Vitrified Terracotta Summary

Total:  1206

A large amount of vitrified terracotta was recovered from T26 in the 2022 season.  The bulk of this was recovered from Locus 1, the top layer of excavation which represents an area level with, but to the north of, the OC2/Workshop floor.  One cataloged artifact, PC20220005, a vitrified coarse ware rim fragment, was recovered from Locus 1.  That a great deal of vitrified terracotta would be located here is not surprising; the burning of the OC2/Workshop would have vitrified not only the building’s tile roof, but also any already fired tiles and coarse ware vessels produced and still stored therein.

Locus 14, a tile fall which represents the collapse of the OC2/Workshop roof, had the next highest concentration of vitrified terracotta.  These fragments of terracotta must also have been vitrified during the burning of the building.

All other loci with vitrified terracotta preserve less than ten percent of the total fragments recovered in T26 in the 2022 season.  

Five cataloged artifacts--PC20220012, a vitrified cover tile edge fragment; PC20220013, a vitrified cover tile fragment; PC20220014, a vitrified pan tile fragment; PC20220043, fused vitrified terracotta fragments; and PC20220067, a vitrified slipped pan tile fragment--were recovered from Locus 3.  Locus 3 is a soil deposit that fills the linear cut, Locus 22.  It is not immediately clear why this cut in the floor would be filled with vitrified terracotta; the fragments are not, however, likely associated with the burning event which destroyed the building.  Future excavation planned to remove part of the OC2/Workshop floor in order to understand its construction method may reveal more information about this situation.