Papers of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (6.1890-1897 (1897))

EXCAVATIONS AT SPARTA.

215

existed south of this line. They may indeed have formed
a complete circuit about the centre. The rock south of the
line mentioned lies low and sinks steadily toward the south.
The blocks, if they existed, must therefore have lain em-
bedded in the soil above the native rock and have long since
been torn out of their exposed position and destroyed. There
seems to be no evidence either to prove or to disprove the
existence of a system of blocks in the southern half of this
circle similar to that in the northern half.

The larger number of these blocks have no architectural
form, and their smoothed upper faces suggest that they
served as supports for the slabs of a pavement. Eight of
the blocks, however, because of the peculiarities of their
forms and position, demand especial attention. All have
their faces in the same horizontal plane. They are so placed
that the inner edges of 2', 3', 4a, 4', 4" and 4"' (Fig. 3) lie
exactly on the line of a circle struck about c', while blocks 3,
4, and 5 have along their upper inner edge a rabbet (.05 m.
deep and .05 m. wide), the vertical face of which also lies
along this same circle as shown by the dotted lines which are
struck across the three stones on Fig. 4. This rabbet is
shown in the section Fig.4-IY. The southern vertical faces of
stones 4 and 5 are straight (see Fig. 4). but the vertical faces
of the two rabbets are cut on the circle. The horizontal
faces of the rabbets are thus about a centimetre wider at the
middle (i. e., at c and A) than at the ends. On the upper
face of each of these stones there is a circular surface raised
a little more than a centimetre above the rest of the surface
of the stone, and .42 m. in diameter. Although the edges
of the circles have been broken in parts, yet accurate
measurement of their diameters is possible. The two circles
(one on each stone) agree in size. On the upper surfaces of
each of these two circles are incised two grooves having a tri-
angular cross-section; see section, Fig. 4-IV. These grooves
are small ; about .004 m. broad at the top and .003 m. deep.
They can also be traced in places on the other parts of the
top faces of the two stones. They are indicated on Fig. 20
by the lines ab, cd, e j\ g 7i; ab and efaxe cut upon a line of
a circle concentric with that upon which the inner edges of
the stones and the vertical faces of the rabbets lie, while c d