The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700
Hermann of Reichenau (18 Jul 1013 - 24 Sept 1054)
Alias Hermannus Contractus [Alias]
Lister
of the Texture and Figure of an old Roman Shield of
the
ParmaKind, that I had then newly procured; I have
since got another Curiosity relating to their
Plasticks,
'tis part of the
Pieces for the Conveniency of Baking) of an old
, that was lately dug up in their Burying-Place outRoman
Coffin
Coffin
of
Urns mentioned in the
NovemberTransactions
of the Red Clay but not so fine as the Urns, having a
greater Quantity of course Sand wrought in with the
Clay; as to the Form (which is entire as it was at first
moulded) 'tis Fourteen Inches and an half long, and
about Eleven broad at the narrower End, and nigh
Twelve and an half at the broader; this was the lowest
part, for the Feet and the rest were proportionably
broader till it came to the Shoulders; 'tis an Inch thick
besides the Ledges, which are One broad and Two thick,
and extend from the bottom of either side to within
Three Inches of the top, where 'tis wholly flat, and
somewhat thinner for the next to lye upon it, which se
veral Parts were thus joyn'd together by some Pin, I
presume, for at the end of each Tile is a Hole that wou'd
receive a common Slate-Pin, these Edges are wrought a
little hollow, to receive the Sides, I suppose, and at the
Feet are Two contrary Notches to fasten the End-piece,
this Bottom I should conclude to have consisted strictly
of Eight such Parts, from a like Character 8 imprest up
on the Clay by the
Sandapilarius's Finger before its Ba
king, but that I somewhat doubt whether
Numeral Fi
guresbe of that Antiquity in these
gures
EuropeanParts, tho' I
see no reason to conclude that because the
usedRomans
the
Numeral Lettersupon their more durable Monu
ments, that they were utterly Strangers to these Figures,
which (notwithstanding the common Opinion of their
Novelty here) the learned
Wallis
least, as the Times of
An. Dom
their Use here in
An.1133
Philosoph. Transact.
Numb. 154.
dug up in
Giles
blew Clay I have seen
, about Three Inches and an half long, but notRoman
Shuttle
one broad in the very middle, the hollow for the
Licium
being but one fourth of an Inch in the broadest Place,
shews that it was either for Silk or very fine Linnen, per
haps their
Asbestinumor Incombustible Winding-Sheets
fromRoman Pottle
than the
that I might observe the difference betwixt their
Congius
(of which I take this to be strictly the half) and our
Gallon, and this comes the nighest
Graves
tation, containing Three Pints and an half the
Winchester
Measure.