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
6. A sketch of the inscription found on a mosaic floor near Pudding Lane
is preserved at the Society of Antiquaries: it has indications not
brought out by printing it in type, and an expert could probably gather
more from it than has been made out.
7. The sarcophagus from Clapton at the Guildhall has a much-defaced
inscription on the front panel ending apparently, as the catalogue says,
with the name MARITIMIVS. Here, again, it is possible that careful
examination by experts would bring out further facts.
These inadequate, indeed incompetent, notes on a few selected
inscriptions are at least enough to show that the inscriptions of
Londinium are worth the attention of properly equipped scholars. A
carefully illustrated account of them might be made interesting to all
intelligent citizens and help them to get really into their minds an
idea of the Roman age in London.
[Illustration:
FROM A RELIEF AT BATH.
]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
+CHAPTER X+
THE CRAFTS
IN his account of Roman London, the late Dr. Haverfield writes
(_J.R.S._, vol. i.): “The citizens appear to have been Roman or
definitely Romanised. Of Roman speech in London we have an isolated but
sufficient proof. A tile dug up in Warwick Lane, in 1886, bore an
inscription, meaning, apparently, ‘Austalis (Augustalis) goes off on his
own every day for a fortnight.’ It seems to follow that some of the
bricklayers [makers] of Londinium could write Latin. In the lands ruled
by Rome, education was better under the Empire than at any time since
until about 1848. The occupations of these Roman or Romanised civilians
are unknown to us. Articles manufactured on the Continent were certainly
imported. There were also exports of grain, cloth (or wool), and lead,
and so forth. We may believe that Roman London devoted its time to
financial rather than industrial activity.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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