Lessons in Solving the Wrong Problem - Charlie Cochrane Page 0,3
in this field, closer to the little stream. When Dr Applecross had his aerial pictures developed, he spotted what might be a faint hint of post holes, in a rectangular formation. Typical of a Saxon hall.”
“Post holes?” What strange things might they be? It was like learning a foreign language: so far on his tour Orlando had been forced to ask Kane to tell him more about both opus signinum and roman roofing material. At least he already knew what Samian ware was and could talk with authority about amphitheatres. He now listened to a Kane give a surprisingly interesting explanation about the wooden poles that were used in construction and how they were anchored into place. Apparently, it took a very practiced eye to pick one the footprint a post had left in a trench. Applecross was allegedly very good at it.
“Would you like to see the winter dining room?” Kane asked. “It has a heated floor, so it may be germane to your calculations, although the mosaic decorating it has sadly all but collapsed into the hollow area below. It would likely have been magnificent, going from what little we have of it.”
“I’d like to see that very much, thank you.”
Orlando let himself be led the short distance back to the main range of rooms, where a much-ruined mosaic was being exposed.
“This, we believe, was where the family ate in winter,” Kane told him. “The pattern on the floor would have been a gladiatorial scene, we believe, like the one at Bignor. We have one and a half figures that survived fairly intact. We only lifted them yesterday, from where they’d fallen in between the pilae and they’re currently being treated for preservation.”
Jonty’s voice sounded to Orlando’s left. “Is that quite common?”
Applecross, appearing at Orlando’s right, said, “Yes. When the Roman empire collapsed, the effects were felt far abroad. Splendid villas such as these were robbed out, the stones taken over the years to construct other buildings and the rest left for the grass to grow over and, incidentally, preserve it for nosy folk like us to come and pick over. Interestingly, we think that in this case when the inhabitants left, this winter dining room was used as a granary. We’ve found some evidence of burned grain among the soil we’ve lifted and sifted. Of course, it might have been the family themselves who put the building to a new use, perhaps taking a pragmatic approach again when the infrastructure that had supported them disappeared, but somehow, I doubt it. I can imagine them wanting to make a new start.”
Jonty asked the very question Orlando was musing on. “Why did the Saxons or whoever came afterwards—sorry, history not my subject and all that—simply not use the house itself? Given its sturdy construction wouldn’t it have remained habitable for a long time?”
Protected from the elements, too, with its tiled roof and stone walls. Orlando and Jonty appreciated the continuity of habitation, living in a house which had been built in Tudor times and given later additions and improvements. Any workmen who visited often averred that the older parts were the soundest. Would buildings put up now be so well preserved in hundreds of years’ time?
“Alas, we’re unable to read the Saxon minds.” Applecross’s reply brought Orlando out of his thoughts. “They’d have found the Romans too alien a culture, wouldn’t you say, Kane?”
“Yes, sir.” The student nodded. “If they’d never been brought up to it, they wouldn’t necessarily know how to work the heating system or keep the baths running. Even repairing a broken tile on the roof might have been outside their experience. Also, while I’m no expert on them and may never be, I can’t imagine the average Saxon being as wedded to cleanliness as the Romans and those who embraced their culture were.”
Jonty gave Kane an encouraging smile. “As someone who knows a bit about the Tudors, I can assure you that many a generation hasn’t been too wedded to cleanliness. I suppose using the granary is pragmatism, again. Employ standing buildings which were well aired and likely to keep the grain snug. The average Roman villa might also have made a lovely place to keep your cattle safe in assuming you could get them through the door.”
Before the conversation could veer off into the agricultural pursuits of the Saxons, Applecross consulted his watch, declared it was time for luncheon, then led them to a marquee which was pitched at the top of the field.
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