Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 5.djvu/384

288 BERKSHIRE ANTIQUITIES. the north the same. From the general regularity of the whole work, its having no opening or particular defence on the east side, which is perfectly accessible, while what have been named terraces on the west, where the ground is steep, are disposed rather for display than strength, the place looks more like the area of a destroyed Druid ical temple (if stone circles really were such), than any thing else ; but if the inclosure be a camp, we may venture to refer it to the Danes. Tradition asserts that it was connected with the battle of Ashdown, and that Alfred offered up his devotions in the neighbouring chapel of Aston Upthorpe, such as it was in his time, before the onset. Certain it is, that there has been hard fighting about here, as may be learnt from the numbers of skeletons which have been discovered from time to time not far off; particularly in making the new road from Blewbury to Wallingford ; but having my- self seen none of these, I purposely forbear making any obser- vation upon them. It seems not to be a just conclusion, although it is one which possibly may be drawn, that because the mode of inter- ment Avhich has been above described is, in the extreme, plain and simple, therefore the people using it must have been ne- cessarily very poor and destitute. It is true, the country they inhabited was bleak and open ; and being far removed from the coast they had not those opportunities of supplying them- selves with trinkets, ornaments, and other things, by means of the per mercatores commercia, which Caesar mentions in the case of the men of Kent. But in addition to the fact of traces of the Romans beina; found in all directions in the neiohbour- hood, the circumstance of a piece of Roman pottery being thrown out from the substance of the tunudns, (and a further search might have disclosed much more,) proves that those' who raised it lived in Roman times, had seen s[)eciniens of their art, and probably also of their luxury. Again, toge- ther with the Roman pottery, were found fragments of what is called British ; so that they had urns, as well as other na- tives, and could have secured the bones in one, had they pleased ; while as far as regards the place of cremation, it was arranged with unusual and peculiar care. They must have had weapons, however })lain, for their own purposes ; arrow and spear heads of flint ; shields ; pins also of bone or bronze, and perhaps some few personal ornaments ; but as none of these things have been found, the true explanation of all is,