Excavation* at Avebury. 



213 



us: for in the exact centre, we found large quantities of burnt 

 sarsens, including chips, flakes, and much charred matter, proof 

 positive that this was the site of the -large central stone, and the 

 scene of its destruction. And now starting from this centre we 

 cut a long trench very nearly due west, in a straight line towards 

 the westernmost of the great stones still standing in the outer 

 circle. This was a work of considerable time, for the trench was 

 extended to a distance of sixty feet from the centre, as we thought 

 thus to ascertain the possible existence of any inner circle, but 

 nothing was found. Subsequently we cut other short trenches 

 from the centre : one towards the north, another towards the south, 

 and a third towards the east ; in all of which large quantities of 

 burnt sarsens, flakes, chips, and burnt matter were exhumed, and 

 all doubtless belonging to the ponderous mass which once occupied 

 the centre of this southern sanctuary. 



Excavations in the surrounding Agger. 



Hitherto we had confined our attention almost exclusively to the 

 two inner circles, which were probably the great centres of attrac- 

 tion and of devotion, when this famous temple was in use : but now 

 we resolved to examine carefully the great mound which encloses 

 the sacred area. With this end in view we first dug several minor 

 trenches, tapping it in various places, and always running our 

 trench down to the original undisturbed soil. Thus E.N.E. 

 and within the mound, or on its western face, we made a deep 

 trench, but found nothing. Then on the south-western end of the 

 mound, where a considerable gap had been cut, the material having 

 been removed, and the ground levelled for the convenience of the 

 modern village, we selected the centre of the section as the point 

 from which to run our trench, and then dug a large and deep 

 cutting into the very middle and down to the undisturbed chalk ; 

 but the only reward of our labours was one fragment of pottery. 

 Farther to the east, and on the outside or southern face of the 

 mound, we dug a small perpendicular hole down to the original 

 soil, but again found nothing. These were comparatively trifling 

 probings of the great mound, only slight and random tappings in 



