Hogarth, David G.; Smith, Cecil Harcourt [Contr.]: Excavations at Ephesus: the archaic Artemisia: Text (London, 1908)

34

The Archaic Artemisia of Ephesus.

collected into baskets down to a point about ■ 50 lower still, below which it
appeared so compact that, at the time, I believed I had reached the bottom of a
shallow cist, whose top had collapsed. Further examination, however, corrected
this view ; both the upper slab-filling and the lower proved to be of absolutely
identical character, and the slight difference in compactness was seen to be due
only to difference of pressure.

Before describing the nature of any of the objects which were found in
the filling of the Basis, I will relate briefly the successive stages by which
the structure itself was revealed. The first hole made in its filling had led
to the discovery of the missing west wall at a depth of nearly "40 below
the surface of the eastern coigns; this differed in material and manner of

construction from any other
visible part of the Basis.
Owing to floods it was not
for another week that the
hole could be extended and
deepened sufficiently to show
that on the other three sides
survived remains of similar
walls, enclosing a rectangle
smaller than that originally
visible; in fact, that the Basis
which Wood saw was an
extension of a smaller and
presumably earlier Basis on
the south, east, and north sides. When this fact had been learned, it was
also seen that the objects hitherto found, i.e., those between the higher
layers of filling, had lain entirely within the lesser rectangle. The hole, made
in the unencumbered south end of the Basis, was gradually extended
to the bounding walls on west and south. On November 30th I had the
Hellenistic foundation-blocks, after they had been measured and photographed,
removed from the north end (Fig. 8). A bedding of thin slabs, evenly
laid, appeared under them, and when these were lifted a large slab, crushed by
the weight above it, came to light, showing lines ruled in double, as though by a
mason " setting out " the position of something to be superimposed, and also faint
traces of colour. These parts were carefully raised, replaced in their relative
positions on a board, and so transported to a place of safety. Underneath lay
slab-filling in layers as elsewhere, the removal of which soon brought a part oi

Fig. 8. Hellenistic Foundation Blocks bedded on the north part
of the Basis.