Excavations at Bikrenswakk. 45 



measures 80 feet in diameter, and shows an entrance about 10 

 feet wide towards tlie south. 



The streets do not remain so definitely marked, except at the 

 gateways, as to allow of the lines being traced with certainty on 

 the plan. Doubtless they would traverse the camp from east to 

 west and from north to south, in connection with the entrances, 

 and there might be others. 



It now only remains in connection with the plan to notice the 

 water supply. The supply is derived from a fine spring known 

 as " Agricola's Well," which rises about midway between the 

 east and the west, and towards the north side of the camp. As 

 a rill it flows in a small and slightly wimpling ravine south- 

 wards, and escapes through the south rampart at a point a few 

 feet west of the south gate. Before reaching the rampart, how- 

 ever, it passes through a circular basin of some size, artificially 

 made. 



The Dpfences. — The enceinte of the camp is of the common 

 single ditch and rampart type. The ditch is V-shaped, with 

 steep scarp and counterscarp, and at the north side of the camp, 

 where the earth is of less depth, it dips at the bottom into the 

 rock, or debris of rock, 2 feet or more (Plate V. fig. 1). 



The rampart is earth-built and in layers. At the base is a bed 

 of finer earth, about 9 inches thick, probably the original soil on 

 the site with that from the area of the ditch added ; over this a 

 bed of clay, H to 3^ inches thick, occurs, and above the clay the 

 mound is carried up and brought to its full height with earth 

 and debris, which inci'eases in roundness of grain as it nears the 

 crown, as if applied in the order it was cast from the ditch. 

 Remains, but scanty, of brushwood bonding occur in the earth 

 comjDosing the rampart, and at two places charcoal was found at 

 the base in some quantity. 



Probably, as already suggested, the abundance of stone ol)taiu- 

 able on the spot may have induced the builders to adopt methods 

 not previously met with in the Society's excavations of insuring 

 for their work the qualities of strength and endurance. Thus 

 tlie front of the rampart, from the natural ground surface, or 

 lower, upwards to the crest, was found to be faced with a pitch- 

 ing of stone (Plate V. fig. 1) ; and the ditch, at the north side of 

 the camp at least, is also lipped with stones, and partially so 

 faced on the counterscarp. The pitching of the rampart varies 

 in the quality of material and workmanship, as if skilled and less 



