The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1864-11-19

some gold fibula, The straps Of the bus
kins nre studded with little golden
bosses. Attached to the girdle are
tablet and golded hilsca STYLUS. The
tut eas,mbb, in fact, while not glaring,
is rich and tasteful.
The body though in civil dress, M.
nears to he that of legionarv officer. az
a large military cloak is swathed round
it, and bv its side are a short sword (the
famous Roman "gladium") with its belt,
a javeIine and vine such as oenturions
used to discipline among the men. A
fine ONYX signet ring, bearing the letters
:. 7 Q, r.. and figure of IA wolf is on
! the finger. This ] ooniectured to be a
symbol of authority. delegated by the
Roman Senate. or the then reiguing
! Emperor. to the bearer. The swopl and
| belt also bear the initials 8. =. @. r.
! The head Of the vine is also shaped into
| a rude resemblance TO a Ro,sau eagle.
! The body has been cmbalmei in sd
skillful . manner as to preserve, even at.
/ ter this lanse Of time. the features Ia.
/ ta'Iv distinct hut is excessively fragile
crumhling at touch, in fact. i has onlv
hcrn preserved from total destruction
hv mantle and hv quantity of q
crvnlygamic plant allied to a common
cuuiectnm ~hich is packed round it.
kpening il steady and immovable in the
coffin.
4 forhoqr giving a more detailed &C.
count: and will proceed to mention
briefly the conten;s of the space above
the head of the cornse. A quantity of
the ppuiserum like herb sustains unin-
iured an amphora of coarse earthen ware
with yellow vitreouS glass. The han
dies and neck are broken off. and inside
it is placed-a'so with packing-a
beautifully executed cincrarv urn Of red
Saman ware. containin.; ashea. and q
small roll ofvelum covered with char.
acters which I am unable to decripher,
hut | believe to he Saxon. Sprinkled
through the scroll 7 however find the
Roman name, 20 Sulpicius, Piso," the
initials s. p. Q. r." the words "lega.
tuS. "crematio," "manes." lares." and
a few others. This scroll I therefore i'm.
agine to hold the key to the enigma pre-
sented by the MANY anomalous appear.
ances | have described and am about to
/ describe.
In the amphora, beneath the urn. are
a number of ornaments of goldand silver,
such as were worn by Saxon females of
rank among them is a kind of rude
locket containing long tress of glossy
yellow hair. The ornaments appear to
be a set, as il they had helanged to one
person; and this fact, coupled with the
presence Of the hair leads me to suppose
the ashes contained in the urn to be those
of the owner both of them and the hair.
The amphora also contained a small
packet OF coins, nearly one hundred in
number, Of which iorty.three are gold,
and OF the reigns Of Roman Emperors-
Honorlius, dating a. D 40, few of
tiadrlan, Antouius, and Severus, with
earlier dates. The remaining coins are
silver, propably Saxon, but owing to their
mutilatcd and defared condition | am
unable to say positively. On one only is
\ date visible, viz, i65.
From these dates, as well as from the
Saxon ornaments, am inclined to refer
the remaius to about the data Of the f st
arrival Of the Saxons in Britain. The
corpse may be that Of one of the last
emisaries Of Rome to this island Or as
history speaks Of no political Intercourse
between Rome and our island at that
tllue, lie may have been connected with
ii religious, not civil mission The
ashes | surmise to be those Of Saxon
female But how shall We account for
the presence Of the remains Of a Romln
and Saxon in a common tomb? More
strange still is the embalmimg Of the
Roman and the cremation of the Saxon.
The position Of the coIhu in the bed ui
the rver, is also stranga; but an over
turned beat aud the shifting sands nav
account for this. Possibly the scroll
found IN the arm MY give an eAplaua.
ton Of this, and TIL this has been dec-
phered we mast be content to remlin III
the dark.