Introduction

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This year, 2003, excavation will take place just south of T28 south ( see JBB III). Exploring this area will give a broader understanding of the topography of the sloping area and possible reveal the nature of the flat area at the bottom.

BACKGROUND

Tesoro 28 (T28) is immediately to the south of the 7th century workshop on a gentle slope.  In 2001, T28 was divided into T28 north and T28 south ( TBK II and SJG III ).  The northern trench revealed a dry masonry wall that had been mistaken for a "rock pack" in the in the 80s further to the west in T27, and removed.  In the southern trench of T28, a deposit of over 100 sling stones with a large tile spread was found, running roughly parallel to the workshop ( See SJG III ).  John Beeby continued excavating T28 south in the 2002 season, which revealed the great magnitude of the tile pread, but not

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the date.  To the south of both these areas is a flat area, and maybe the excavation of this area wil reveal more about the dry masonry wall and the tile spread.

PURPOSE

The purpose of excavation recorded in this book is to descover the nature of this flat area.  At the very least it may generate some erosional material from the workshop just north of T28.  It is still unclear where much of the architectural terracotta from the Orientalizing structure has gone, and this could provide some answers.  Various hypotheses about the nature of this area also present it as another place of industrial activity, domestic activity, or even another way of a approach to the structures on the hill.

METHOD

The area to be excavated will be named Southern Terrace 1 (ST1).  A 5 m by 5 m

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square will be set up leaving a one meter baulk wall between ST1 and T28 South.  Bulk terracotta will be counted and disposed in a pile next to T28 South at the end of each day. ALl other artifacts will be collected and brought to the magazino at the end of each day.  Strata and features will be designated loci.

SYNOPSIS

In summary, the goals of the excavation of Southern Terrace are:

1) To understand the nature of the flat area at the bottom of the slope.

2) To help establish dates for the terrace wall and tile feature to the north.

3) To find evidence of industrial activity or architectural terracotta that may have washed down the hill.

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