The largest house (Fig. 236) that we have yet found in Merkes possesses three courts (4, 19, 26), each with its principal chamber on the south (12, 23, 27), which corresponds in size with the court to which it is attached. The wide doorway of the house on the north is in a flat length of wall which has no toothed projections, such as all the other walls have. Through this we enter the vestibule (1), and can turn either left to the main portion with the large court, or right to the private or secondary portion with two courts. The former part of the house was certainly consecrated to business and to intercourse with the general public. This is indicated by the fact that in this part only there was a second outer door on the south side, which later was walled up. This opened on a small room (13) that communicated immediately with the principal chamber, and may have served as a shop. In any case, the owner could here communicate with the outside world without being obliged to use the ceremonious northern entrance. On entering by the latter, one passed a very small room (2), the entrance chamber and porter’s lodge, the cloak- or waiting-room (3) before reaching the court (4). To the east of this lay the servants’ apartment (5), and to the south the stately principal chamber, about 14 by 7 metres in size; with a smaller series of four chambers to the right (17, 14, 15, 16) and a larger one of six chambers (6–11) to the left of it. Both these series of rooms communicated with the principal chamber by a corridor (14, 8) and with the court by their most northerly chamber (17, 6), which was perhaps a merchant’s office. The inner rooms (15, 16, 10, 11) must have been perfectly dark unless they were lighted by windows on the street, which is very improbable. In one of them (15) there was a well, constructed as usual of pottery cylinders. They may have been store-rooms or sleeping- and living-rooms for the people employed there. It is scarcely necessary to warn our readers that all these suggestions as to the purpose of the various rooms rest entirely on supposition. We have no other authority for them than the arrangement of the ground-plan appears to afford. [Illustration: FIG. 236.—Ground-plan of the Great House in Merkes. ] [Illustration: FIG. 237.—Section of the Great House in Merkes. ] The secondary group of chambers was reserved apparently for the private life of the owner. The rooms are grouped round two smaller courts (19 and 26) which communicated with the principal chamber of the northern one (23), and with each other by means of a corridor (25). From this corridor a door on the west led to an adjoining house, which had been built previously, and of which, on the whole, the great house represented an extension. The entrance chamber (18) and the two principal chambers (23, 27) are also easily recognised. It is not necessary at present to hazard conjectures as to the purpose of the other rooms. [Illustration: