Crundale Grave 4

While I was thus employed, another of the labourers came with great pleasure to inform me, that he had found another nest of urns. He had so indeed; but, in spite of my directions, by digging down upon them, instead of undermining them, had broken the great urn, or ossuary, and a narrow-necked vessel; but a patera of fine red earth [M 6745] came out pretty entire, but was afterwards more broken by a fall; it is seven inches diameter, one inch and three-eighths deep, and is impressed on the centre of its inside with the following letters, as they seem, but they are very much rubbed, namely, SEXTI. M., that is, Sexti manu, as I take it. Here was also a small urn of white earth, blacked over [M 6783]; this is quite whole, and will hold near a pint. The great urn; or ossuary, seemed to have been capable of containing near a gallon, and was about three-quarters full of the burnt bones and ashes of a young person, as appeared from the teeth, which we found in a pretty large portion of the under jaw, and also from the size and dimensions of such pieces of the bones as were least broken; for the bones in all these urns appear to have been broken, when they were put into them; into much smaller pieces than one would think would be necessary in order to make the urn contain them. Amongst them was the skull of a rabbit, or of some other such animal, but as it was so mortared, as it were, among them, on my endeavouring to separate it from them, being very thin and tender, it came all in pieces. I had almost forgot to mention, that the last mentioned patera of red earth has a cross, made by some sharp pointed instrument, thus x, on its outside. Whether we may infer from hence that the ossuary contained the remains of a Christian, I will not pretend to determine; but as I think these sacrificing vessels are rather a sure indication of the person interred having been a pagan, I guess that the x was only inscribed on this vessel to show, perhaps, that it had been sanctified, or made fit and proper for the libations, which at funerals were poured out of them to the Gods Manes, such as milk, wine, blood, etc.