Introduction

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Introduction

In the 1978, 1979, and 1980 excavation seasons, a series of trenches, designated Tesoro 23 and Tesoro 26, were opened to the southeast of the Upper Building's south courtyard, which has since been identified as the Archaic Building (see MT I , MT II , MT III , MT IV , MC I , MC II , and MC III ). At the time of the excavation of T-23 and T-26, the presence of the Orientalizing workshop was unknown. The workshop is situated just to the south of the T-23 and T-26 trenches, approximately 3 meters from the southernmost baulk. What excavators found most notable about the T-23 and T-26 trenches was a large concentration of worked bone and antler, which were found in what is now known to be an Orientalizing period stratum, and thus the area was thought of as an ivory dump.

In more recent excavations, eight trenches were opened beginning in the 2003 excavation season, in the Archaic Building's southern courtyard; these trenches are T-30, T-30A, T-30B, T-30C, T-30D, T-30E, T-30F, and T-30G. These trenches were opened primarily to investigate the presence of five large stones, all of which appear to have been manually flattened, are approximately 2.7 meters in diameter, and are all spaced 2.7 meters apart. The uniform size and spacing

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of the stones suggests that these stones may have functioned as column pads, which indicates the presence of a fourth Orientalizing, or possibly even earlier, building; at present, the function of such a building remains unknown, although the proximity to the Workshop suggests some sort of industrial activity.

Additionally, in the 2007 excavation season, three trenches were opened in the immediate vicinity of the previously mentioned T-30 trenches; these trenches are T-45, T-46, and T-47 (see JRV I , EC VI , DWM I ). These three trenches were opened in order to clarify the extent and purpose of this fourth building. In T-45, evidence of a drainage channel was uncovered (see JRV I, p. 141 ).

Also in 2007, T-48 was opened just to the west and northwest of the previously excavated T-23 and T-26 trenches, approximately 10 meters to the east of the T-30 trenches and approximately 5 meters to the southeast of T-45. T-48 was opened in order to examine the stratigraphy of the area, to see if the building associated with the T-30 column pads extended farther to the east, to possibly determine the orientation and construction of this building, and to investigate the extent of the concentration of bone and antler found in the T-23 and T-26 trenches and to find evidence of the source for this concentration of bone and antler.

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T-48 will be reopened in the 2008 excavation season for the following two reasons.

1. To further examine the stratigraphy of this area. While the strata found in the 2007 season consisted of the same types of soil as the surrounding trenches, each soil package was noticeably thicker than those of the other trenches. It therefore seems that T-48 is located in some sort of depression; it is possible that the depression in which T-48 is located may be associated with the drainage feature uncovered in T-45, acting as a pool into which the drainage channel emptied. T-48 will be reopened in order to clarify this relationship.

2. Due to the stratigraphy, it is clear that the column pads found in the T-30 trenches do not extend as far east as T-48. However, we still hope to clarify the extent of the concentration of bone and antler and determine whether production should be associated with the Workshop, or the newly uncovered building located in the T-30 trenches.

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