NATURE 
[JuLy 4, 1912 
paved courtyard, and from a corner of this a flight 
of steps lead up on to the main wall, where pre- 
sumably there was a walk along the ramparts. 
Without entering into details, the plan of the 
whole enclosure recalls, in general, that of the 
great palace at the foot of the Acropolis at Boghaz- 
Kevi, with a double series of rooms around, and 
an open space in the middle. From the main 
entrance a cobbled pathway, partly paved in late 
times with sculptured slabs, led directly towards 
the palace portico. 
In construction the walls accord very well with 
what is already known of Hittite works in Syria. 
They were faced with irregular rough-faced stones, 
padded with rubble, while the upper courses were 
carried up in large bricks or brick slabs. In some 
cases the brick courses of the main wall were pre- 
served to the number of nine or ten. The walls 
of the palace were of similar principle, though a 
proportionately smaller size of stones was em- 
ployed, and only the foundations were of stone. 
The average thickness of the palace walls was con- 
siderable, being no less than 24 to 3 metres, and 
so well conserved was this portion of the enclosure, 
and so free from intrusion, that Prof. Garstang 
has been able to calculate that the original height 
of the building was about 5 metres. 
This excavation was fortunately attended with 
much information as to details of Hittite archeo- 
logy. An instructive series of seals and small 
objects was recovered, and approximately dated. 
On the outer side of the enclosure, also, two 
student-members of the staff, Mr. Phythian-Adams 
and Mr. Hamilton-Beattie, carried on a minute 
examination of the nature and stratification of a 
great series of Hittite potsherds which had, through 
long ages, been accumulating at that point. It 
is hoped to assign definite dates to two, at least, 
of those strata, from the information secured in 
the neighbouring mound. At the bottom, instead 
of finding an undisturbed Neolithic floor, as was 
the case with Prof. Garstang’s former experiment 
in 1908, they found the foundations and remains 
of Neolithic houses and burying places, a fact 
which it is instructive to compare with a recent 
discovery at Carchemish. 
WEE 
Proceeding to Meroé at the beginning of De- 
cember, work was at once resumed, with the help 
of a larger installation of machinery and about 
500 native workmen, upon that part of the site 
which is called the Royal City. This is an en- 
closure about 1000 ft. by 500 ft., surrounded by a 
remarkably stout and well-built stone wall, and 
within this area, it will be remembered, last year 
there were found both the Bronze Head of 
Augustus, now in the British Museum, and a con- 
siderable hoard of gold treasure and royal jewels. 
Two royal palaces and several columned buildings 
had already been uncovered (see Liverpool Annals 
of Archaeology, 1911). 
The higher portions of ground, representing, 
presumably, later periods than the average, were 
first examined. In this way, without describing 
the results too minutely, considerable traces of late 
NO. 2227, VOL. 89] 
| Greek and of Roman work were come upon, 
accompanied with fragments of imported pottery- 
wares, some with Greeco-Egyptian potters’ names. 
This was followed by a remarkably interesting 
discovery of a small prostyle temple, adhering 
closely in the details of construction to the strict 
classical model. 
The most striking discovery, however, was that 
of the royal baths, a large building adjoining one 
of the royal palaces. This had been constructed 
with a certain sense of luxury, with cloisters and 
colonnades, its walls decorated with glazed tiles 
and frescoes, while numerous statues contributed 
to the effect. Two of its main chambers have been 
examined, the one, presumably, a sort of tepi- 
darium, in which built-up seats, decorated with 
carved stone sphinxes and griffins, were arranged 
in a semi-circle. Near at hand was a large swim- 
ming-bath, into which the water was arranged to 
pour from numerous small cascades on every side. 
This result was contrived by means of aqueducts 
and storage cisterns, filled by patient labour from 
wells near at hand. The walls of this bath were 
decorated with frescoes, on which elephants and 
serpents may still be recognised. On the edge are 
still the figures of musicians, one playing the pipes, 
another the harp with a sleeping dog at his foot, 
while a third figure, that of a flute-player, was 
found in the excavation. All around were carved 
stone lions and bulls in alternation, while from 
between them the water gushed from the holes 
arranged in the walls for that purpose, eight or 
ten on a side. In the corners the water poured 
through the open mouths of lions. A flight of 
steps led down to the bottom, about 24 metres 
below the inlet of the water. It was here that 
the most remarkable discoveries were made, for, 
apparently to fill up the tank so that building 
might proceed over the spot in a later period, 
many of the statues and carved stones and other 
convenient objects near at hand had been collected 
and thrown down one after the other. A number 
of the statues are capable of complete restoration ; 
they include a local Venus, a great reclining figure 
in the well-known pose of the Vatican God-of- 
the-Nile, the flute player, and other musicians just 
mentioned, and other sculptures of semi-classical 
motive. So far as possible everything was re- 
placed in its original position, and steps imme- 
diately taken to preserve this important monu- 
ment. Those sculptures and other objects to 
which no place could be assigned have been 
brought to England and will be exhibited in the 
rooms of the Society of Antiquaries at Burlington 
House during July. Amongst these are a number 
of glazed decorative tiles and medallions, many 
of which also remain in position upon the wall of 
the bath. There will also be on exhibition a new 
series of decorative Meroitic pottery vessels, which 
have been found this year in greater quantity. 
The exhibition will be opened by the Bishop of 
London at a private view on July 8. 
Summarising the historical results, it can now 
be seen that the history of Meroé can be divided 
into three main periods. The first is that of its 
origin, when the stone-walled Royal City was built 
