Conclusion

T26 was reopened in the 2019 excavation season with the following goals:

To section through the plaster floor of Orientalizing Complex 2/Workshop (OC 2) To determine the depth of a column pad of OC 2 To determine the nature and function of the small auxiliary stones of OC 2 To better understand the building techniques employed in OC 2 Depending on what is revealed, to lift a column pad of OC 2 and investigate the stratigraphy beneath it To uncover details which will clarify the chronology of the OC structures in relation to the EPOC structures Excavation in T26 revealed a depression running east to west along the northern edge of the floor surface of OC2. The presence of the plaster in Locus 11 that lines the side of the depression suggests that its construction is contemporaneous with OC2. The dating of the fill and the exact function of the depression cannot be determined with certainty without additional excavation to the north and east to determine the extent of the depression and its relationship to the OC 2 floor. A section through the floor of OC 2 revealed a concentration of carbon-included soil, which confirms the stratigraphy previously seen in T27. The carbon-included layer indicates that the area on which OC 2 was built possibly experienced burning in an event prior to the construction of OC 2 or the burning was employed as a possible construction technique for the building. Additional excavation of Locus 8 and Locus 18 is necessary for clarifying the relationship between the concentration of carbon-included soil and the plaster floor surface of OC 2, as well as determining whether it can shed light on any construction techniques. The limestone column pad of Locus 4 was revealed to have a depth of 0.24 m where it was exposed on its northern face. The column pad appears to have been countersunk within a cut visible on the western baulk wall of the trench before the plaster floor of OC 2 was laid around the column pad. Additional excavation of Locus 8 and 9 is required to determine the necessity of lifting a column pad, as well as the function of the auxiliary stones, which was not possible this season due to rain. Additional excavation is also needed to better understand the extent and function of the plaster surface and linear stone feature found in Locus 16 and 17 in addition to its chronological relationship to other structures on the Piano del Tesoro, such as EPOC 4, EPOC 5, OC 1, and OC 3.