ON THE AOE OF STONE CIRCLES. 327 



Mr. Gray's detailed report upon this year's excavations is appended, and is 

 a valuable addition to the material contained in the series of reports previously 

 published between the years 1901 and 1915. 



The Committee desire to thank Mr. Peak-Garland for permission to excavate 

 on his property and for help kindly given by him, and also to thank Colonel 

 L. D. C. Jenner for the loan of appliances. 



THE AVEBURY EXCAVATIONS. 1922. 



By H. St. George Gray. 



I. Introductory Remarks. 



After a long cessation of activities at Avebury, the excavations conducted 

 by me under the direction of the ' Stone Circles Committee ' of the British 

 Association were continued and completed in the spring. The work had been 

 in progress at intervals from 1908 to 1915.' This season our attention was for 

 the most part concentrated upon the large fosse digging, Cutting IX, which 

 had been partly examined in 1914 and then fenced in in the hope of completing 

 the work in the following year. But the Great War intervened and rendered 

 it necessary, in the interests of safety, to have the stake and wire fencing 

 repaired on two occasions. 



It was estimated that in the time at my disposal we might complete the 

 re-excavation of the fosse in this position, and that before leaving I might 

 arrange details for completely filling in this large cutting, not only with silting 

 removed this season but also with the material which had been removed in 

 1914 and which now had become exceedingly compact and hard. 



The work was begun on ^Monday, April 10, and the excavations were com- 

 pleted on ^londay afternoon, April 24. A maximum number of thirteen men 

 was employed ; only tln'ee of them (including the foreman) had liad previous 

 experience at the Avebury excavations for one or more seasons. The weather 

 was cold and windy, but little time was lost owing to heavy rt-in. 



The filling-in was done by .six men. who Itegan on April 25 and completed 

 tlie work to the satisfaction of ^Ir. Peak-Garland, the owner, on May 16. 



Sectional diagrams and a plan of the fosse were made as the work proceeded, the position of 

 the more important objects being indicated by numbers. Twelve satisfactory photographs 

 (half-plate) were taken during the season, and these, added to those taken between 1908 and 1914 

 (which nimiber 109), give a complete representation of the excavations and form a valuable 

 photographic survey of Avebury. 



On our arrival we found tlie material thrown out in 1914 much overgrown 

 with young trees which had seeded themselves. While these were being grubbed 

 out I measured the amount of talus which had formed in tlie partly re-excavated 

 fosse during the time which had elapsed since jNIay 1914. In that year we 

 had exposed a length of only 4".25 ft. of the original floor of the fosse, and 

 for a length of another 5 or 6 ft. the re-excavation had reached to within 

 2 or 3 ft. of the bottom. The talus appeared to be very considerable, and in 

 the middle of the cutting its surface was only 13 ft. below the surface of the 

 silting as found at the beginning of the excavations in 1914, and about 12 ft. 

 above the floor of the fosse. Nearly two-thirds of the end-wall forming the 

 causeway had become covered by loose material, mostly chalk, in the eight 

 years. 



But the value of these calculations was greatly lessened when, on clearing 

 out this part of the fosse again and instituting ino.uiries in the village to supple- 

 ment what was obvious to the eye, it was found tliat several tons of rubbish, 

 tins, crockery and bottles, as well as some stone, had. at intervals during the 

 eight years, been shot into this deep hole, which apparently formed a decided 

 attraction to those in this village and elsewhere who had rubbish to dispose of. 



' The reports already published giving details of the excavations are as 

 follows: Brit. .4'«or. Pcports, 1908, pp. 400-413; 1909, pp. 271-284; 1911, 

 pp. 141 152; and 1915, pp. 174-189. 



