths Published by Cirencester Excavation Committee Corinium Museum, Cirencester, England 1982 © Cirencester Excavation Committee 1982 Corinium Museum, Park Street, Cirencester, Glos., GL7 2BX, England ISBN 0 9507722 1 6 The publication of this volume has been financed by the Department of the Environment. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Cirenccster Excavation Committee. Produced by Alan Sutton Publishing Limited, 17a Brunswick Road, Gloucester. Printed in Great Britain by Page Bros (Norwich) Ltd. CONTENTS Page Microfiche List of plates 9 List of figures 11 List of tables 14 Acknowledgements 17 Introduction 19 Excavation codes 19 Microfiche 22 Geology and topography 23 Historical Summary of the Quems Pre-Roman period 26 Roman period 26 Post-Roman period by Terry Slater 27 THE EXCAVATIONS Extraction of Stone Introduction 31 EA 78 Quems House Kitchen Garden by Tim Darvill 31 1981 Observations by David Wilkinson 37 Area south of Fosse Way by Linda Viner 43 Roman Roads West of the Town by Alan McWhirr 46 Roadside Building by Roger Leech and Alan McWhirr Introduction 50 Summary of chronology 55 1972-76 excavations 55 Period I 55 Periods II and III 58 Period IV 68 Period V 68 Period VI 68 Bath Gate Cemetery, 1969-1976 by Linda Viner and Roger Leech Introduction 69 Excavation and recording techniques 69 Burial analysis 70 5 6 CIRENCESTER EXCAVATIONS II Page Microfiche Burial recording system 71 Orientation 76 Attitude 76 Skull position 82 Skeletal survival 83 Leg position 83 Arm position 85 Grave type Shrouds 85 Wooden coffins 86 Stone coffins 88 Lead coffins 92 Graves with stone packing 92 Cremations 97 Cemetery organisation Alignment and orientation 100 Burial chronology 101 Cemetery area 106 Evidence for gnawed bones 107 Decapitated burials 108 Distribution of sexed burials 109 THE POTTERY Introduction by Valery Rigby 112 1/5 C07 The Samian by B.R. Hartley and Brenda Dickinson 1/5 C08 A. Potters' Stamps B. Decorated Samian Fabric Classification by Valery Rigby 1/5 C13 The Pottery Groups by Valery Rigby 112 1/5011 Site CS - CS 72-3 8 layer 7 1/5E06 Site CT - Period I 117 1/5 Ell Period " 1/5 F07 Period III 1/5 F09 Period IV 1/5 FlO a) filling of furnace F 19 b) above the building Period V 1/5 G02 A selection of pottery from the layers above the cobbled surfaces, or equivalent layers on CS and CT 1/5 G03 THE FINDS Introduction 126 The Coins by Richard Reece 126 2/5 A04 The Brooches by Don Mackreth 2/5 A13 Copper alloy objects by Linda Viner 2/5 B08 Iron objects by Linda Viner 2/5 C04 Silver objects by Linda Viner ... 2/5002 Glass Beads by Margaret Guido 2/5 D04 Shale and jet objects by Linda Viner 2/5 006 CIRENCESTER EXCAVATIONS II 7 Page Microfiche Bone objects by Linda Viner 2/5 007 Glass vessels by Dorothy Charlesworrh 2/5 011 Clay, stone and lead objects by Linda Viner 2/5 EOJ Graffiti and inscription by Mark Hassall 2/5 Ell The Animal Bones by Clare Thawley 2/5 ED Finds from the Roadside Building (CT) 128 2/5 Finds from the Cemetery A. Objects associated with burials 128 B. Objects from grave shafts 132 2/5 C. Objects from grave earth 133 2/5 THE HUMAN BURIALS by Calvin Wells South of the Fosse Way 135 The material and its condition 135 Sex and age 135 Physical type 137 Stature 139 N on-metrical variants 140 Meric and cnernic indices 141 Congenital defects 144 Teeth 146 Torus 151 Osteoarthrosis 152 Fractures 161 Weapon wounds 168 Exostoses 173 Dislocations 175 Osteochondritis dissecans 178 Infections 180 Neoplasms 183 Synostoses 183 Cribra orbitalia 186 Miscellaneous lesions 187 Parity 192 Decapitation 194 Gnawed bones 194 North of the Fosse Way The material and its condition 197 Sex and age 197 Physical type 197 Stature 197 N on-metrical variants 197 Meric and cnemic indices 198 Squatting facets 198 Teeth 199 Osteo arthrosis 199 Fractures 200 Exostoses 200 8 CIRENCESTER EXCAVATIONS II Page Microfiche Miscellaneous lesions 201 Cirencester "Triangle" Series 201 Detailed anatomical analysis for burials recovered from the Bath Gate Cemetery, 1969-1976 3/4, 4/5 Human Bone Lead Concentrations by Tony Waldron 203 4/5 G05 The Roman Cemeteries of Cirencester 205 515 Abbreviations 208 Bibliography 209 Index 218 LIST OF PLATES (* denotes that a metric scale was used in the photograph) Frontispiece: Calvin Wells at work with arthroscope looking at sinuses Page 1. Aerial view of the Quems, August 1973. (photo: Ray Brown) 23 2.* EA 78 I quarry face. (photo: Tim Darvill) 34 3.* EA 78 I quarry face. (photo: Tim Darvill) .... 34 4. Fosse Way 1972, ruts. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 47 5. Fosse Way 1971, section. (photo: Robin Peers) ... 47 6.* Kerb of Fosse Way. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 48 7.* Road section observed at the Quems, 1973. (photo: David Wilkinson) 48 8.* Post-socket for timber uptight in wall 5. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 60 9.* Stone flooring inside building, looking south. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 64 10.* Smithing hearth, F 19. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) ... 65 11. Burials 190 and 196 lying prone, 189 supine. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 77 12. Prone attitude, burial 191. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 77 13. Burial 224. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 78 14. Burial 308 lying on right side. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 80 15. Burial 341 lying on right side. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 80 16. Burial 184 with arms extended at sides. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 80 17. Burial 175 with arms folded across pelvis. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth} 84 18. Burial 203, right arm across pelvis, left arm across chest. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 84 19. Burials 193, 194, 215 and 216. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 86 20. Burials 307 and 335-8. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) ... ... 86 21. Burial 42 in stone coffin. (photo: Robin Peers) . ... 90 22. Burial 355, stone coffin, (photo: Wilts. & Glos. Standard) 93 23.* Burial 355, inside lead coffin. (photo: J. Wilson) 93 24. Burials 226 and 227. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 94 25. Burial 279. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 94 26. Burial 274 with stone tile covering. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 95 27. Burial 274, covering removed. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 95 28. Burial 198. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 96 29. Cremation 294; (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 98 30. Cremation 293, quadrant excavation, white markers indicate nails. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 99 9 10 ClRENCESTER EXCAVATIONS II 3l. Inhumation 107, arthrotic rib. (photo: Hallam AsllIey) 163 32. Inhumation D, left scapula. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 163 33. Inhumation 39, slingstone wound. (photo: Hallam AsllIey) 164 34. Inhumation 58, fractured vertebrae. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 165 35. Inhumation 24, skull wound. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 169 36.* Inhumation 305, skull wound. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth) 170 37.* Inhumation 305, skull wound. (photo: Colin Shuttleworth} 170 38. Inhumation 199, right tibia with up-turned spike. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 172 39. Inhumation 9, lesion and dislocation of shoulder. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 176 40. Inhumation 9, lesion and dislocation of shoulder. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 177 4l. Inhumation 53, dislocated shoulder. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 177 42. Inhumation 174, ankylosed knee. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 184 43. Inhumation 174, ankylosed knee. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 185 44. Inhumation 134, hole in scapula. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 188 45. Inhumation 182. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 189 46. Inhumation 42, right foot with extensive cavitation around the ankle joint due to gout. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 190 47. Inhumation 42, evidence for gout in the left foot. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 190 48. Inhumation 42, right hand showing cupping of metacarpals and phalanges. (photo: Hallam Ashley) 191 49. Inhumation R, decapitation cutting through the atlas vertebra. (photo: Hallam AshIey) 193 50. Inhumation 215, decapitation through the C4 vertebra. (photo: Hallam Ashley) ... 193 5!. Gnawing on the left humerus of Inhumation 55, and the right tibia of Inhuma­ tion S. (photo: Hallam As/rley) 195 .... LIST OF FIGURES Page Microjidle 1. Cirencester: Roman Town Plan 20 2. Roman and modern features to the west of the Bath Gate 21 3. Trenches excavated 1969-1980 22 4. Contour survey of amphitheatre, quarry and Bath Gate cemetery (based on a survey commissioned by the Department of the Environment) ... 24 5. Earthwork survey of the Querns (based on a.s. 1921 1:2500, with modern roads superimposed) 25 6. The Querns, 1777 (based on G.c.R.a. Bathurst MSS 02525, Plan of Chesterton 1777) 29 7. Trenches excavated EA 78, Querns House Kitchen Garden 32 8. Plan of EA 78 areas I and II 33 9. Plan of EA 78 III ... 36 10. Key to conventions used to denote soil types in the drawn sections 37 11. Section EA 78 III ... 38 12. Plan of 1981 observations 39 13.' Sections, 1981 observations 40 14. CS 71-3 4, west-east section 42 15. CS 71-3 4, south-north section 44 16. CS 70, west-cast sections 45 17. CT 72-4 trench outlines 51 18. CT 76 trench outlines ..