Trench Summary

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The excavation of T-30-G this season accomplished one of its major goals.  A stone resembling a column pad was found between the column pad-like stone found in T-22, situated to the west of T-30-G, and the column pad-like stone found in the original T-30 trench, situated to the east.  The stone uncovered is midway and in a line with these two stones.  Also, it is at the same depth as these stones.  After the uncovering of this new stone, another stone was noticed to the west of T-22 sticking out of the north balk wall of T-22 West Extension.  This balk wall was trimmed back to expose this stone.  Although badly fractured with some portions apparently missing, this fourth stone is also of the right size and in the appropriate position in relation to the three earlier stones to have been used as a column pad.  This row of four stones is convincing evidence that a building of the Orientalizing period once stood here.  However, the exact dimensions and orientation of this building is yet to be determined.

This row of four column pads suggest that

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this building shared some features with the OC2/Workshop.  If this is so, then one should expect to find other rows of column pads.  But no column pad-like stones were found to the south of T-30-G, either in T-30-C, excavated in 2004, or in T-30-F, excavated this season, where one would expect to find them if there existed a row immediately to the south at an intercolumniation of 2.7 m. from the newly discovered row.  However, the existence of a column pad-like stone found in T-26, situated to the south and east of the newly discovered row, suggests that such stones may have existed or may still exist in this general area and further excavation is warrented to ascertain such.

To the north of the newly discovered row of column pads at approximately three meters a shelf of bedrock emerges and from what can be seen in the T-22 trench it runs roughly parallel to this row at approximately one meter in height above the level of the column pads.  It is possible that the row defined by these four stones formed the south side of the building with the north side resting

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on the bedrock shelf.  Careful excavation of this bedrock shelf is warrented to determine this.  However, the foundations of the southern flank of the archaic period Upper Building here may have covered up or have obliterated most, if not all, traces of this side of the building.  A wall, whether open or closed, resting on the bedrock shelf here would have necessitated a drainage system to channel run-off water from the north either around or through the building.  Excavation may uncover this system.

Besides the discovery of two more column pads, the excavation of T-30-G revealed two other features that require comment.  First, significant quantities of material, especially pottery sherds and bone fragments, were found resting directly on sterile soil which occurs only a few centimeters below the top surface of the column pad found in T-30-G this year, in the north/central sector of the trench.  The thickness of this column pad is not known, but it is likely that it was countersunk in the sterile soil and that

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the surface of the sterile soil formed the original floor level of the building.  This would explain why the concentration of material found in the last 10 centimeters before sterile soil is reached is significantly heavier than in higher levels above.  Finally, the remains of a sizable coarse ware vessel were found approximately two meters south of this column pad (see pp. 87-89).  Although the remains of the base of this vessel were not found resting directly on sterile soil, it is possible that this vessel, in the position where it was found, could have been used to catch rain water from the roof of the building if the row of column pads formed part of the south side of the building.