The Silchester ‘Nymphaeum’

Abstract

A carved coping stone found on the site of a spring near the amphitheatre, Silchester, and first reported in 1873, was rediscovered in 2014. It does not compare in its carved detail with coping stones from the amphitheatres at Chester and London, nor with that recovered from the West Gate, Silchester, in 1890; nor does its basal width correspond with that of the arena wall of the Silchester amphitheatre. It is likely to have formed part of a monumental basin, similar to that found at Coventina's Well, Northumberland, and to have commemorated the location of a spring and its associated (unknown) deity. Similarity with the type and decoration of architectural stone used in the construction of the forum-basilica suggests a Hadrianic–Antonine date.

Estimating the ‘Missing’ Houses of Silchester

“…9 Boon 1974, 27-32;Banerjea et al 2015. 10 For example, of the town defences : Fulford 1984. 11 Fulford et al 2006. ESTIMATING THE 'MISSING' HOUSES OF SILCHESTER being made available through the Archaeology Data Service. 12 We leverage this excellent recent work in our study.…”