The purpose of excavating the area known as the South Flank this season is to further explore the area directly to the south of the Tripartite Building/OC3. The original excavation of this area was carried out between 1967-1971 (see T. Gantz III, I. Edlund I & II, J. Wright III) and revealed the foundation walls of the structure which would later be dubbed the Tripartite Building or Orientalizing Complex 3 (OC3) beneath the floor of the Archaic Building.

During the 1996-1998 seasons, Alexis Christensen excavated the area known as South Flank (see AMC V & VII), so called because it is located along the southern flank of the Archaic Building.

This 2008 season it was decided to open several new trenches in the South Flank area, known as South Flank (or SF) 2, 3, 4, and 5.

By excavating in South Flank 4 this season, we hope to uncover additional architectural elements associated with the Tripartite Building/OC3 that may provide additional clues as to the buildingÂ’s functionality.

Our intention in excavate in SF 4 is to better understand the stratigraphy located directly to the south of the Tripartite Building/OC3 and potentially reveal any associated architectural features and contribute to our interpretive sense of the building.

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