Londinium, Architecture and the CraftsLethaby, W. R. (William Richard)
History
Londinium, Architecture and the Crafts
Lethaby, W. R. (William Richard)
England -- Antiquities, Roman; London (England) -- Antiquities, Roman; Romans -- England -- London
The only certain evidence we have for Temples are some inscriptions and
sculptures. For the most part they would, like those found at Silchester
and elsewhere, have been small square and polygonal structures set on a
rather high podium approached by steps. Fig. 27 is a restored plan of
the little Temple found at Caerwent. Doubtless here and in most cases,
the roof of the cella ran on to cover the podium. At the foot of the
steps an external altar would have stood. The column illustrated before
(Fig. 1) seems suitable for a temple. Roach Smith, speaking of the group
of Mother Goddesses found in Crutched Friars (see _Builder_, October 30,
1847), says: “It is the only instance with the exception of the
discovery made in Nicholas Lane in which the site of a temple can with
reason be identified” (_Ill. Rom. Lon._, p. 33). The find in Nicholas
Lane was part of an important and early inscription which may have been
on the chief temple in Londinium. Some sculptures found on the bank of
the Walbrook suggest that a cell of Mithras occupied the site. In the
fourth century a Christian church would, as at Silchester, have occupied
an important site in the City.
A large Theatre or Amphitheatre, or both, would have been necessary in
such a town. Roach Smith, who had a wonderful instinct of insight,
thought that such a building probably occupied a site against the bank
of the Fleet, called “Breakneck Steps.” Lately it has been suggested
that the drawing-in of the line of the City Walls at the north-west
angle was done to avoid an amphitheatre; more probably, I think, it was
to avoid wet ground. There is evidence that gladiator contests and
chariot races were popular. For gladiators, compare two small bone
figures at the British Museum, evidently from one shop, with the
fragment of a little statuette at the Guildhall. The bronze
trident-head, also at the Guildhall, really does seem to be a
gladiator’s weapon as suggested in the catalogue. For chariot races, see
the fragments of glass bowls, which may have been made in London, in the
British Museum. I have found an additional little point of evidence on
chariot races. Amongst Fairholt’s sketches at the Victoria and Albert
Museum, is one of an enigmatical little fragment of a Castor vase, found
in Bishopsgate Street, which seems to represent four heads of dogs
running neck and neck. Now there is a whole vase in the British Museum
(found in Colchester) which was practically a replica of the other, and
this shows that the four running animals of the fragment were chariot
horses, and the whole represented a race. Above the horses of the
fragment is scratched ITALVS, which, I suggest, must have been the name
of some favourite “winner” in Londinium.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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