A ROMAN VILLA IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 62, 13 November 1880, Page 4 (Supplement)

A ROMAN VILLA IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT

The tessellated floors of several rooms ot a Roman villa have been recently discovered at Morton's farm, about half way between Brading and Sandown. The floor of the principal room, which is about sixteen feet square, presents a moat curious and interesting mosaic pavement in several compartments. In the centre, in a circular compartment, is a head of Dionysuß, in bis most youthful form, with flowing hair; by his side is a thyrsus. In one of the compartments is almost curious scene, which will doubtless give rise to muoh conjecture. On the left is a human figure dressed in a* tunic, with a cock's head, and, instead of feet, claws with a spur. He stands in presence of a small house, raised high, with a ladder up to it, On the right side are two winged animals, whether chimaarffl, or dogs, or tigers is doubtful. At the first glance this cock-headedr figure and these winged animals suggest a Gnostic and Mithraic origin. It cannot, however, be the Gnostic god Abraxas, as his characteristics were, besides the cook's head, serpent's legs, a lqrica and a shield- In the more probable view it is a jeu d'esjrrit and nothing deeper, like the carip aiure Boenea frequent in the Pompeiian wall paintings, viz., a bird in a smock-frock like, a farmer, watching two cats at play, the fowl-house in the background. The picture is interesting from its deviating from the hackneyed list of subjects generally taken for that purpose. In another compartment is a youthful figure holding a trident in his hand, as if r&ised in. the aot> of striking a figure which, crouches beioie Mm. This figure is doubt* less a gladiator termed retiwrim, who usually carried a three-pointed lance called tridens, and a net, which he endeavours to throw over his adversary, and then attack him with the trident when he was entangled. The other compartments are greatly injured, and very little of them can be made out. The pavement is composed of rather caurse tessera of only three colours— black, white, and red. The black and white are made of atone, while the red, axe made of brick*. Num^ bers of bones and oyster shells were found over the pavement in excavating this room. On part of the floor were heaps of ashes, as if fires had been lighted on the pavement, whioh bears evident marks of having suffered from fire. The state of the floor, like that of the villa at Carisbrooke, .and other Roman buildings generally throughout England, indicates the bar-, barism which prevailed after the departure of the Eomans. Traces of the occupation of a savage people are frequently found ; fireß have been kindled on the beautiful tessellated floors ; the bones of sheep, deer, and various other animals strewn about the rooms speak very clearly, of the coarse repasts which succeeded .the refined banquets of the countrymen of Lucullus and Apicius. Some coarse pottery has been found, but only one piece of painted pottery has been discovered. Portions of wallpainting also occur, 'one fragment bearing a little bird nicely painted. The room witu the mosaic pavement is Burrounded by other rooms, with a rude kind of tessellated ' pavement, the walls of which, about a foot high, are etill remaining., A coin of Gallienus was discovered, which would fix the date of the villa at about 263 a.d. On the reverse is a stag with' the word Diana. A great number of different animals are found on tiie small bronze Beries of his reign, being suoh as were sacred to the various divinities sought to be propitiated on account of the fearful pestilence which raged * throughout the Roman Empire during his reign.

Bisk ot Butter and Chsxse at Ska. — When the schooner, Eddie Pierce, from Boston, bound to Baracoa,, Cuba, was south-east of Nantuoket, about 300 mileß from Sandy Hook, 18th June, a firkin of butter waß seen to rise in the water. Others followed until three hundred and twenty-Beven had come to the surface. Boxes of cheese blbo came up, to the number of twenty-four, and were secured, when the schooner turned back to Boston, where her owners filed a libel for salvage. .The marks on the packages were illegible. There are two theories regarding the origin of the buttor.and cheese thus found " derelict" at sea. 'One ia that some unknown j freight vessel had been loat at that spot, and that the packages were released by its breaking np. , The other theory ia that the butter and cheese were lost from the compartments of the Anchoria after her collision with, the Queen, near that 'place, recently, and that|the refrigerators in which the packages were, stored had only begun to oreak up when the Eddie Pierce armed upon the soene.-r Scientific American.