Pagans Hill Roman temple

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Coordinates: 51°21′39″N 2°38′14″W / 51.360732°N 2.6373580°W / 51.360732; -2.6373580
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Pagans Hill Roman Temple
Romano-Celtic Temple
History
Founded3rd Century AD
Abandoned4th Century AD
CulturesRoman
ManagementEnglish Heritage

The Pagans Hill Roman Temple was a

Romano-British-style temple (Romano-Celtic temple) excavated on Pagans Hill at Chew Stoke in the English county of Somerset
.

History

The temple faced east and was first built in the late-3rd century, possibly to the god Mercury.[1] After the collapse of the original building another temple was built, which again fell into ruin. The final rebuild, after about 367 CE included the addition of an internal screen. The latest dateable coin found at the site was of Arcadius (383–408). The last building collapsed in the 5th century.[2]

The site of the temple is on the aptly named Pagans Hill, although that name is modern[3] and any link to the site in the naming of the road has been lost.[4]

Appearance

It was a double-

pilasters, as their small size would render them ineffective as wall supports. Warwick Rodwell suggests that the ambulatory would have been cross-vaulted and the pilasters used as external supports for this. This would allow for a good deal of natural light to circulate the building and give an aesthetically balanced look to the structure. The ambulatory would then give the illusion of a labyrinth of side chambers running off from the central area.[5]

The site formed a large pilgrimage centre including guest houses and priest's house as well as the octagonal temple and holy well.[6]

Excavations

The temple was on a promontory overlooking the

well (17 metres deep) and several ditches were found which contained small artifacts showing occupation of the site before the Roman period including pottery of Iron Age type,[9] and a coin dating from c. 335–337 CE.[10] Evidence of continuing use after the Roman period is provided by a bucket and an exotic 7th century glass jar found in the well.[11]

It was originally thought, on its discovery in 1830, to have been a

hill forts
.

Pagans Hill Dog

Among the artefacts found in the well approximately 15 meters west of the temple foundations, was an unusual sculpture of a dog with collar. The statue was in four sections, measured 63 cm in height overall and was made of Doulting Stone, a limestone, as still quarried today at Doulting Stone Quarry.[10]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 0-86063-282-2
    .
  2. ^ "Pagans Hill temple". Curse tablets from Roman Britain. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  3. ^ MacInnes, Charles Malcolm; Whittard, Walter Frederick (1973). Bristol and its adjoining counties. p. 174.
  4. ISBN 0-85033-461-6
    .
  5. ISBN 0-86054-085-5
    .
  6. ^ Ford, David Nash. "Narrative History of the County of Somerset". Britannia. Archived from the original on 12 November 2006. Retrieved 3 January 2007.
  7. ^ Rahtz, P.; Harris, L.G. (1958). "The temple well and other buildings at Pagans Hill, Chew Stoke, North Somersetshire". Proceedings of the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society: 25–51.
  8. ^ Rahtz, P.; Watts, L. (1991). "Pagans Hill revisited". The Archaeological Journal. 46.
  9. ^ Hucker, Ernest (1997). Chew Stoke recalled in old photographs. Ernest Hucker.
  10. ^
    JSTOR 526163
    .
  11. ^ Gelling, Margaret. "Temples in Somerset and neighbouring areas" (PDF). Archeology Data Service. Retrieved 3 January 2007.
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