Conclusion

51

Conclusion

In the 2006 field season, Vescovado Trench 5 was opened for a number of reasons:

1. To determine the presence and extent of any other standing remains which may be present in the area of the previously uncovered villa.
2. To recover any datable material, which would help to determine the periods of use of the structure. Additionally, such material may help indicate earlier occupation periods, which predated the construction of the villa.
3. To investigate the stratigraphy of the area, in order to gain a more accurate picture of the ancient landscape.

In VT5, only one of these three goals was met. No standing remains, or anything architectural, were uncovered in VT5. Furthermore, all of the excavated strata contained a mixture of ancient and modern material, indicating that these were fill deposits, perhaps left in the area when either the road or the tennis courts were constructed. As such, any pottery found cannot serve as a chronological indicator, for all pottery was found in unstratified deposits. Additionally, no pottery was recovered from VT5 that would indicate any earlier occupations of the area.

Although no architectural remains, stratified deposits, or securely datable material was recovered from VT5, the trench proved to be informative regarding the stratigraphy and ancient landscape of the area to the north of the previously excavated villa. Beneath all the fill deposits (Loci 1-6), what appears to be a naturally occurring, geological feature was uncovered (Locus 7). This deposit was very hard packed, slightly flaky, yellow in color, and resembled galestra. Furthermore, it was completely sterile. This hard packed, sterile soil sloped down from west to east, at first fairly steeply, but in the eastern half of the trench the incline leveled off somewhat. The presence of this sterile soil, which is perhaps a geological feature, may indicate that the villa did not extend to the north or the west, but rather, to the south or the east, for it would not have been easy or economical to construct a structure into either bedrock or a geological feature. Thus, although no architectural remains were found in VT5, the trench can provide a picture of the ancient landscape, as well as indicate the northern extent of the villa.