Cist contai/ning an Urn found at Eckfovd. 187 



.stone about 4 inckes thick. The east side consists of two slabs, 

 the other sides of single stones. The dimensions (inside) are : — 

 cast side 3 feet long, west side 3 feet 2 inches, width 18 to 19 

 inches, and depth about the same as the width. The east side 

 was made up with a layer of flat stones about 1 inch thick, to 

 bring it to a level with the other sides. None of the stones 

 appeared to have been dressed in any way, and I could not 

 discern any artificial markings on them. 



There was no floor to the cist. It Mas filled to the top with 

 fine sand (somewhat damp) mixed throughout with charred 

 fragments of wood. The sand was firmly packed. It was 

 carefully loosened with a knife, lifted out and passed through a 

 fine meshed sieve. This operation disclosed two small rough 

 flints about 1£ inch long, and about the same width, and also 

 one or two small fractured or chipped pieces of stone. These 

 with the urn after described were the only articles found, and 

 no trace of bones was discernible. At the south-west corner of 

 the cist an urn was discovered. It was lying lengthwise on the 

 bottom of the cist close against the corner, and with the mouth 

 toward the north. A stone was placed against it, apparently to 

 keep it in position. It was filled with sand and charred frag- 

 ments of wood similar to the contents of the cist. The upper 

 portion of one side was broken, but it was got out entire as it 

 lay. Latent cracks have since developed and further portions 

 have become detached. 



The urn, which is of brown clay, is 9 inches high by 6i- inches 

 across the mouth. The circumference at top when whole would 

 be about 19£ inches, at its most contracted part above the middle 

 it is about 18 inches, at the greatest girth below the middle it 

 is about 20 inches, and at the base about 12 inches. The orna- 

 mentation consists of incised lines and dots encircling the urn 

 and forming ten bands or divisions ; five of these bands being 

 formed by the lines, and five by the dots. Three of the spaces 

 between the bands are filled with zig-zag lines, one space with 

 hatched lines, and tho other spaces with short oblique lines. 

 The incised lines on the upper part of the urn were filled with 

 some white substance. This showed plainly when it was first 

 exhumed ; but the colour has now faded, although traces of it 

 are still discernible. 



In dimensions and character of ornament the urn is similar to 

 the one found near Manderston House, Berwickshire, in 1882, 



