prevent any great heat being conveyed to the chamber. Cameron (Baths o the Romans) has entered into a long calculation to shew that the plan was feasible, but after all, it was more likely that the hypocausts in these baths were used to preserve the temperature which had been given to the water by some other means not now known to us.
Our author then describes Pliny's Laurentine villa, which, as he shews, was constructed with hypocausts such as have been already noticed, and then proceeds to remark at considerable length upon the remains of Roman villas in England. In these the hypocausts seem to have been chiefly of two kinds, those which were constructed with flues running under the floor of an apartment, and heated from a fire-place external to the building; or else constructed like a low chamber, with a ceiling supported (as Vitruvius directs) by small pillars, or dwarf walls, and occasionally having flues leading from them under other apartments.
A detailed description is then given of the construction of Hadrian's villa at Woodchester, which is the most magnificent discovered in Britain, but it does not materially differ from the preceding[1]. In two instances only have means for the use of open fires (in some degree like our own) been discovered. There were two rooms in the Roman villa at Bignor, in Sussex, with hearths against the wall, enclosed by jambs like a modern fire-place. In the villa likewise discovered in 1823, at Bramdean, Hampshire, remains of an open fire-place without vault or flues were discovered[2]. This last example had not been noticed by Mr. Bernan.
No chimneys have been discovered; but this may be accounted for from the falling in of the upper part of the walls; although the arguments seem strong against their early use in Italy, it is probable that with this arrangement of their fires, the Romans had also the use of chimneys.
The whole of the work seems to be arranged skilfully and drawn up with care; it comprises much information valuable to the student of antiquities, and will well repay the perusal of those who are interested in the theories and practice of warming and ventilating houses.
- ↑ The reader may compare the engravings of the hypocaust, &c., recently discovered at Wheatley, described in the present number, pp. 350, &c.
- ↑ Sketches of Hampshire, by John Duthy, p. 40; where a detailed account of this villa, and plates of two fine tesselated pavements, are given.
