File:Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, ancient Babylonia, &c. &c. - during the years 1817, 1818, 1819, and 1820 (1821) (14591249440).jpg

Identifier: travelsingeorgia02port (find matches)
Title: Travels in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, ancient Babylonia, &c. &c. : during the years 1817, 1818, 1819, and 1820
Year: 1821 (1820s)
Authors: Porter, Robert Ker, Sir, 1777-1842
Subjects: Porter, Robert Ker, Sir, 1777-1842
Publisher: London : Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown
Contributing Library: Tisch Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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of the rock; being attainable bya scramble over huge loose pieces lying at the base, and thenceby broken remains of steps, which have originally been made inthe solid body of the cliff. On reaching the top of this almostimpracticable escalade, we arrived at two door-ways close toeach other, about six feet high, in width four, nicely hewn andleading into the mountain side. That to the right conductsdirectly into the chief cavern ; the other, to the left, to a coupleof square rooms, leading into each other; their size six yardsby seven. Their roofs are arched, and in height fifteen feet, thewhole bearing the rough marks of the chisel. Three squarewindow apertures for light have been broken out here through athickness in the rock measuring nine feet; and on each side ofthem, as well as of the doors, we see holes where iron grating,or shutters, must have been formerly. Out of the first of thesetwo apartments, a door-way communicates with the passage that 542 PLAN OF THE CAVES OF KEREFTO.
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CAVES OF KEREFTO. 543 leads from without into the chief cavern. I found no inscriptionor other mark in these rooms, excepting a few rude scratches inthe forms of circles and lozenges on the inlets of the windows,but without any apparent connection. The other entrance from without (which is called the chief,being direct to the great cavern) commences a very steep as-cending passage, gradually widening as we penetrated the moun-tain. Having advanced about fifteen yards, we entered a littleportal, which led us through a narrow way on the left, to aflight of apartments over those just described. The first enteredis square, and a few feet larger than those below. The roof isarched like the others; but this place presented the interesting ad-dition of a mass of the rock standing directly in the centre of itsfloor, about three feet high, hewn into a rounded columnar form,and bearing the appearance of an altar or pedestal for a statue.The solidity of the marble cliff in which this excavation

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