150 



ANCIENT MONUMENTS. 



remarked ; and at about two feet below the surface, a rude eartherii vessel holding 

 something over one quart, and the lower jaw of a human skeleton, were discovered. 

 They were side by side, and seemed to have constituted the entire deposit. 



Two sand strata occur in this mound, the first five feet below the surface, the 

 second one foot deeper. The intermediate layers of earth presented the mottled 

 appearance already explained, and were much compacted, rendering excavation 

 exceedingly slow and laborious. The remaining shafts were afterwards sunk for 

 the purpose of ascertaining the size and form of the altar, but disclosed nothing 

 of importance in their course. 



Although the altar in this mound was not fully exposed, yet enough was unco- 

 vered to ascertain very nearly its character and extent. Forty-five feet of its 

 length was exposed, and in one place its entire width, which was eight feet 

 across the top, by fifteen at the base. The portions in the section, extending 

 beyond the line of the excavation, are supplied, giving an entire length to the 

 altar of not far from sixty feet. 



Fig. 3 5. — longitudinal SECTION OF ALTAR. 



By attention to the longitudinal section of the altar B C B, it will be seen that 

 it shelves gradually from the ends, forming a basin of not far from eighteen inches 

 in depth. The outer slope is more gradual than the inner one. Near the centre 

 of the altar, two partitions, A A, are carried across it transversely, forming a 

 minor basin or compartment, C, eight feet square. Within this basin the relics 

 deposited in the mound were placed. The outer compartments seemed to have 

 been filled with earth, previous to the final heaping over, so as to present a perfectly 

 level surface, which had been slightly burned. This feature is indicated in the 

 section, which also illustrates another interesting and important peculiarity. Upon 

 penetrating the altar (a task of no little difficulty in consequence of its extreme 

 hardness) to ascertain its thickness, it was found to be burned to the depth of 

 twentu-two inches. This could hardly be accounted for by the application or con- 

 tinuance of any degree of heat from above, and was therefore the occasion of 

 some surprise. A more minute examination furnished the explanation. It was 

 found that one altar had been built upon another ; as if one had been used for a 

 time, until, from defect or other causes, it was abandoned, when another was 

 recast upon it. This process, as shown in the section F E, had been repeated 



Flo. 36. — CROSS SECTION OF ALTAR. 



three limes, the outline of each successive layer being so distinct as to admit of 

 no doubt as to its cause. The partitions A A were constructed subsequently to the 

 erection of the altar, as is evidenced from the fact that they were scarcely burned 

 through, while the altar inuncdiately beneath them was burned to great hardness. 

 Scattered upon the deposit of earth filling the compartments D D, and resting upon 



