126 



KNOWLEDGE. 



April, 1913. 



course which has during the lapse of ages 

 become dry or nearly so. 



The hills consist of strata of hornblende, 

 soapstone, mica schist, talc schist and 

 augite. It is in the mica schist that the 

 crystals of emerald occur. 



In several localities, viz. : — Sikait, 

 Nugrus and Zebara, the schist which is 

 a comparatively soft material, is found to 

 be honeycombed with long subterranean 

 tunnels and chambers, some of which are 

 large enough to contain hundreds of men 

 at work. Many of the small winding 

 passages are situated one above the other, 

 and the division between them is so 

 slight that unless the explorer exercises 

 great care, he will, as he crawls along, put 

 his foot through into the tunnel below. 



That these excavations were made 

 anciently is shown not only by the primi- 

 tive nature of the work, but by the finding 

 of such articles as tools, lamps and baskets, 

 which evidently were left behind by 

 the early workers when for some unknown reason 

 they decided to abandon the mines. Some of the 

 cavities are shored up with wooden supports which, 

 although apparently of great age, are still intact. 



It has been ascertained that some of the objects 

 found belong to as early a period as 1660 B.C., but 

 the date at which the excavations were commenced 

 is quite unknown. 



There are also indications that after the workings 

 were originally deserted, they were at several subse- 

 quent periods visited and re-worked possibly by 

 members of a race altogether different from their 

 predecessors. This assumption is warranted by the 

 fact that much of the obviously later work is 

 executed with greater skill than the earlier, and that 



Figure 130. 

 Interior of ancient building showing walled-np recesses. 



Figure 131. 

 A typical view of the mountains where the emeralds are found. 



it is followed by some of a primitive nature. It is 

 probable that the Romans were responsible for the 

 best of the work done. 



When working the mines the workers evidently 

 dug round or over any mass of hard rock which thev 

 Came across, and in some cases they apparently 

 were stopped altogether by some such impediment; 

 nevertheless, the excavations represent great skill 

 and ingenuity, combined with a colossal amount of 

 physical toil. 



A striking example of the magnitude of the work 

 done is shown in Figure 127 depicting an 

 artificial roofless passage-way from one part of the 

 mine to another. In the picture the cutting may 

 be seen immediately to the right hand side of the 

 standing figure near the centre. 



Signs are not wanting that at a far 

 distant period the district in which the 

 emerald mines are situated was the centre 

 of a large industrious population, 

 probably chiefly devoted to mining opera- 

 tions. 



Numerous buildings of this ancient 

 race still remain as lasting monuments of 

 skill, endurance and enterprise, as will 

 be clearly appreciated by the illustrations 

 which are here given. The purposes for 

 which they were erected can only be 

 surmised after such a lengthy lapse of 

 time, but many of them have the appear- 

 ance of having been forts and watch 

 towers, perhaps built to protect the mines 

 from invasion, whilst others may have 

 been dwelling-houses or barracks, and 

 some were certainly used as temples. 



For the most part the edifices consist 

 of unshaped flatfish stones, closely packed 

 and arranged to form the walls, whilst 



