Conclusion T108 was opened in 2024 with the following stated goals: To establish an understanding of the stratigraphy of this area and its potential relationship to the area northeast of OC2 and southeast of the Archaic Phase Building. To gain a better understanding of the topography of the hill and to determine whether these potential terraces are anthropogenic or natural. To determine the nature and function of the area, in particular, to look for evidence relating to the access to the eastern side of Piano del Tesoro from the Ombrone River valley and to look for evidence of non-elite habitation. During the 2024 field season, the excavation of T108 and the neighboring trenches (T105, T106, T107, T109, and T110) achieved the three goals to varying degrees. Excavation of T108 began in a 3x3 meter trench. Over the course of the season, it was extended several times, totaling 29.84 square meters. The three primary features were excavated in T108. Locus 7 includes a linear stone feature running east to west across the trench. Locus 8 also contained a second linear stone feature running north to south; roots and a stump interrupt this linear stone feature. Locus 12 contained a linear feature running north to south, with a stone packing just to the southeast of it. All features were exposed and left in situ. Both the linear stone formations of Locus 7 and 8 continue across the boundaries of the trenches. No dateable architectural or ceramic materials were recovered in T108’s secure context. The not secure contexts of T108 and associated trenches recovered medieval pottery and Archaic architectural terracotta, suggesting the underlying features date to the ~6th century BCE, the Archaic period. The linear stone feature outlined by Locus 7 is 2.80 meters long, and 41 centimeters wide in the center, as it enters the locus at an angle from Locus 4 of T106. The feature present in Locus 8 is 6.10 meters long, totaling from the northern edge all the way to the southern edge and is 48 centimeters wide in the center of the feature. It is made up of two parallel linear stone formations, each one just one stone in thickness, with pottery and and large ceramic fragments inlaid between them and to the east in the northern edge of the locus. Higher concentrations of pottery are present in the northernmost and in the southernmost meters of Locus 8. The two linear stone features appear to intersect at a 90-degree angle and create a corner of two likely foundation walls. T108’s discovery of two walls and a corner implies the presence of a building that continues across nearby trenches. The measurements and materials of the northeast corner and foundation walls appear consistent with foundations from the Archaic Complex. T108’s walls and corner appear to comprise the newly discovered building, East Terrace Archaic Phase Building 1 (ETAP1). The stone feature present in Locus 12 is 2.81 meters in length, with a linear formation of larger stones present along the western edge of the locus, extending from the northern into the southern edge. There is a packing of smaller stones for the totality of the southernmost meter, 70 centimeters, but this concentration of stones peters out, leaving the northeastern half of the locus somewhat bare. The location of this building detected in the T105-T109 trenches contributes to an understanding of the area’s topography. The building appears to be intentionally positioned on a terrace to the east of the Archaic Building. However, it is unknown whether there are additional terraces and, if there are, how many there are and whether these are manmade or natural. T108 also sheds light on the nature and function of this area. Loci 2 and 4, which are clay-like soil that underlies topsoil and overlies the foundation walls, contained examples of Archaic materials associated with domesticity. Diagnostic fragments of large storage vessels remain embedded in the eastern wall. Recovered domestic artifacts include: Part of a rocchetto (SF#4, PC 20240003) Spindle Whorl Fragment (SF#5, PC 20240011) From the evidence of this season, it cannot be conclusively said that this structure is an elite or non-elite space domestic space; excavations in future seasons may address this question. Work in T108 and the surrounding trenches of T105-109 have revealed what appear to be the full extent of the building’s northern foundation wall and portions of both western (T105 Locus 12) and eastern (T108 Locus 8, and T107 Locus 9) foundation walls. As of the end of the 2024 season, no southern foundation wall has been discovered. ETAP1 is oriented on a rough east-west axis and measures 12.1m in length. Work must continue in this area to reveal the building’s full footprint. Additionally, future work will entail identifying and excavating the building’s interior floor surfaces. The discovery of this new building on a terrace situated to the east of the Archaic Building is suggestive of a domestic space associated with the Archaic period of occupation at Poggio Civitate. It currently is unclear whether ETAP1 stood alone, or was part of a larger set of subsidiary structures situated on this terrace dating to the Archaic Period; potential additional structures could include other domestic structures or wells, similar to those found to the west of the Archaic Building, in CA42 and T62. Future excavations to the east of the Archaic Building hopefully will answer these questions and will augment our understanding of Poggio Civitate’s domestic architecture and social structures during the Archaic Period.

The discovery of this new building on a terrace situated to the east of the Archaic Building is suggestive of a domestic space associated with the Archaic period of occupation at Poggio Civitate.