TWO ROMAN SKELETONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20367, 23 September 1929, Page 14

TWO ROMAN SKELETONS

DISCOVERIES IN ENGLAND.

FATHER AND YOUNG SON.

BRAIN CAPACITY PUZZLE.

In the study of Mr. C. C. Fagg, a wellknown London antiquary is a complete skeleton of a man who lived in England about 1700 years ago.

Sir Arthur Keith recently expressed the view that the man was a Roman who occupied a responsible position in the life of his time. "Ho had moro brain capacity that I have," said Sir Arthur.

" What I would really like to know is, what did he do with it V The remains wore found during the remaking of a lawn at Purley, Surrey, and were only about eighteen inches below the surface of the ground. The find was reported to officials of the Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society, and taken chargo of by Mr. Fagg, a past-president of the society. On assembling the skeleton it was found that not a single bone was missing. Sir Arthur Keith has made a minute examination of the skeleton, and in his report says lie has never seen a skeleton so completely excavated and skilfully dealt with, " The evidence of the skeleton fits in best with Roman date," Sir Arthur says. " From the character of skull and preservation of bones it is almost certain the man is a real Roman of Italy. . . Tho skeleton is that of a man about fifty to sixty years of age. Although the teeth are deeply worn with rough gritty food, yet three of them show signs of caries. The markings of the jaws suggest cooked foods: all points in favour of the skeleton being that of a Roman settler or the descendant of one.

"He was right-handed, but evidently not a manual labourer; his bones are but weakly marked with muscles. You have rescued all bis vertebrae. He has 7 cervical, 12 dorsal, 5 lumbar, but instead of 5 has 6 in tho sacrum. I expect the man whose remains you have found occupied a responsible position in tho life of his time."

During the course of hi 3 examination, Sir Arthur was able to detect from marks on the tibia, or shin-bone, where it had come into contact with the ankle-bone, that the man must often have adopted a squatting posture. The skull of a boy about four years of ago found nearby had so many points of resemblance that Sir Arthur thinks it not unlikely they were father and son.

Tho spot where the remains were found is on the spur of a hill just off the old Roman road leading to Kiddlesdown. On the same ridge near Kenley some schoolboys recently dug up some fragments of. bones, including a jaw and parts of a skull of a bronze age man. Other fragments of human bones, flints, and spearheads have since been found at this spot by members of the Croydon Society, who aro continuing the work of excavation.