DAYS OF THE ROMANS

Shannon News, 4 January 1928, Page 1

DAYS OF THE ROMANS

OLD FORT IX KENT.

WHAT EXCAVATIONS SHOW HIDDEN FOUNDATIONS.

The results of the first week of work within the walls of the Roman castrum at Resulver, Kent, were summarised by Major Gordon in si London paper. The first trench ,dug was parallel with the south wall of the tort and about .6Oft" within it. In the second day th e foundations of a building were encountered. They ran north and south at right' angles to tlie trench.

Following the ston e work in both directions the building was found to extend mainly southwards toward the defensive wall of the fort. About six to eight, inches abov e this stonework" a coin of Constantine the Great, attributed to about A.D. 324, come to light. It was: in a perfect state of preservation.

A few feet further along the foundations was found a large vessel of grey ware —about 16in in height—which was much fractured, and fell to places as it was being unearthed. Near to this was part of a Roman knife. From the natur e of the foundations and the position in the castrum the building would appear to be either, a barrack or ri storehouse.

At the wall end of this trench, at a depth of about 18in, was found a prehistoric flint arrow head of leaf form and extreme thinness. The presence of other worked flints seems to indicate that the site was to some extent occupied in prehistoric times. This was to he expected in view of Stone Age burials which have been discovered a few hundred yards to the west. Massive Defensive Walls. The efforts made to ascertain the method of constructing the massive defensive wall met with some success. The first cutting revealed the fact that the natural shape of the sandy hill was cut into, and against the almost vertical front, at a distance of som e 4ft from ■**» was erected the great mural work of concrete faced with dressed stones. .*

Internally the wall is stepped in two places in the 9ft which have been preserved, so that the thickness of some 10ft at the base is reduced to Bft at a height of some 6ft from the foundations. There are no traces of brick in the wall internally or externally.

Outside the wall the sandy slope of the hill has been "so much eroded that the foundations ar e now a couple of feet above the- present surface. In the trench leading to this portion of the wall, which is fairly central on the southern side, a coin of Galliehus dated A.D. 253,268, was discovered at a depth of a little over a foot. •

In digging down to the foundations of the main southern wall at another point it was found that on one side of the ground had recently been disturbed, although the surface gave no indication of this for at a depth of a little over 6ft a large piece of corrugated iron was unearthed. This turned out to be the bottom of a trench dugJtturing the war, when guns wore placed in the Roman fort. It is too early at present to form any conclusions as to the date of the erection of the castrum, but as the work goes on it is expected that material evidence will accumulate to throw light upon this important question. Interesting Disaoveries. The corner of a building found in a small trench, which was cut by Major Hume three years ago, is now being opened up, and although only a little work has so far been done upon it, there seems evidence for thinking that it was a more solidly built structure than that just mentioned. Its walls were covered internally with plaster, painted the rich Pompeian red. Great quantities of roofiing tiles and pottery of many varietiea, as well as large iron nails, small objocts of bronze, sharpening stones, the inevitable oyster shells, and bones of domestic animals. A notable feature is the scarcity of the red glazed pottery, commonly called Samian, and so far as indications of mosaic pavements have appeared. Although a building floored in that manner existed at Reculver, it was outside the fort, and was destroyed by the encroachments of the sea in th e middle of the eighteenth century.