Excavations at Richborough: RVTVPIAE

268 EXCAVATIONS AT RICHBOROUGH. on excavation, to be discontinuous. The spot had obviously been plundered for stone, and this fact alone suggests that some feature existed there unlike the rest of the wall. Some further light is thrown upon this point by the condition of the western gateway, one-half of which was found completely removed. The position in the wall also agrees with the conjecture that a gateway of some form originally led into the enclosure at that spot—a supposition further borne out by the presence there of a large stone, hollowed for the reception of a square beam. As on the opposite side, the towers against this wall seem to have been without foundations. - WESTERN WALL.—Between the circular tower of the south-west corner and the break which indicates the position of the main gateway, the foundations of a tower now razed project 10 feet 6 inches from the face of the wall, the width being twice the projection. The gateway itself, which is almost in the middle of this side, is of great interest. One side of it has been quarried out in more recent times, so that only the concrete foundation to its tower remains. The other side was better preserved, and was accordingly completely cleared and left permanently open. In so far as it had a tower on each side with a doublearched entrance, this gateway was of usual character; but it has several peculiarities. The tower (on its southerly side), so far as may be judged, was long and narrow, and had a flagged floor for walking on the basement. As in the earlier forts of the North, it flanks the entrance, and projects somewhat into the interior of the fort; but like the walltowers of this fort, it projects also outward 8 or 9 feet- The tower must have been narrow—about 3 feet wide inside—or else the other side of the entrance cannot have been symmetrical, but must have had a smaller arch. Assuming, however, that the tower was thus narrow.,—its outer wall is missing,—the flags which supported its pilasters, and the position of two concrete beds which indicated the spina for sustaining the centre of the double span, give the width of each gate as about 8 feet.