Fellows, Charles: Account of the ionic trophy monument excavated at Xanthus (London, 1848)

2G

a line with the lower part of the sculptured frieze ;
whereas, had a lower one been chosen, the set-off in the
massive base would have intercepted a perfect view of
the sculpture.

During the whole of the excavations, although we
found the limbs, feet, fingers and drapery of the statues,
we never discovered a fragment of the heads,—not a curl
or feature, not an ear, a nose, or any chip of the heads
of the statues, notwithstanding a careful examination of
the earth surrounding the ruins. The reason for this
did not occur to me at the time, and I urged the men to
persevere until they should lay bare the rock ; thinking
it possible that the heads might have first fallen, and
their broken fragments have been shaken down among
the blocks, and that they might still lie concealed below.
Instead of finding the expected pudding-stone rock, we
came upon small irregular stones, artificially cemented
together ; and on advancing, we found regular walls
forming a series of small houses ; in these, near the
openings left for doorways, were decayed iron hinges,
bolts, rings, and numerous nails ; in the houses,
weights, scales, and broken pottery. Upon the tiles of
the floors were imprinted patterns, and amongst them
the Cross of the early Christians was conspicuous;
whilst upon some of the walls the Panagia of the Greek
church was still to be recognised. This circumstance
is interesting, as affording relative dates for the exist-
ence of the various buildings, and a probable explana-
tion of the absence of the heads of the statues, as we