I
ANCIENT BRITISH SKULL.
PBOM A CHAMBERED LONG BABE.OW AT EODMABTON, GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
(KBGION o r THE DOBUNI, TEMT. PTOLEMiEI, A.D. 120.)
Cranium from a Chambered longBarrmo, R'ulmarton.—Quarter-size.
THE chambered barrow of Rodmarton is situated about six miles to the south-west of Cirencester,
the Corinium Bobunorum of the Romans, in the centre of the district in which the long barrows
are so numerous,—those of Littleton-Drew, TJley, Nympsfield, AYoodchester, Avening and
Duntesbourn-Abbots being aU within a distance of ten or twelve mUes. The great Roman road
the Foss skirts the parish on the south, and Roman remains abound in the neighboui-hood *.
Here also was found one of tlie British gold coins inscribed BODUOO t , the name no doubt
of a prince of the Dobuni, more properly perhaps, as by Dion, written Boduni. The barrow
is placed on the edge of a hiU, which slopes to the west, where two or three vaUeys meet t
t The name of this prince was probably Boduoguatus =
filius Boduuorum = fihus Victorise ? Cran. Brit., chap, v
p. 112. Belloguet, Ethnog. Gaul, part 1, 1858, p. 224. Numism.
Chroii. N.S., vol. ii. 1SC2, p. 153. Comp. " Coins ot
the Ancient Britons," 18C4, p. 138. We are indebted to John
Evans, Esq., F.S.A., the author of the important work last
qnoted, for the use of the woodcut of this British coin, given
as a vignette at the end of this description. This particular
coin was found near Dumfries, in 1861 ; but the type is the
same as of that found at Rodmarton.
t It is laid down on the Ordnance-map as "Tumulus, " about
half-a-mile to the west of the village.
* For the Konmn antiquities of Rodmarton, see the memoirs
of the Rev. S. Lysons, F.S.A. (uncle of the present
proprietor), Archa:oIogia, vol. ix. p. 367, vol. xviii. p. 113;
Reliq. Brit. Rom., 1817, vol. ii. pi. viii. and is. ; vol. iii.
p. 7-8. In his • Woodchester • (1797), Mr. Lysons gives a
map which shows the position of Rodmarton in relation to the
Foss road (which here separates the counties of Gloucester and
Wilts), and to another Roman road which passes very near
the barrow in its course from Corinium to Old Passage on the
• Severn. This road, a branch perhaps of the Icknield, is probably
of British origin. (See Arch. vol. xxix. p. 8-10.)
Iloare it is described as the
Wilts, Roman iEra, pp. 15, 21)
59.
. By
'Akeman Street" (Ancient
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