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The Murder House
In 1933 archaeologists uncovered the 'murder' house. Here are statements from their report.
"It would seem that the murderers, embarrassed by the problem of removing the two bodies from their house
without anybody seeing them, planned to lay them out in the inner room, where the murder had occurred, and then cover them with a thick layer of clay, on the pretext of
remaking the floor of the room. Their victims remained undisturbed, and securely buried."
"It is to be regretted that, although the murder can be dated to A.D. 300-368, and the approximate age of one of the
victims known, no clue remains to lead us to the murderers, or to reveal their motive."
NOTE : the remains of the victims were sent for
examination.
You might find it useful to visit the Ask an Expert Page and ask the expert for information before you complete this unit.
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It measures 52 feet from north to south, and 27 from east to west, and is separated from the next building by an alley-way 3 feet wide, whilst a road 8 feet wide runs outside its entrance.
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TASK
Using the information on this page write a report about the 'murder' house.
DESCRIBE the scene of the crime in your report.
DESCRIBE the victims.
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It would seem that the front of the building was a shop facing onto the road that runs along the south wall of the fort; the rest of the building was probably used for storage and as a place for the owners to live.
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Whilst the floor of the outer shop was probably entirely flagged with paving stones, the floor of the living room was made largely of clay.
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Click on the plan for a larger view
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PRINT a copy of this page
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Towards the west end of the
living room, the floor had been made up with an unusually thick layer of clean clay, the purpose of which was not at first
apparent; but it proved to cover an unexpected contribution to our knowledge of the social life of the settlement.
The remains of two human
beings were found beneath it and resting on the original floor; the skeleton of the first was
complete, and from among its ribs came what appears to be the point of a sword : of the other skeleton onlv a few fragments were recovered.
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Fact 1
In a nearby house archaeologists discovered equipment that was used for forging coins.
Fact 2
In a nearby house archaeologists discovered dice that were probably used for gambling
Fact 3
A statue of Mercury was also found.
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