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two and a half wide, very smoothly hollowed out of the chalk, to the somewhat unusual depth
(not shown in the wood-cut) of nearly six feet.
At the distance of a few inches from the skull, was a barbed flint arrow-head. A vase of
Earthen Vase, half actual size.
reddish ijottery, 6J inches in height, was standing at the feet. This " drinking-cup " is highly
ornamented : it contained nothing but loose chalk. Near the left hand, with the point towLds
the feet, lay the blade of a bronze dagger ten inches long, without any ornament, except that the
Skeleton as seen in situ, when uncovered, in Barrow No. 2, Roundway.
surface is neatly bevelled oiî towards the edge. It is of a somewhat rude and unusual form, the
portion by which it was attached to the handle having no rivet-boles. It is prolmbly of nfitive
manufacture, and must have been a formidable weapon. When found, it was covered with a
thin layer of a black pulverulent substance, and there was a similar layer underneath it doubt-
40 '
(2)
ANCIENT BRITISH—EOUNDWAY HILL, NORTH WILTS.
less the remains of a wooden sheath. A smaU quantity of the same substance, extending for a
short distance beyond the blade, seemed to represent the handle. In front of the breast and
Bronze Blade of Bagger ; half actual size.
between the bones of the left fore-arm, lay an oblong tablet of chlorite slate, four inches and
a half in length, and an inch and a quarter wide, carefuUy smoothed and beveUed, and pierced
with a hole at each angle, the holes being neatly countersunk on both sides. Adhering to it, was
a rude fragment of red bronze or copper, at first taken for a pin, but perhaps, as suggested *, the
tang of a knife or smaU weapon, of which nearly the whole of the blade has wasted away. The
stone tablet bad doubtless been worn as an ornament on the breast or wrist. Similar objects
have been found in other barrows in WUtshiret-
Flint Arrow-head and Bronze Fragment {both of actual size), and Tablet of Chlorite-slate (two-thirds the actual size) ;
all from Barrow No. 2, Eoundmay.
The bones of the skeleton were unusuaUy dense and fii-m, retaining probably more of both
their animal and earthy matter than is usual in bones from ancient tumuli. This no dou!)t
arises from the considerable depth in the di-y chalk, of the cist in which the body had been interred.
The skull (including the lower jaw), defective as it is in many parts, stUl weighs 32i ozs. Av.
The thigh-bone is strong and massive; the processes and ridges for muscular attachment strongly
marked: it measm-es neai-ly 20i inches in length, indicating a stature of more than six
being above the probable average stature of the Ancient Britons. In the majority of skeleton^
fovmd in the barrows of the British period, the thigh-bones perhaps do not exceed 19 inches in
length, which, according to oui- estimate, gives a stature of five feet ten inches t-
Arclireologioal Journal, vol. sviii. p. 160.
t For a description of these stone ornaments, see the first
part of this work, Chapter V., Historical Etlmology of Britain,
p. 80, note J. They must be distinguished from the "whetstones,"
which they somewhat resemble, also found in these
barrows; for figures of which see "Ancient Wilts," pi. 24.
Archa:ological Journal, vol. x. p. 356. Comp. Archffiologia,
vol. xxxiv. p. 2.54, 1. 32.
42.
t The following rule for calculating the stature from the
length of the thigh-bone, is probably more correct than that
given by the writer in the note at p. (7) of the Description of
the Skull, PI. 11. From the length of the thigh-bone deduct one
inch, and an additional half inch for every inch above eighteen
inches. Multiply the length thus reduced by 4, and the resuit
is the approximate stature. The actual stature is of course
much influenced by the length of the tibia, the size of which
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