Locus 39 was an L shaped deposit located in the southern meters of the trench. It measured approximately 1.5 meters in maximum width and 1.75 meters in maximum length. Locus 39 was a shallow deposit, measuring only approximately 5-10 cm in depth.

Locus 39 consisted of a loose, dark-gray, charcoal rich-soil deposit. Numerous small stones (maximum dimension 20 cm) were interspersed in this deposit. Locus 39 also contained relatively high quantities of material culture, especially materials associated with metallurgy and the processing and refining of copper and iron ores; we found exceptionally high quantities of slag, along with 8 crucible fragments and 2 fragments of tile or coarseware with adhered slag.

Locus 39 underlaid Locus 37 and overlaid Locus 31 (identified in 2019). Locus 39 is equivalent to Loci 10, 13, 23, 26, 27, 29, and 38.

By virtue of stratigraphic positioning, Locus 39 must predate the construction of EPOC4, as it is positioned directly beneath EPOC4’s floor surface. The high presence of charcoal and the loose compaction of the deposit suggests that it is debris, perhaps associated with the surface identified in 2019 as Locus 31. The high concentration of slag and materials associated with metallurgy indicates that the processing and refining of metallic ores occurred in this area in the period preceding the construction of EPOC4.