Brown, I. Gordon. and Montgomery, A. (2016). The ‘Roman Heads’ at the Netherbow in Edinburgh: a case of antiquarian wishful thinking in the 18th and 19th centuries. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 146. Vol 146, pp. 253-274. https://doi.org/10.9750/PSAS.146.1211. Cite this via datacite

Title The title of the publication or report Title:	The ‘Roman Heads’ at the Netherbow in Edinburgh: a case of antiquarian wishful thinking in the 18th and 19th centuries
Issue The name of the volume or issue Issue:	Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 146
Series The series the publication or report is included in Series:	Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Volume Volume number and part Volume:	146
Page Start/End The start and end page numbers. Page Start/End:	253 - 274
Downloads Any files associated with the publication or report that can be downloaded from the ADS Downloads:	12PSAS146253_274.pdf (13 MB) : Download
Licence Type ADS, CC-BY 4.0 or CC-BY 4.0 NC. Licence Type:	ADS Terms of Use and Access
DOI The DOI (digital object identifier) for the publication or report. DOI	https://doi.org/10.9750/PSAS.146.1211
Publication Type The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book Publication Type:	Journal
Abstract The abstract describing the content of the publication or report Abstract:	A sculptured stone panel built into the wall of a house at the Fountain Close near the Netherbow Port of Edinburgh was first noted by Sir John Clerk of Penicuik in 1726 and published by Alexander Gordon that same year. The tablet features two heads, male and female, in profile and facing each other across an inscribed panel bearing a biblical inscription in lettering of Gothic form. The slab is today in the National Museum of Scotland where it is regarded as a work of the 16th century. But in the 18th century the antiquaries of Scotland were anxious to demonstrate that the carved heads were Roman and that they were those of the Emperor Septimius Severus and his consort Julia Domna. The awkwardness of the Gothic text between was simply, and literally, omitted from the engraved record of the stone. The ‘Roman’ view was adhered to into modern times. The case of the sculptured slab stands representative of antiquarian attitudes to the remains of the past across three centuries. The work of many writers of scholarly and popular literature is adduced on both sides of the argument, and derivatives of the portrait heads incorporated in the decoration of Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford are discussed.
Author The authors of this publication or report Author:	Iain Gordon Brown Alan Montgomery
Year of Publication The year the book, article or report was published Year of Publication:	2016
Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. Locations:	Site: Fountain Close Place: Netherbow Port Place: Edinburgh County: Midlothian Country: Scotland Country: United Kingdom Grid Reference: 326110, 673681 (Easting, Northing)
Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. Subjects / Periods:	Carved stone (Monus) stone panel (Find) TUDOR (Historic England Periods) Elizabethan (MIDAS) ROMAN (Historic England Periods)
Source Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in. Source:	ADS Archive (ADS Archive)
Relations Other resources which are relevant to this publication or report Relations:	URI: http://www.socantscot.org/publications/psas/
Created Date The date the record of the pubication was first entered Created Date:	23 Nov 2017