STONEHENGE — STEVENS 455 



But there is yet another point which calls for consideration: the 

 eastern portion of the Prescelly Mountains is extremely rich in 

 Megalithic remains. Dolmens and the remains of stone circles are 

 numerous; at least eight circles have been identijfied in the limited 

 area from which the stones have come. 



THE AVENGE, DITCH, AND AUBREY HOLES 



It is extremely easy for a visitor to Stonehenge to overlook the 

 Avenue which approaches the circle from the northeast. 



This earthwork cannot be traced very readily at the present day; 

 but in the days when Stonehenge was perfect and formed part of the 

 life of the inhabitants of the Plain, it must have been a very marked 

 and imposing feature of the monument. It is quite possible that 

 there might have been an avenue of standing stones upon its banks. 

 This is one of the points which still await future investigation. The 

 Avenue extends from Stonehenge in a northeasterly direction for 

 over 500 yards, and then divides into two branches, one turning to the 

 left and proceeding in the direction of the Cursus about half a mile 

 distant. The task of investigating this branch has not been com- 

 pletely undertaken. The branch which turns to the right has been 

 traced by one of the most interesting aids to modern archeology — 

 photography from the air. 



O. G. S. Crawford, of H. M. Ordnance Survey, detected on air 

 photographs of the Stonehenge district certain lines which indicated 

 what he believed to be the original trackway leading from Stonehenge 

 to the Kiver Avon at West Amesbury. Examination and excavation 

 revealed the accuracy of Mr. Crawford's surmise. The track, which 

 diverges from the Avenue, does not go straight to the river, but makes 

 a sweep round the back of Fargo Wood, over Seven Barrow Down, 

 and so to the river somewhere near West Amesbury House. There 

 seems to have been some purpose in this deviation, for it follows more 

 or less the contour of the map, and avoids the steep dip in the Plain 

 just before Stonehenge is reached by the road from Amesbury. It is 

 even more than possible that this particular depression was, at the 

 time Stonehenge was being built, a quagmire, and that the trackway 

 purposely skirted the tail of it. 



The straight Avenue leading to Stonehenge is quite different from 

 the two trackways already described. It lies between ditches 71 

 feet apart, with 47 feet between the banks. This fine layout at 

 once suggests a ceremonial use for the Avenue. 



The Ditch and Bank which surround Stonehenge haviB been briefly 

 mentioned already. They are an earthwork of a class quite unlike 

 cattle enclosures and defensive works, and exliibit a precision in 

 setting out which is only associated with the sepulchral and religious 



