130 Hemeios — Recent Excavations at Stonehenge. 



The large monoliths of the outer circle and the trilithons of the 

 'Horse-shoe' are of the well-known Sarsen Stone, namely, relics 

 of concretionary masses of Tertiary Sandstone (probably of the 

 Bagshot Sands, which once lay over the Chalk). They range in 

 their structure from granular (saccharoid) to compact and quartzitio 

 denseness. Sarsens having the latter character were found only in 

 the diggings, as blocks and hammer-stones, used in shaping and 

 dressing the monoliths, or as fragments of such hammers. 



The small monoliths, commonly called ' the Blue Stones,' and 

 forming the inner circle and the inner horse-shoe, consist of aqueous, 

 schistose or metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. At pp. 73-78 

 (1) the Sarsen Stones and their constitution are fully treated 

 of by Professor Judd. (2) Ophitic diabase (p. 74) has been recog- 

 nized, with varieties, in fragments and in a still standing stone. 

 (3) The schistose and fissile rocks are highly altered basic tuffs 

 and agglomerates (p. 74) ; their fragments are numerous, but only 

 the stump of one of this sort of stone has escaped the action of 

 weathering and other destructive agencies. (4) Fragments of 

 altered rhy elites and diorites (p. 75), formerly often referred to 

 as hornstones, etc., present various characters not readily determined, 

 and indicate the former existence of a stone of this material. (5) 

 Sandstone, grit, and conglomerate, including the micaceous sand- 

 stone of the 'altar-stone,' and probably equivalent to the Coronation 

 Stone in Westminster Abbey, from the Old Eed Sandstone of 

 Perthshire, occur among the fragments. (6) Greywackes (p. 76), 

 that is, granular quartz and altered felspar, with argillaceous matter, 

 among the fragments, show that stones of such material were 

 present, but probably were easily weathered away. (7) Argillaceous 

 flagstones and slate (p. 76) must have been among the standing 

 stones, but were completely weathered away, especially when their 

 bed-planes and cleavages were set vertically. (8) Glauconitic 

 sandstone (p. 76), probably of the Upper Greensand, occurred in 

 a few fragments. (9) Flint, from the neighbouring Chalk (p. 77), 

 was present as very numerous rough chisels and hammers, and the 

 chips and fragments of such tools. Some small hammers of crystal- 

 line rocks and quartzite (hard sarsen-stone) were also found, and 

 several large masses, the weight of which (upwards of 50 and 60 

 pounds) and the probable method of using them are given (p. 34). 



The stone implements found at Stonehenge are carefully figured 

 (23 of flint, 7 hard sarsen, and 1 argillaceous sandstone) at pp. 22-25 ; 

 they are mostly blunted and battered by use. Flint tools corre- 

 sponding in shape from Grimes Graves and Cissbury are figured at 

 pp. 27-28. 



Important observations are made (at pp. 37, etc.) on the modes 

 of erection and the probable age of Stonehenge. The finished 

 surfaces of all the Sarsens, where preserved, had been tooled with 

 hard hammers, and the markings cannot be produced by present 

 mason's tools (p. 43). The methods by which the great monoliths 

 were set up and secured in the ground were shown in detail during 

 the excavations as far as gone (pp. 44-48). The legend of the 



