116 REPORT — 1856. 



Instead, however, of placing their magistrates or rulers in a " deep square fosse" dug 

 in the earth, they built tombs, and over these raised the conical hill. I examined 

 several without meeting with any success. All, or nearly all, of these tumuli have 

 been already explored. Not far from Mons Mithridatis I came upon a portion of an 

 aqueduct which probably conveyed water to the Acropolis. It was formed of con- 

 cave tiles ; one of these, with a Greek name thereon, I have brought with me. On 

 one occasion I arrived at a place where five stone tombs were found adjoining, neither 

 of which contained any relic ; but in a spot contiguous a large ornamented earthen- 

 ware jug and five glass cups, one within the other, were discovered. It was not 

 unusual thus to find the remains in one spot and the ornaments in another. On 

 removing the earth off the sides of a rock, the apex of which was only perceptible on 

 the summit, I struck upon a recess, three sides of a square chiseled out of the rock 

 16 feet in length and 8 in depth. Following this, I reached a stone seat ; hewn out 

 on each side of this seat small recesses had been made, apparently for the purpose 

 of receiving lamps. After descending 12 feet I came to human remains, and for five 

 days the workmen turned nothing out of this pit but human bones. How far these 

 would have descended I know not, for I ceased my explorations here, feeling satisfied, 

 from the appearance of the bones, that they must have been placed there at the same 

 period — the result, most probably, of some great engagement, for many of the skulls 

 and long bones presented fractures and injuries. The marks on the rock would 

 indicate that sacrificial meetings, possibly commemorative of the event, was held here. 

 Replacing these remains, I proceeded to a point indicated as the tombs of the dimi- 

 nutive or pigmy race, but discovered nothing that would indicate a peculiar class of 

 people. Beneath an extensive sloping artificial tumulus, running at right angles 

 with the ridge extending northwards from Mons Mithridatis, I came upon a mass 

 of rubble masonry, beyond which was a door leading to an arched chamber, built 

 under the side of the mound. This led me to a larger chamber, which was also arched. 

 The walls of the larger chamber were marked oif in squares, with here and there 

 flowers, birds, and grotesque figures. Over the entrance into this chamber were 

 painted two figures of griffins rampant, two horsemen, a person in authority and 

 his attendant — the latter carrying in his hand a long spear — being rudely sketched 

 on one of the inner walls. There were no remains of any sort in this tomb or temple. 

 A recess in the walls on two sides resembled doors blocked up. On removing the 

 masonry to the right, the skeleton of a horse was found. To the left a human ske- 

 leton lay across the door. Tunnelling on each side, the work was carried on beneath 

 the descents of former explorations from above. On the right-hand side the tunnel 

 extended seven yards, but nothing of interest was met with. On the left, descending 

 as the tunnel was formed, arriving occasionally at objects possessing much interest, I 

 came upon a layer of natural slate rock, the sides and roof of the tunnel being com- 

 posed of artificial soil, charcoal, animal remains, and, as usual, heaps of broken 

 pottery. Thirty feet from the entrance, the rock suddenly disappeared to the front 

 and left, the mark of the chisel being perceptible on the divided portion. Tunnelling 

 on, the rock was again reached 12 feet from the spot where it had disappeared, loose 

 sand occupying the intervening space, into which the exploring rod, 6 feet long, 

 dropped without any efibrt. 1 worked down into this shaft 1 2 feet. But the left side 

 of the shaft, which was composed of the same loose sand as far as the steel rod could 

 reach, was continually falling in. Moreover, the labour caried on by candlelight of 

 raising the earth in baskets, and conveying it in wheelbarrows to the outside through 

 the building was becoming very arduous, and I»was compelled to abandon the work. 

 At this period no relics or remains of any sort were discovered, and the steel rod 

 sunk into the loose sand as if it had been so much flour. I felt satisfied that this 

 shaft led to rich treasures below, but regard for the safety of my workmen prevented 

 my proceeding deeper. I now sought out other ground, and selected a place 

 removed about 100 yards from that I had just left. Descending some 10 feet, I 

 struck upon a tomb cut out of the solid rock. Not far from this my attention was 

 attracted to an excavation in the rock, somewhat similar to, but on a much smaller 

 scale, than that large descent which I had just abandoned. Clearing the surface, I 

 found that the rock was hewn out 3 feet in width and 12 in length, the intervening space 

 being filled with sand, similar in all respects to the other into which the steel rod sunk 

 with ease. Fifteen feet of this sand being removed, I came upon the skeleton of 



