Archaeologists discovered these animal-printed tile fragments in Blackfriars, Leicester, during excavations in 2014. ADAM SLATER, WARDELL ARMSTRONG ARCHAEOLOGY
Posted on 04/21/2014 3:52:08 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
The paw prints and hoof prints of a few meddlesome animals have been preserved for posterity on ancient Roman tiles recently discovered by archaeologists in England...
The artifacts, which could be nearly 2,000 years old, were found in the Blackfriars area of Leicester... Wardell Armstrong Archaeology was brought in to dig at a site where a construction company plans to build student housing.
At least one of the tiles is tainted with dog paw prints, and one is marked with the hoof prints of a sheep or a goat that trampled on the clay before it was dry...
The tiles were found in layers of rubble that had been laid down as a hard base for subsequent floors, but the artifacts' original context is unclear, Daffern said...
Leicester was the stronghold of an Iron Age group known as the Corieltauvi tribe, and it remained an important city after the Roman conquest of Britain in the first century A.D., as it was located along the Fosse Way, a Roman road that connected southwestern England with the East Midlands.
The excavators say that, in addition to the animal-printed tiles, they've uncovered Roman tweezers, brooches, coins and painted wall plaster. They've also unearthed traces of a large Roman building perhaps a basilica, with a peristyle, or columned porch that was largely robbed of its masonry during the medieval era for other construction projects.
The archaeologists even discovered late Iron Age artifacts, such as several fragments of clay molds that the Corieltauvi tribe likely used to make coins before the Roman rule. Daffern said it's rare to find sites with coin molds, given how closely managed coin production would have been during the Iron Age...
The excavation is funded by construction company Watkin Jones. The archaeologists are providing updates on Wardell Armstrong Archaeology's blog.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Archaeologists discovered these animal-printed tile fragments in Blackfriars, Leicester, during excavations in 2014. ADAM SLATER, WARDELL ARMSTRONG ARCHAEOLOGY
ping
big whoof...I mean....big whoop
I guess people haven’t changed much. :)
The Adam Thorouggood house in Virginia Beach is one of the oldest houses in America. There is a paw print of a panther in one of the bricks.
It appears the brick makers decided to just leave it in, probably because it was interesting.
A yappy Pomeranian?
Awwwwww ...
woof... this feels funny....
If he was domesticated, I wonder if his name was Rex...
Romans had “beware the dog” at their doors in Pompeii. Looks like they weren’t lyin’.
https://www.google.com/search?q=pompeii+mosaic+beware+dog&tbm=isch
Malum canis, malum!
Carmen Possum
THE NOX was lit by lux of Luna,
And ‘twas a nox most opportuna
To catch a possum or a coona;
For nix was scattered o’er this mundus,
A shallow nix, et non profundus.
On sic a nox with canis unus,
Two boys went out to hunt for coonus.
The corpus of this bonus canis
Was full as long as octo span is,
But brevior legs had canis never
Quam had hic dog; et bonus clever.
Some used to say, in stultum jocum
Quod a field was too small locum
For sic a dog to make a turnus
Circum self from stem to sternus.
Unus canis, duo puer,
Nunquam braver, nunquam truer,
Quam hoc trio nunquam fuit,
If there was I never knew it.
This bonus dog had one bad habit,
Amabat much to tree a rabbit,
Amabat plus to chase a rattus,
Amabat bene tree a cattus.
But on this nixy moonlight night
This old canis did just right.
Nunquam treed a starving rattus,
Nunquam chased a starving cattus,
But sucurrit on, intentus
On the track and on the scentus,
Till he trees a possum strongum,
In a hollow trunkum longum.
Loud he barked in horrid bellum,
Seemed on terra vehit pellum.
Quickly ran the duo puer
Mors of possum to secure.
Quam venerit, one began
To chop away like quisque man.
Soon the axe went through the truncum
Soon he hit it all kerchunkum;
Combat deepens, on ye braves!
Canis, pueri et staves
As his powers non longius carry,
Possum potest non pugnare.
On the nix his corpus lieth.
Down to Hades spirit flieth,
Joyful pueri, canis bonus,
Think him dead as any stonus.
Now they seek their pater’s domo,
Feeling proud as any homo,
Knowing, certe, they will blossom
Into heroes, when with possum
They arrive, narrabunt story,
Plenus blood et plenior glory.
Pompey, David, Samson, Caesar,
Cyrus, Black Hawk, Shalmanezer!
Tell me where est now the gloria,
Where the honors of victoria?
Nunc a domum narrent story,
Plenus sanguine, tragic, gory.
Pater praiseth, likewise mater,
Wonders greatly younger frater.
Possum leave they on the mundus,
Go themselves to sleep profundus,
Somniunt possums slain in battle,
Strong as ursae, large as cattle.
When nox gives way to lux of morning,
Albam terram much adorning,
Up they jump to see the varmin,
Of the which this is the carmen.
Lo! possum est resurrectum!
Ecce pueri dejectum,
Ne relinquit back behind him,
Et the pueri never find him.
Cruel possum! bestia vilest,
How the pueros thou beguilest!
Pueri think non plus of Caesar,
Go ad Orcum, Shalmanezer,
Take your laurels, cum the honor,
Since ista possum is a goner!
There’s a house here that was made from local brick that had dog and hog prints in some. Those only date to the mid 1800’s.
I had Saltillo (sp?) tile from Mexico in the entry hall of my house in TX that had a paw print in it. I treasured that tile.
My Latin is rusty and sparse but that was a cool post! Thanks!
I think that too often we may underestimate how much we mimic our ancestors.
;’)
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