84 EXCAVATIONS AT MATJMBURY RINGS. 



3ft. 2ins.) was complete, having brow, bez, and trez tines, and four 

 points on top. A broken antler pick is seen at the bottom of the 

 photograph. 



Plate III. — Cutting XXI., W.N.W. side of the arena, September 

 13th, 1912. Photograph giving a general view of this large cutting 

 taken from the N.W. terrace, looking S.W. ; in the distance the S.W. 

 embankment, and on the extreme left the southern entrance. The 

 solid chalk wall covers a large part of the right-hand side of the photo- 

 graph, above which the material forming the XVII. Century terrace 

 is seen. Following the line of the eastern margin of the cutting and 

 running nearly parallel to it, the curved edge of the arena is well 

 defined ; it is bounded by the " inner trench," in which the position 

 of the post-holes is indicated by wooden pegs. The line of the 

 " outer trench " is represented by the post-holes seen in the middle 

 of the foreground. Owing to the presence of a series of prehistoric 

 shafts, rammed chalk had to be used by the Romans very considerably 

 in this position. The levelling-rod stands on rammed chalk flooring, 

 which, on being removed, revealed Shaft VIII. ; the mouths of other 

 shafts are seen in the photograph. 



Plate IV.— Cutting XXI., Shafts VIII., IX., and X., September 

 18th, 1912. PhotograjDh taken from the N.N.E. siiowing some of the 

 shafts excavated in the solid chalk in prehistoric times and re-excavated 

 recently to reveal their form, depth, and contents. At the toj? of the 

 photograph the margin of Shaft VIII. can be traced ; this was not 

 re-excavated. Behind the top of the ladder the mouth of Shaft IX. 

 is seen ; this was entirely cleared out, its depth being 28'5ft. below 

 the surface of the turf over the arena. The 25-rung ladder stands on 

 the bottom of Shaft X. (depth 25'5ft.) ; this pit had a double bottom 

 divided by a little chalk ridge 9ins. high. In the immediate foreground 

 comes Shaft XI., the S. half of which was re-excavated to the bottom 

 (depth 28ft.). 



Plate V.— Cutting XXI., Shafts IX., X., and XI., September 18th, 

 1912. Photograph taken from the S.S.W. from the slope of the 

 terrace, showing Shaft XI. in process of re-excavation. Shaft IX., 

 in the foreground, was cleared out and filled up again before this 

 photograph was taken. The 25-rung ladder rests on the bottom of 

 Shaft X. Dark seams of mould or decayed vegetable matter are seen 

 in the chalk rubble filling of Shaft XI. Very narrow ridges of chalk 

 are seen to divide Shafts IX. and X., and Shafts X. and XI. On the 

 right-hand side the edge of the western curve of the solid chalk 

 arena-floor is seen ; Roman remains were found on it. 



