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Exhibits at Ballots

The objects were found during the recent excavations on the line of the new Havant to Chichester by-pass at the point where it passes the east side of the Roman palace at Fishbourne. Here, the excavations uncovered part of a large semi-formal garden or park on the eastern approaches to the palace. This is at least five acres in extent and possibly much more. Two of the objects (one of each shape) were found in a small pond, while the others were discovered in features which are identified as bedding trenches. These were filled, as they all were, with a mass of rich humus and much broken pottery derived from one of the middens which undoubtedly accumulated in the more remote areas of the palace estate. Two of the objects are lozenge-shaped and two are hexagonal. They appear to have been made in a mould and taper upwards from the base. Each one has a hole in the top measuring 15 mm. in diameter and 18 mm. in depth, which could have been made with a finger (fig. 1). The holes in the two hexagonal ones are at an angle of approximately 35 degrees to the vertical whereas the other two are roughly vertical. Whether this difference is due to a lack of care in the piercing or is deliberate is uncertain. The fabric is hard-fired London clay which has been sand-tempered; it occurs on site and oxidizes to a brick-red, and so far I have not been able to trace any parallels. It seems likely that they were intended for use, either as crude candlesticks for small candles or rushlights or as incense burners. No signs of soot or discolouration that might be caused by burning are apparent, which suggests that they were not used. Their relative crudeness of design seems out of place with the type of artefact usually associated with the palace, but the relationship of the two found in bedding trenches with midden material derived from the palace environs suggests that they were intended for use in that building.