ON THE AGE OF STONE CIRCLES, 411 



the following were gathered : — In the surface silting, down to 4 feet, 8 ; iu the 

 mixed silting, down to 6 feet, 26 ; and in the chalk rubble, down to 15 feet, 30 ; 

 total, 64. 



Iron Objects. — 15. Two oblong-headed horseshoe nails, depth 2"8 feet, at the 

 top of the mixed silting. Another was found at No. 99 in Cutting II., depth 

 3 feet. 



17. Part of a horseshoe, depth 27 feet, 



56. Mediaeval arrowhead with socket of circular section ; shank nearly straight 

 and bevelled abruptly near the point, where the cross-section is rhombic; length 

 1^ inch. Viscount Dillon, F.S.A., writes thus: 'The Avebury specimenis a 

 mediaeval arrowhead of the " pile " class, and for use with the long bow. It is an 

 interesting and rare example, but the actual date is quite uncertain."^ The 

 workman (W. Smith) who found this arrowhead at a time when I was engaged in 

 drawing, assured me that it was dugout of the fine mixed silting at a depth which 

 I found to be 7-8 feet from the surface. It is quite probable that a small pointed 

 object like this might work its way down from its original position in the silting 

 by means of rabbit and other holes to a much lower level. On the other hand, as 

 the workman had just begun a fresh 'spit,' earth containing the arrowhead may 

 have fallen from a higher level beforehand without revealing the object. How- 

 ever, No. 56 is shown in the diagram at the depth at which it was picked up. 



76. Tang and portion of the blade of a small knife, found at a depth of 2-8 feet 

 in the mixed silting. 



Pieces of iron slag were found in the upper strata down to a depth of 4*5 feet. 



Miscellaneous Objects.— 4:. Farthing of William HI., 1698. Depth 1 foot at the 

 top of the surface silting. 



23. Piece of stone fractured through an artificial perforation. Depth 0-8 foot 

 at the bottom of the turf mould. 



A small Jacobean clay pipe was found at a depth of 1 foot. 



Human Remains. — Fragmentary human remains are frequently found in the 

 excavating of ditches, and indeed in most ancient sites. Four instances occurred 

 during the digging of Cutting I. at Avebury, viz. :— 



30. Part of the lower jaw of an adolescent v?ith two well preserved molars. 

 Depth 8'3 feet in the chalk rubble. 



34. Greater part of a left clavicle (least circumference 36 mm.). Depth 5' 7 feet 

 in the mixed silting. 



87. Fragment of skull-bone (probably parietal). Depth 12 feet in the chalk 

 rubble. 



100. Part of a right temporal bone (petrous and mastoid portions).'' Depth 

 7 feet in the chalk rubble. 



PicJis of Red-deer Antler, ^r. — Perhaps the most interesting ' finds ' from these 

 excavations are the picks of antler found on the floor of the fosse in five instances. 

 All are marked in the diagram and are described below. 



86. Greater part of a pick made from a shed antler of red-deer, the bez-tine 

 broken off'. Parts of the brow-tine are very much polished, the rounded point 

 broken. This was not resting on the bottom of the fosse, like Nos. 89, 90, 91, 94 

 and 95, but at an approximate depth of 14 feet. 



89. This is not the longest of the Avebury picks, but it is the moat massive, 

 measuring 219 mm. in circumference just above the burr, and 183 mm. round the 

 beam between the brow- and the bez-tines. The stump of the trez-tine is seen, 

 and close to it the handle terminates in a smooth bevelled end. The long brow- 

 tine displays a graceful curve ending iu a smooth point. The bez-tine is seen only 

 as a stump. This was also a shed antler. 



90. Fine specimen of a pick made from a large shed red-deer's antler. Present 



' Vide also on mediaeval arrowheads, Gentleman's Magazine, cii. 1832, part i., 114. 

 * Dr. W. Wright thinks it is that of a female adult, the extreme smallness of the 

 mastoid process being due to sex. 



