Summary

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Work was started this season with the intention of clarifying the areas east of Tesoro 5 and also to follow up the walls uncovered in 1968 in Tesoro 6 B and C.  The area called Tesoro 7 was the part that had been left between Tesoro 2 and Tesoro 5E.  As could be expected from the finds in T5E in 1968, T7 produced more horse race frieze plaques and the N edge which joins onto T5E.  The western part revealed a wall, running N-S, which seemed to start below the square building in T5E.

Tesoro 8 produced some

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more horse race frieze, again in the part closest to T5E.  the rest of the trench was most unproductive regarding finds, but showed some interesting new aspects fro the understanding of the architectural plan.  Column foundations were uncovered in a line along the S wall of the large building in Tesoro 1 and the architect, Mr. Linden, could confirm his theory that some clusters of stone excavated in Tesoro 5 the previous year actually might be the scanty remains of more column foundations.  The symmetry in relation to the wall and the

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equal distance between these clusters of stone is to be noted.  The rest of Tesoro 8 revealed a vast area of natural rock, covered only by a very thin layer of soil.

Tesoro 6D and its continuation T6F revelaed a whole new building complex which might stretch even farther to the E on the Piano del Tosoro than the corresponding building in Tesoro 1.  Starting at the wedge of T6D the following features appeared: two walls going Eastwards, parallel and connected by 2 well preserved crosswalls.  East of the 2nd

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crosswall a line of drain-pipes was excavated which seemed to start and end within the stone foundations.  The Northern of the parallel wall was a little flimsy all the way through the trenches, but after the drain pipe it seemed to stop completely.  A new crosswall (the 3rd) appeared further to the E forming perfect right angle to the S wall, but projecting N of the line of the N wall and also forming a spur going westwards towards the drain pipe.  An attempt was made to estimate the total length

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of the S wall by following it as far as time allowed.  Unfortunately the last 10 meters of the trench T6F showed how close the foundations were to the surface and that the walls, if any where difficult to trace.

T6E produced a cocentration of procession frieze fragments, all very small, but evidently belonging to a few plaques which had been dropped in a long line (grid N. see plan).  A feature of architectural interest were three column foundation North of the N wall in T6D, and an equal distance from

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each other and the wall as the corresponding ones in Tesoro 8. - A matter of surprise both to the trenchmaster (Bob Bridges)

and the workmen was a tile bed at the NE corner of T8 which produced one complete banquet friee plaque.  Strange lines of stones appeared in T6E and one of these was exsamined more thoroughly.  The result is to be seen on p. 184 .  It has still o be interpreted, but the suggestion hearth should be mentioned.  A matter of curiosity is the large worked stone block excavated at the N edge

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of T8 (see pp. 65 and 68 ).

The main result of the season's excavating in this area seems to be that we have established a regular plan of Piano del Tesoro with two parallel buildings flanking an open (?) courtyard (?).  Only the square building in T5E protrudes into this open space.  Nothing new can be established about the architectural terracotta revetment, since the material found was scattered and distributed in no relation to the walls.