60 ARBOR LOW EXCAVATIONS IN I9OI AND 1902. 



The south-west edge of Stone I. in the centre being 

 bordered by a marked trench, an excavation 13 feet by 5 feet 

 (4 m. by 1-52 m.) was made. Digging had evidently taken 

 place here in recent times, probably by Messrs. Bateman and 

 Isaacson in 1845, when they explored the tumulus on the 

 south-east vallum. The rock was reached at a maximum 

 depth of 61 cm. below the highest part of the turf, and a 

 minimum depth of 30 cm. Early Victorian shards were found, 

 and a clay tobacco pipe bowl, nineteenth century ; also a flint 

 flake, depth 9 cm. (plan " 36 "), and a fragment of pottery, 

 apparently of Romano-British quality (" 42 " on plan), depth 

 40 cm. 



A larger piece of trenching, 35 feet by 7 feet (10-67 by 

 213 m.) was dug in 1901, between Stones I. and II., and to 

 the east of them in the direction of Stone XXXVII. To the 

 west a stump (No. 13) was found just under the turf, stand- 

 ing in a leaning position towards the north-east.* Between 

 these stones, at a depth of 0-5 foot (15 cm.), another fragment 

 of Romano-British pottery t was found (" 19" on plan), and 

 at a depth of 0-9 foot (27 cm.) a small chipped flint imple- 

 ment (" 20 " on plan), length 33 mm., width 28 mm., resembling 

 a broad leaf-shaped arrow-head in form, flaked on both sides ; 

 but it may have been hafted and used perhaps as a knife, as 

 the point is extremely obtuse, and therefore not well adapted 

 for penetration. It is figured in plate V., No. 20. 



No holes for the reception of the bases of the monoliths 

 were found between these stones; in fact, the undisturbed 

 ground in this part was struck at about 17 foot (52 cm.) from 

 the surface. The present evidence afforded by the digging 

 of these holes seems hardly sufficient to warrant the assertion 

 that the builders of the stone circle did not cut holes in the 

 limestone for the reception of the stones, that is, supposing 

 they originally stood upright. 



* This was left in situ at the completion of the excavations. 



t It consisted of a fragment of rim, grey on the outside and brick-red on the 

 inside. 



