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

Excavations of 1904-5. 47

III.—Exploration in the Precinct.

Besides the re-exploration of the Temple itself, it was proposed from the
first to carry out certain tentative operations in the Precinct, with a view to
determining the contents and state of preservation of its strata, and to estimating
the outlay which a thorough excavation of any considerable area of it would
entail. On these questions Wood had thrown very little light. My operations
had naturally to be undertaken within the boundaries of the British property.
On the northern and especially the north-eastera side of the Temple, these
boundaries approach very near to the edge of the Hellenistic platform, and such
interval as there is has been piled high with Wood's dumps. On the north-
east the adjoining property has been acquired by the Austrian Institute and
explored with discouraging results in 1897 (see p. 19). On the western side
the case is similar. The British boundary leaves little room, and that room is
entirely occupied by Wood's dumps, piled more than 5 metres above the general
level. Here also the Austrians had explored the adjoining field. On the south,
however, a large tract of British property extends almost to the Scala Nuova
road, and although cumbered with dumps in the immediate vicinity of the
Temple, offers plenty of space at the normal level of the plain. Here, therefore,
I determined to sink chains of pits to the lowest possible depth. At the same
time I wished to supplement Professor Benndorf's soundings on the west side by
making at least one large sinking on the same axial line as the Temple, between
the lowest steps and the nearest of his pits. The object of this was to settle, if
possible, the question raised by him whether remains of an external Great Altar
were to be found before the western facade. There are two references in ancient
authors to sculptured altars connected with the Artemision.1 Each author
evidently alludes to a structure of some splendour ; but whether to one or to two
structures, whether to altars within or to altars without the Temple area, or on
the west side or not, is not clear.

(I.) Soundings on the South.—These soundings unfortunately were not begun
till just before bad weather had set in, and many became deeply flooded ere they
had gone very far down. In the second season the level of ground-water had risen
so high that it was impossible to continue the pits. The plan adopted was to
sink chains of pits in three rows each 100 feet in length, more or less. The
pits were rectangular, measuring 3 metres by 2, with an interval of 3 metres
between each. Some had to be enlarged subsequently by encroaching on the
intervals, and all were dug with almost perpendicular walls, the sandy clay

1 Strata xiv. 1, 23 ; Patuaniai x. 38, 3.