430 REPORT— 1901. 



was found to be the cover to a six-sided cist, constructed of ten pieces of 

 limestone of different sizes placed on end, and having a floor formed of 

 three other pieces, these, like the rest, being untooled. No soil had pene- 

 trated the cist, and its original contents had been undisturbed. These 

 consisted of two small urns (one 114 cm. and the other 12 cm. high), 

 calcined human bones, a bone pin, a small flint weapon, and a piece of 

 iron pyrites.' ' Mr. Bateman never took the trouble to All in his excava- 

 tion properly, the result being that five little knolls exist round the top of 

 the tumulus bounding a rather deep depression in the centre. In addition 

 to this he threw some of his rubbish into the ditch, as indicated by the 

 contours on the plain. The formation of this tumulus, which is probably 

 of somewhat later date than the vallum, has caused a gap to occur in the 

 vallum on either side of the mound. There is also another irregularity 

 in the form of the rampart to the north of the tumulus, caused by a kind 

 of spur which extends half-way across the fosse. 



The photographs of the diggings on the whole are not quite satis- 

 factory, although some of them could not well have been better under the 

 circumstances, unfavourable weather prevailing at least for one-third of 

 the time. The photographs of some of the 'finds,' the skeleton, and skull 

 portray the originals excellently. 



Excavations. — The excavations were commenced on August 8, 1901, 

 by making a cutting through the ditch, 3'"-66 wide, close up to the 

 south-eastern causeway (called Section 1). Roman remains were looked 

 for under the turf, but without success. The silting was re-excavated 

 30 cm. at a time as far as practicable. Strewn on the limestone floor of 

 the ditch thirteen teeth of ox were found, and on the bottom in the 

 north-west corner of the cutting, at a depth of l^'GS from the surface 

 (2 on plan and section), pieces of red deer's antler — one piece 38 cm. 

 long — were found resting on a solid vein of clay (running between the 

 limestone), which traversed the bottom of the ditch obliquely and con- 

 tinued both ways in south-easterly and north-westerly directions. It 

 appears probable that this may have been used as a kind of pick for 

 loosening the previously fractured limestone at the time the ditch was 

 first excavated, in the same manner as the antlers of the Stone Age 

 described by Canon Greenwell in Gi'imes Graves.'^ Fifteen fragments of 

 antlers of red deer were found by General Pitt-Rivei's at the bottom of 

 the ditch of Wor Barrow, Handley Down, Dorset, amongst Stone Age 

 relics.'^ Nothing else was found in Section 1, which was the deepest part 

 of the fosse re excavated ; greatest depth l'""G5. The filling consisted of 

 turf and turf mould, 15 cm. ; mould mixed with small pieces of chert, 

 4G cm. followed by a stiff clayey mould to the bottom. The nature of 

 this latter is well shown by the pick-marks in the photograph. The 

 hard stone sides of the ditch and causeway were exposed. 



Sections 2 and 3 were next commenced. Section 3 was a cutting, 

 S'^'Oa wide, made across the ditch, midway between Section 1 and the 

 north-west causeway. The silting was very soon removed in this case, 

 the uneven limestone floor being found at a maximum depth of 55 cm. 

 and a minimum depth of 33 cm. from the surface of the silting. The 

 vallum at this point was particularly high. Three stone implements were 



' From Dr. Brushfield's paper, Juur/h. Brit. Arcli. Aesoc, vol, vj., new series, 

 1300, p 134. 



- Jourii. EthnologicaJ Society, vol. ii. p. 420. 



2 Excavations in Cranhorne Chase, vjl. iv. p. 133. 



