EXCAVATIONS AT MAUMBURY RINGS. 95 



IV. CUTTING XXI. 

 ROMAN AND LATER (PLATE III.). 



Cutting XXI. was the largest excavation made during 

 the four seasons' work, its margins, though irregular, measur- 

 ing some 60ft. by 26ft. During the work three main objects 

 were kept in view, viz. (a) the examination of the remaining 

 portion of the platform and enclosure recessed into the solid 

 chalk wall ; (b) the completion of the examination of the 

 structural details in the N.W. quarter of the arena, so that 

 the former excavations in Cuttings X. and XX. might be 

 connected ; and (c) observations having reference to the 

 position of prehistoric shafts, if any existed, between those 

 in Cutting XX. (1910) and Shafts I. (1908) and IV. (1910) 

 further round the curve to the N.E. Here we have to deal 

 with (a) and (b). 



The N.E. termination of the enclosure was reached much 

 nearer to Cutting XX. than was anticipated. All through 

 the new cutting the material thrown up during the Civil 

 Wars to form a terrace was removed, and the face left standing 

 on the N.W. showed as clearly as any diagram could the 

 old turf line which formerly represented the contour of the 

 lower part of the great embankment between Roman times 

 and the XVII. Century (Plate III.). Below this, again, was 

 more rubble, apparently attributable to the Roman period, 

 which covered another old turf line, less well defined, just 

 above what appeared to be the natural level of the chalk. 

 But on coming a little further eastward from the N.W. margin 

 of the cutting, it was found that the solid chalk had been 

 worked down to a considerable slope, and it was evident that 

 this w r as prehistoric work, suggesting the existence of the 

 mouths of the shafts at no great distance below (Plates III. 

 and V.). 



For the present, however, we must return to later times. 

 In the material forming the Civil War terrace XVII. Century 

 shards were found and three leaden bullets ; also a Nuremberg 



