EXCAVATIONS AT MAUMBTJRY RINGS. 255 



clearly defined, and is well seen in the photograph (Plate IV.). 

 In the terrace material no relics were found except glazed 

 pottery and a leaden bullet. 



The first thing of structural interest to reveal itself was the 

 solid arena-wall, which was reached at a vertical depth of 7ft. 

 in the W.S.W. corner of the cutting. In following the wall 

 downwards, it was found to be very irregular in outline and of 

 large proportions, its height proving to be about 8'25ft. 

 above the arena-floor. Near its top, two shallow semi-circular 

 recesses were cleared, which bore some resemblance to the 

 strut-holes in Cutting XII. Extension. At a lower level, 

 on a prominent angle of the wall, a puddled white patch was 

 noticed, which Mr. Jukes-Browne thinks is a natural deposit, 

 probably tufa, i.e., carbonate of lime formed by the evapora- 

 tion of hard water. 



At a greater depth the face of the wall was covered to a great 

 thickness by large chalk rubble silting, and as no solid chalk was 

 reached at the level at which the arena-floor would be expected, 

 it soon appeared obvious that we had to deal with one or more 

 shafts sunk in the rock-chalk, indeed a dividing-ridge between 

 two shafts was subsequently found. 



Proceeding to clear the N. quarter of the cutting we dis 

 covered a large area deeply recessed into the solid chalk wall. 

 Having removed a large amount of mixed silting, followed by 

 chalk rubble, a solid platform was exposed, bounded on the 

 W.N.W. by a clean-cut chalk wall practically vertical in the 

 lower 4ft., and on the S.S.W. by a leaning return wall diminsh- 

 ing in height from W. to E. in conformity with the contour of 

 the arena- wall (already described), its face being broken 

 by a deep recess into the solid chalk (Plate IV.). The E.S.E. 

 of the enclosure was open towards the arena, its border 

 being very irregular, owing to the presence, as we afterwards 

 found, of the mouths of one or two shafts, and the consequent 

 disturbance of the rock-chalk in this position. With regard to 

 the N.N.E. extent of the cutting it was found that it did not 

 represent the N. limit of the platform by probably many feet, 

 and it is to be regretted that it was impossible to extend the 



