The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-05-07
A BURIED CITY IN sHRop

SHIRE.
Mr.. 7. Wright, the we'll known scholar and 49,
ch@ologist gives the following account of the exca
Vatlons now being made at Wroxeter in Shrnn.
shire, the site of the Roman Uriconium. TIricp
mum was, without doubt one of the earliest Ro
man cities in Britain, for it is mentioned in Ptoa
my, and was no doubt place of Importance for Il
covered space Cf ground which, within the town
walls distinctly traced by continuous mound
which covers the remains of them) is nearly two
miles long by mile in it's greatest BREADTH
The ground which covers the town has fortunate1 .
been very little disturbed and the results of our
hrst excavations give good grounds for the hone
that the lower parts of the buildings of the whole
town will be found under it. About the centre of
the area large mass of Roman masonary above
~ feet high, and of considerable extent stands
ABOVE ground, and has been known from time i'm
memorial as the "Old Wall"
we began digging to the north of this wall, and
came upon what appears to have been some large
pubic building. In the middle of it a square en-
closure, about forty feet wide by more than 200
long, was paved with small and narrow red bricks
set very neatly In herring bone fashion, and would
appear by the number of roof tiles scattered about
10 nave been at least partially covered II was
perhaps place OF public meeting 1t Law not quite
east and west, and was separated in its length bv
strong walls from passage IA feet wide on each
sue te eastern end OF the passage to the north
were found two or three tesselated pavements of
very line work, which would seem to have beIonoed
10 small rooms. The northern wall of this PASSAGE
was evidently the outside of the building az The
worKmen came upon street running parallel to it.
and paved with small round stones in the ,nannor
OF those OF sone of our English towns In the east
Oh the passage and large room, square enclosura
"lInout pavement was 10 und, which, from the an
pearance OF the walls, imagine to have been an
uPen COURT. further east, other walls were traced
whlch nave only yet been partially explored The
passage on the south of the large apartment has
!he appearance oil an open valley, bounded part of
lls ehgtn by the old wall, and partly by contin-
uatlon OF that wall, which was ound under groupd
ana IN which are openings of doorways, each an
preached by step formed of one large mass of
the feet. ~ "oin ny
These doors lead into new series of room0 ond
courts, and very short distance to the sontb the
excavators came upon the unmistakable remains of
rich dwelling houses. The first of these was
large room, about 35 feet by 25, the hypocaust of
t Mnncn very remarkable one) is In good preserva-
,ion, out the foor has been broken up Another
hyPocaust was found adjoining this to the east
ana other apartments of or less interest have
Wall.'' 1 VI tue oiu
The workmen have come upon massive aiobt
OF stone steps leading down to very nicely arc6ed
entrance TO the hypocausts. In a square space at
the loot OF these steps rubbish seems to have been
thrown by the "last of the Romans" and a great
huoer OF CONS, objects of various kinds in bronze
IRON, lead, glass, pottery, &C., were found among
II. Ihe bottom of this staircase was from ten
10 eleven feet below the surface of the soil I
VIII not attempt to enumerate the objects of
iPtions Whlch have been found
during these incipient excavations, and which
are to form local museum. Quantities of
stucco from the walls show the fresco painting re-
markably fresh, and in tasteful patterns. One
piece has fragment of an inscription in canitaI
letters about two inches high. Quantities of win
dow glass we're strewed about the floors, all rather
thlcK-about the thickness of our common plate
glass-so that the windows of the Roman houses.
must have been well glazed. | will mention as an
other popularity, that the houses seem generally
TO nave been rooted with mcaceous slate, set To-
zenge shaped, so that from distance when seen
IN the sunshine, (as it occupies beautiful eleya
tion rising from the river Severn, and commanding
the valley of Shrewsbury the Roman city must
nave gllttered like city of diamonds-such as are
sometimes described in Eastern romance. Tracas
OF burning are met with everywhere; a quantity of
ournt wheat was found in one of the rooms, and hu.
pian bones have been found scattered about. be-
longing, should think, to four or five individuals
besides the skull OF a very young child, all which
would seem to speak of massacre at the time
oriconlum was taken and ruined by the invaders