By sunset, it had been a long and fruitful day for the two Berkeley researchers. Extensive photographs were taken, particularly of the inscriptions and embossed decorative marble carvings on the white sarcophagus. More buttons and buckle fragments were found in the straining of earth around the perimeter of the tholos, including a Spanish silver coin which seemed to have been stamped down between the floor stones. Much excitement awaited the careful cleaning and identification of this particular artifact, as it would surely provide more dating information for the tomb's initial existence. In addition, exhaustive measurements were taken inside and outside the tholos by the researchers, emphasizing both its artistry and precise parabolic nature.

In closely inspecting two of the damaged marble blocks framing the doorway, it was discovered that a simple number code had been carved into the back of each of the blocks, using Arabic numerals. These identifiers were ostensibly to locate the position of each marble piece, row and number, for its proper assembly after being transported to the construction site, most probably by sea below.

This discovery indicated to the professor that the marble blocks had been precut at another location, possibly right at the quarry of the stones' origin, and then transported up the lonely bluff at some time, looking to be some four-hundred and fifty years before, if calculations of the evidence were right. It also revealed to Dr. Simons what had to have been considerable organization, manpower and effort on the part of those assigned to the task. The precise, permanent placement of the marble stones had also to be properly executed for the amazing aesthetic effect intended by their well-crafted parabolic construction.

It was no surprise to the professor that the locator number code on the reverse of each block was chiseled into the green marble using Arabic numerals-not Roman or even Greek symbols. This was explained to Nicasio as being consistent with the sixteenth century and the structure's probable creation point in time.

"OK. So it's pretty clear," Nicasio responded that afternoon, wiping his brow of profuse sweat. "This tells us the tholos stones had been pre-cut and marked for assembly. Not in ancient times, but during the Middle Ages or later . . . correct?"

"Yes. And with our brass buttons as further clues we can assume the stones were imported here by a work party of Spanish soldiers or sailors."

"Incredible!"

"Also significant . . . there are no known green marble quarries here in the coastal Santa Lucia Mountain Range, certainly not anywhere near Big Sur. This I already checked. The samples we take today will determine through analysis just where this material originated . . . something I am very curious about," the professor added.

Nicasio followed him to the center of the tholos where both men shined their lights onto the white surface of the sarcophagus. There again was the curious double-bladed axe emblem on each corner of the reclining lid. It was circumscribed by an almond shape border and gracefully placed beneath it an open, crescent moon. The emblem obviously had enormous significance, yet for now it eluded them. Nicasio reached down and touched the smooth base relief of the configuration. His fingers glided along the upward-curving horns of the moon, upon which, stood in the center the embossed double-sided axe.

Professor Simons passed the back of his hand over a sweaty cheek.

"This is one heraldic design I've not encountered before," he admitted to Nicasio in the surrounding darkness. "But its one of those clues, my boy, you are going to spend some quality time on in your research. Perhaps in this case . . . when you reach Athens."

Nicasio just raised his eyebrows, making no comment on the suggested venue.

"Certainly your search there will bring you to a similar double-headed axe. It was called the labrys. A common motif found in the Minoan culture on the island of Crete. Later it was popularized by legend as a weapon associated with the Amazons. Particularly Penthesilea, their legendary queen."

"Who?"

"Penthesilea. She was one of the Amazon's shining stars, according to the lore. She supposedly invented the weapon. Used it exclusively on the battlefield against men, of course. "

"Nice."

Nicasio silently ran his finger over the two Greek-styled letter A's on either side of the ceremonial axe's handle. They were embossed carefully, like the rest of the emblem.

"So what do you make of those?" he asked the professor, almost in a whisper.

"I have to admit, my boy. . . I have no clue here. But the obvious guess is that one of those 'A's stands for "Amazona" . . . or "Amazones" in Greek. The word itself is ancient . . . but remains in use today."

"Yeah. The letter 'A' is basically written the same way in English as in ancient Greek. But why two 'A's, professor?' What could that mean?

"Yes. . . and I have no idea. Let me work on that later."

"Well Good luck." Nicasio smiled.

The professor shined his light more intensively at the emblem.

"Now that almond-shaped outer mandala of the whole ensignia, you see there? The outer space encircling the axe?"

"Yeah?"

"That's more easily explained."

"Please do." Nicasio looked up into the intense expression on his mentor's face. He tried not to blind him with the spotlight attached to his forehead.

"This oval-shaped silhouette is historically more significant than the two 'A's which rest inside it.' And its much older in origin and meaning."

"How so?"

"It was this form which associates with the primitive Earth Mother cultures. It's found throughout India and Asia today . . . a vestige of some of the world's oldest societies."

"So . . . what's the connection? What does it represent then?"

The professor leaned over and ran his own finger around the outlined perimeter of the oval emblem. "This elliptical diamond shape defines the sexual and birthing orifice of a female."

"What? OK . . . So. . .wow, yeah. It sort of does."

Nicasio raised his eyebrows unconsciously looking at the now familiar shape.

"It's mimetic here, you see? And characteristically this shape has always represented the vaginal opening."

"Got it."

"It's the passageway of birth, Nicasio. A metaphor for a sacred passage. Usually a transformation. A rebirth of some kind."

"Interesting."

"Anthropologically, this shape usually signifies the transcendence to an altered state or even a place. Sometimes it's the doorway to an afterlife . . . sometimes a new life. In early oriental iconography temple doorways in this shape implied spiritual awakening when passing through it."

"A vagina. . .?"

"Yes. One and the same. It is the doorway for all of us into this world. Right?"

Nicasio paused for the moment as he stared down at the bas relief insignia in the harsh light. An amazing connection to another art form suddenly flashed across his mind. It all seemed reminiscent of an iconic form appearing commonly in religious paintings he had come across in his studies of Spanish Colonial art.

These were the paintings which featured the Virgin Mary, where she was herself framed in a similar almond-shaped nimbus of light. And in addition, her bare feet rested upon a similarly up-turned crescent moon-both configurations in the emblem before them. To Nicasio one could now easily associate the "vaginal" mandala on the sarcophagus, with the same outer frame of holy energy depicted around the body of the standing Virgin Mary. It was a revered composition repeated many times in the New World, and frequently hung in chapels and monasteries of Mexico, dating from the 17h and 18th centuries.

Those paintings, he suggested to the professor, were but copies of the original archetypical image known as Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe). He related how the paintings were executed in the New World to celebrate the miracle of several Native American children in 1531. They reportedly on four consecutive nights, on a hill above Mexico City, witnessed a visitation of the Virgin Mary. Her image, with the configuration of the mandala and crescent moon, including her own remarkable facial features reminiscent the native people from the area, appeared spontaneously on a robe worn by one of the children. The child later unfurled it to present as a gift to the Bishop of New Spain. The boy explained it was from the Virgin herself and proof of their encounter with her-where upon she presented them with a gift. That gift being a bouquet of rare, Castilian roses, miraculously existing in the hands of the children in the dead of winter.

The professor himself was mystified by the facsimile of the shapes and the New World legend Nicasio related.

Nicasio went on to clarify that as a Spanish Colonial motif, the iconic image of the Virgin, bathed in this vaginal-shaped mandala of light, and standing on the crescent moon-depicted and commemorated this a miraculous event. What made the discussion even more profound, was that the event was to have happened in the same century of interest to them. The Holy Virgin, Nicasio went on, was seen in all her splendor to indigenous youths in 1531. Mexico City was then the capital of New Spain and the earliest days of west coast nautical exploration.

The native boy for whom credit is given for seeing this unworldly image of the 'Holy Mother' in the dead of winter, was said to have brought back a bouquet of "Castilian roses" in full bloom to the priest as proof of the miracle.

Standing there in the dark, and staring down at the pure white marble surface, Nicasio could not help but feel the emblem of the double-bladed axe circumscribed in the vaginal mandala, resting on the crescent moon, was undoubtedly some attempted synthesis of powerful symbology from the past-perhaps now lost, but clearly transcendent and obviously female in origin. And like the Mycenaean beehive shape of the tomb itself, and the Renaissance-style white sarcophagus, it was all done in some grand attempt-a hybrid of designs , the purpose of which was to capture something profoundly important of each. It was the celebration of some venerated person, obviously a woman, he expressed. And just who exactly she was, had now become the most urgent and perplexing part of his and Dr. Simon's work.

The culmination of the long day's efforts in and around the tomb created the bases for much future research on the tholos, as both men knew. Even the menial records of their systematic digging were bound to end up in reference texts and archival collections when the find was to be published. Yet time was of the essence, as the Sheriff's forces guarding the site as a "crime scene" had reported. Keeping the more adventurous tourists away-those who seasonally frequented BixbyBridge, would only become more problematic, they told them, especially as the summer months neared.

That evening the two researchers carried the sample block taken from the structure back to the professor's car with their equipment. Dr. Simons related his fears that it would not be long before their activity around the tomb would be leaked to the media. But for now, he only hoped no one would even suspect that his and Nicasio's continued presence in the area was but the prelude to a much more intensive study. The focus and importance of that work, they both realized, was sure to eclipse all their preliminary efforts in a way surely to be spectacular.

* * *