Conclusion

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Conclusion

The excavation of T-36, which was begun in the 2004 season, was completed in 2005.  T-36 was opened in order to investigate the topography of the Archaic southern courtyard, to search for evidence of Orientalizing-period activity, to clarify the orientation of a possible building found in the T-30 area, and to search for evidence of Iron-Age activity on the Tesoro Plateau.

The topography of the Archaic southern courtyard proved to be fairly level.  This in all likelyhood is due to what appears to be a levelling of hte plateau, completed after the destruction of the Orientalizing complex; this levelling corresponds to loci 4 and 5 , which are both heavily mottled soils.  In this mottled soil and also in the strata below, which also appear to be fairly level, much evidence of Orientalizing period activity was recovered.  Large quantities of terracotta roofing tile, ceramic, and some bronze and iron were found.  In addition, a tile deposition running roughly north-south down to the workshop from the direction of the tripartite building and the residence was uncovered.  The tile deposition was

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neither very wide nor dense and it has been hypothesized that the tiles were used to fill in a drainage ditch which would have directed water from the tripartite building and the residence away from the hard-packed dirt floor of the workshop.  The tiles ( Locus 7 ), would thus represent an attempt to level the drainage ditch and would therefore be associated with the levelling of the Tesoro Plateau in preparation for the constructin of the Archaic complex.

Although much material, including the possible drainage ditch, indicating Orientalizing activity was recovered from T-36, nothing regarding the orientation of the possible building in T-30 was found, as a column pad was excavated (ECV 2005), thus orienting the building to the north of T-36.  Furthermore, in an attempt to recover Iron-Age material, three sounding trenches were dropped within T-36, one in the southeast corner of the trench ( loci 10 and 11 ), one in the northwest corner ( Locus 12 ), and one toward the center, beneath where the tile deposition formerly lay ( Locus 13 ).  Neither of these three sounding trenches

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yielded any identifiable Iron-Age material and galestra was reached after approximately 15cms in all three trenches.  While excavation in T-36 definately concluded in the 2005 season, other trenches in the surrounding area should be opened in order to better understand the south courtyard.