A Roman Sculpture Rehabilitated: The Pagans Hill Dog

The following pages consider the stone torso of a seated quadruped which was found in a well on the axis of the Roman temple at Pagans Hill (the name is coincidental) in north Somerset, excavated in 1951 by Mr (now Professor) P.A. Rahtz. The sculpture is worked in a limestone of the Inferior Oolite now somewhat denatured, according to Professor D.T. Donovan, by the percolation of water during burial. It is probably of Doulting stone. The piece now consists of four conjoining fragments, 63 cm overall. No others were found in the well or the area of about 70 sq.m opened around its mouth (FIG. 1). What is left (PLS. VII-IXA. FIGS. 3–4) shows that the work had been competently and naturalistically rendered.