PITS AND WELLS
I. Pits or Wells within the Fort
Field No. 605, Ordnance Survey Plan, 25-inch scale. Second Edition. 1898. Roxburghshire, Sheet VIII. 2, Parish of Melrose.
PIT I. Diameter at surface 20 feet; at bottom 6½ feet. Depth 25½ feet. The pit lay in the north-east angle of the outer Courtyard of the Principia. From the upper levels came many cartloads of building stone, while among them, and interspersed among the filling down to the bottom, lay a number of larger blocks. The stones placed together measured 41 square yards 3 square feet.
Finds. Near the surface a fragment of an inscribed tablet (Plate XVIII., Fig. 4). At 5 feet, a piece of twisted silver wire, part of a penannular brooch, two bronze rings, and twelve links of a small bronze chain (Plate LXXXI., Fig. 16). At 8 feet, a human skeleton, near it a bronze penannular brooch (Plate LXXXVIII., Fig. 7), as well as two pieces of bronze, perhaps part of a second brooch. At 12 feet, an altar dedicated to Jupiter (Plate XVI.), and below it a 'first brass' coin of Hadrian. From 14 feet downwards, bones of animals; the skulls of oxen (Bos Longifrons), and of horses were frequent; also soles of shoes, fragments of leather garments, and deer horns. At 18 feet, fragments of stone moulding, pieces of amphorae, and small bits of undecorated Terra Sigillata; also two pieces of deer horn fitted together like a rude pick. At 21 feet, an iron bar. At 22 feet, a human skull complete and part of another skull near it, remains of scale armour of brass, also the necks of five large amphorae, and the bottom of a cup of Terra Sigillata (Type Drag. 33), with the stamp PROBVS. F. At 25 feet, the upper stone of a quern, an iron knife with a hone handle (Plate LX., Fig. 3), an iron knife (Plate LX., Fig. I), a linch pin (Plate LXX., Fig. I), a bar of iron, a sickle (Plate LXI., Fig. 2); portions of an iron corselet mounted with brass (Plate XXII. and Fig. 11, page 157); the staves and bottom of an oak bucket, 7 inches high, 8 inches in diameter; the iron rim of a large bucket; a large block of sandstone having a rudely-sculptured figure of a boar on one side; a small fragment of stone, with a figure of a boar in relief; five arrowheads of iron (Plate XXXVIII., Figs. 2 to 6); pieces of chain armour (Plate XXXVIII., Fig. 10); the iron umbo of a shield (Plate XXXIV., Fig. 3) and
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