EXCAVATIONS AT MAUMBURY RINGS. 233 



Four Roman coins were found in the filling of the den, viz., a 

 dupondius of Hadrian, A.D. 119-138, found at a depth of 8'3ft. 

 (figured on p. 229, no. 157); and three "third brass" coins of 

 Constantine the Great, one being of Constantinopolis, struck 

 A.D. 336-7; another struck in Siscia ; the third struck circa 

 A.D. 333. All were below a depth of 5ft. 



Numerous flint flakes were unearthed in the lower deposits. 

 In one place close against the southern boundary wall of the den 

 a deposit, about I'sft. square, was found, consisting of small flint 

 flakes, a flint core, land shells, fine mould, &c. 



One of the results of these explorations has been the deter- 

 mination of the diameter, or length, of the arena on the long 

 axis, N.N.E. to S.S.W. ; from the rounding off of the walls of the 

 northern entrance-way to the most southerly point, excluding the 

 floor of the den, the distance measures 1 96ft. 



VII. PREHISTORIC PITS, Nos. II. AND III., 

 CUTTING XV. 



The northern part of Cutting XV. extended about 7ft. beyond 

 the N.W. and N.E. comers of the Den, and this part was cleared 

 to trace the level of the solid floor of the arena. Instead of hard 

 floor, loose chalk rubble was met with across the whole width of 

 the cutting. Attention was first paid to the N.E. part of this 

 area ; it was here that the spike-nail, previously mentioned, was 

 found, and in this position also a seam of coarse quartz sand, 

 about 2ins. thick, was observed. Beneath this the rubble was 

 stained, probably as the result of water percolating through the 

 sand and carrying a ferruginous stain with it. 



The removal of more chalk rubble soon revealed the S., S.E. 

 and S.W. margin of a pit having an almost vertical face. In 

 such cramped space it was not safe to carry the digging to a 

 greater depth than itft. from the surface, at which level a fine 

 specimen of a double -pointed antler pick was recovered. 



On the western side of the cutting another soft place was 

 found, and the upper margin of what appeared to be another 



