Cemeteries.  These have generally been more or less plundered; if recently, the pits show; if anciently, there are scraps of pottery lying about.  If there are pebbles or marl thrown up from deep levels, there is evidence of tombs, and they may be unplundered.  Blown sand or grass may hide all trace of tombs.  Sometimes the whole masonry of a tomb may have been removed, and the gravel filling-in have spread so uniformly that there is no sign of building, although a course or two of stone may yet remain under the surface.  The surface of ground should be closely looked over at sunrise or sunset to show up the slight hollows or ridges by the shadows.  After rain differences will often appear in the drying of the ground.  Ask any one near a site if he knows of any one getting stones, or bronze, or plunder from tombs.  Anything found will probably be greatly exaggerated, and no clear idea of the time of finding can be reached; yet any such detail may be useful.

Any large town site must have a cemetery, which is near it in most cases.  In Egypt the towns being in the inundated land, the cemeteries are at some miles distant on the desert.  The prehistoric cemeteries may be anywhere; the historic cemeteries are usually round the ends of the dyke roads, which were thrown up in the early dynasties as irrigation dams, and still serve as the roads of the country.  In Greek lands cemeteries are always outside a town, usually by the side of the roads.

Caves should always be carefully explored; the roof and sides searched for inscriptions or carvings; rock pockets in the sides examined; and the floor dug over for potsherds and any small objects.  If there are different strata these should be each removed separately, and the depth and positions of objects noted.

 4.  Methods of Planning.

Though we cannot here give full technical details of all the methods for plans and surveys, it will be useful to state the scope of each method, so that they may be kept in mind, and whichever is best suited to the individual and his work may be provided for.

1.  Plain pacing.  After pacing lengths of a few hundred feet, up and down hill and flat, tape the distances, and learn true value of pace.  Careful pacing can be done to one or two per cent. of the whole; and properly used, in triangles, may give a useful plan.

2.  Pacing and compass.  This covers large spaces quickly, but the compass is less accurate than the pace.

3.  Tape.  Lines of taping must be well planned, with triangle ties to secure the angles.  Pulling up straight is difficult in a wind, especially on broken ground, and one per cent. error is quite possible then.  When working alone peg the tape down by the ring, or round a stone.

4.  Tapes and cross lines.  Stretch two strings crossing squarely on the ground:  fix the square by laying a squared drawing block below and looking at strings over it.  Two helpers each hold a tape, zero on a string, and the two tapes are held together by the observer and read off, giving the distance to each string; this is to be plotted at once on squared paper, and the plan is completed in detail as it progresses, without any note-book or later plotting.  The helpers must be capable of holding the tape square to the string.  Good for sites up to two hundred or three hundred feet.