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Villa Pottery, Artefacts & Other Finds
Research and photos courtesy Kate Carless November 2020 Box Villa isn’t Chedworth (it’s much larger) nor Vindolanda (it isn’t a fort). It doesn’t have a wealth of artefacts but it does have a few that are both intriguing and informative, such as the item left. This statue was part of a relief-carved panel which was found of a hunter god dressed in a tunic and cloak carrying an unidentified animal over one shoulder and a boar over the other.[A1] It reflects the wealth and interests of the building’s owner, dates to the second century and was found in made ground from the later building.[A2] |
Because hunting was reserved to the upper class in Roman society, this sculpture puts the Box Villa into the few elite sites in Britain comparable to the Hunter God at Chedworth villa.
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The artefact right shows a hand holding a trident, part of a statue of the Roman god Neptune, who ruled water springs and the seas, whilst his brothers Jupiter and Pluto controlled heaven and the underworld.
Wall Plaster In 1892 the Rev EH Goddard reported that Painted wall plaster was in great abundance and of a great variety of colours.[A3] The thickness of the plaster was 2 or 2½ inches and the general scheme of decoration was that of large panels of colour, bordered and framed by lines of red, green, and white. He also refers to the number of rooms with decoration copying a marble appearance: a wonderful variety of imitations of marble. In Devizes museum, there is a little piece of plaster showing a girl’s head which was found in Box. |
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Hypocausts
In addition to the mosaic pavements, parts of the building were found to be largely complete. Several hypocausts were almost untouched with pillars still standing and evidence of the stoke holes constructed with tiles.[A4] These include Rooms 5 and 7.
In addition to the mosaic pavements, parts of the building were found to be largely complete. Several hypocausts were almost untouched with pillars still standing and evidence of the stoke holes constructed with tiles.[A4] These include Rooms 5 and 7.
Hypocaust of Chamber V with 51 straight sided stone pilae (pillars)
Some of the pillars were rough-hewn, such as those in Chamber 10, below left, whilst other stones appeared to have inscriptions, such as the altar below right, again with the hunter-god image which could possibly have come from an earlier building.
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Back Wall
The apsidal Room 26 was a fourth century later addition and needed to be supported by a buttress construction.
The apsidal Room 26 was a fourth century later addition and needed to be supported by a buttress construction.
References
[A1] Victoria County History of Wiltshire, Vol 1 Part 2, Editor RB Pugh, 1973, Oxford University Press, p.453
[A2] HR Hurst, DL Dartnall and C Fisher, Excavations at Box Roman Villa 1967-68, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, Vol.81, 1987, p.29
[A3] Harold Brakspear, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XXXIII, 1904, p.263
[A4] Harold Brakspear, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XXXIII, 1904, p.247
[A1] Victoria County History of Wiltshire, Vol 1 Part 2, Editor RB Pugh, 1973, Oxford University Press, p.453
[A2] HR Hurst, DL Dartnall and C Fisher, Excavations at Box Roman Villa 1967-68, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, Vol.81, 1987, p.29
[A3] Harold Brakspear, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XXXIII, 1904, p.263
[A4] Harold Brakspear, Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol XXXIII, 1904, p.247