ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN MALTA. 211 



the arrangement of this part is not very certain. But there was no 

 doubt a massive terrace wall below Eoom A with vertical slabs once 

 preserved to some height, and forming a facade ; and here, as elsewhere, 

 there were, besides, tie-slabs at right angles to the direction of the 

 fa9ade. This fa9ade had, as is usual, footing blocks, which may be 

 seen at a, where they are 0"65 m. wide. Behind it was a space filled 

 with loose stones, and then came the inner wall of A. The total thick- 

 ness of this wall, without the footing blocks, was thus not less than 

 2-95 m. 



The most important part of the building is, as we have said, Eoom 

 A. It is a semicircular room some 10 m. in diameter; the inner wall, 

 the lowest stones of which are preserved, was about 0'65 m. thick. 

 On the S.W. side there is a line of low slabs 0'55 m. wide along its 

 inner side, which possibly served as a seat, as they are 0"28 m. above 

 the floor. 1 The I'oom has a torba floor O'lOm. thick; under it are 

 stones and earth. In the earth a considerable amount of pottery was 

 found, which is naturally of considerable importance for the determina- 

 tion of the date of its construction. The rock-bottom is 0'67 to I'OO m. 

 down. 



The chord of the semicircle is occupied by the shrine, a dolmenic 

 niche resting upon small pillars, and only 0'30 m. in height. It faces 

 35° E. of S. The covering stone measures 1'91 m. in length by 0"81 m. 

 in depth, and 0"28m. in thickness; and the vertical front, which 

 is slightly convex as regards its length, is finely pitted with round 

 holes. The niche itself is curved, and measures I'OO in width and 

 075 m. in depth; the wall is built of small stones, the joints of which 

 are formed of clay, which is still well preserved. 



In the niche was formed a large circular ball of stone, 0"39 m. in 

 diameter, one side being slightly flattened. 



In front of the niche is a low threshold stone, broken into three 

 pieces, and measuring 2"50 m. in length, 0'90 in maximum width, and 

 0'20 in thickness. The front edge of it slopes away slightly towards 

 the torba floor. In the centre of this stone is a rectangular base 

 measuring 0'47 m. long, 0"24 m. wide, and O'OB m. high. The vertical 

 front of it shows signs of pitting, and it has no doubt been a pedestal 

 to carry some sacred object which was revered at this shrine. On each 

 side of the shrine the threshold is continued by another block, that on 

 the west having an incised line along the top of the vertical face. The 

 total length is thus 4'19m. Behind and beside these blocks are 

 standing stones. To the S.W. of the shrine is a flight of three steps 

 1'58 m. wide, with a raised threshold block between the second and 

 third step leading up between vertical slabs (and therefore probably 

 roofed), to Eoom D, which is paved with torba," the rock being about 

 0'47m. down. The Hntel block of the shrine has the upper surface 

 smoothed; in it are two very shallow depressions 0"13m. apart and 

 0"035 m. in diameter, which obviously bear some analogy to the pairs 

 of holes connected by a small tunnel, which are frequently met with 

 in the thresholds of the megalithic buildings of Malta. Beyond 



> 15° E. of S. is a foundation of stones projecting 0-90 and 1-25 wide. 

 2 In it was a layer 0-04 m, thick of burnt earth, with a few small pieces of wood. 



p 2 



