Descriptive Attribute	Value(s)
Combined with	1,4, 2, 8, 9, 10, 19, 20, and 21.
Architectural or Soil Locus?	Soil
Phase	XIV XI XII X IX XIII
Description	Locus 16 is defined as the fill inside of Vault Locus 12, which resulted from two different types of deposition processes. The first process appears to have been human action, and is represented by seven of the ashlars found in the locus. The first two (Seq. Nos. 97514–515) were found in situ laid north south as stretchers across the bottom of the entrance to Vault Locus 12, aligned with the lowest visible ashlar course of the East Boundary Wall (Locus 28). Traces of wet-mortar were found at the north and south edges where these stones abutted the interior of the vault entrance, beneath them where they came in contact with the top surface of the constructed insertion (Locus 29), as well as between the two ashlars themselves. Behind and to the east of this single course lay a 0.30 m wide expanse of fill consisting of sand, silt, and river pebbles in which no small finds were found. Beyond this three more ashlars were found placed on the top of Locus 29. Two of these (Seq. No. 97519 and Seq. No. 97520) lay as north south stretchers in a course across the vault, while the third (Seq. No. 97521) was seated in a second course as a north south stretcher on top of the south stone of the first course (Seq. No. 97519). The sixth ashlar (Seq. No. 97522) was found as a north south stretcher lying on Locus 29 immediately behind to the east and abutting the south ashlar (Seq. No. 97519) in this second constructed arrangement. The seventh ashlar (Seq. No. 97528) was in turn found placed as a north south stretcher immediately behind to the east and abutting the sixth (Seq. No. 97522). None of these ashlars placed deeper inside the vault had any traces of mortar evident. Given the precise positions of these ashlars, their emplacement does not seem to be the result of random deposition activity. This suggests that these architectural elements might best be assigned to the period of secondary construction in Stage 3, as they appear to represent an attempt to create a blockage like that of Locus 26 in Vault Locus 14. The majority of the remaining fill from Locus 16 resulted from natural deposition processes, indicated by the evident west to east slope from the entrance toward the interior. This included the eighth ashlar (Seq. No. 97648) which was found embedded in the fill without any orientation, behind and at approximately 0.30 m lower than the top of the constructed insertion (Locus 29); this stone was probably dislodged by fluvial action. A similar explanation can be suggested for the elephant trunk and small stone carvings also found in the Locus 16 fill. The fill itself, fine sand and silt with a Munsell Color range 2.5 YR 5/4–4/3, was mixed with pebbles and cobble-size river pebbles. The deposit was densely compacted, and very moist—causing all of the artifacts removed to sweat heavily. The advent of the Locus 16 fill deposition probably coincides with the main collapse event(s) of Stage 6, rather than with the minor event of Stage 5. This is suggested because the single ashlar course across the entrance (Seq. Nos. 97514–515) stood at a height of more than 0.30 m above the West Cryptoporticus East floor (Locus 25)—higher than the lower fill deposit discussed for Locus 10 (south) in this section—and thus is likely to have prohibited sedimentation resulting from this earlier event. Deposition is likely to have continued into Stage 7, until the entire entrance to Vault Locus 12 was covered.
Bottom (m)	Closing elevation: ca. 893.363 m.
Location	East, inside Locus 12.
Overlies	Loci 29, 30.
Phase Description	Phase XII: Use levels, robbing and abandonments continue. Phase X: Site abandonment post major collapse dating to the Byzantine period from the CE 4th to 5th c.... Phase XIV: Modern period marked by Bedouin activity and the accumulation of recent debris. Phase XI: Further collapse post- CE 5th c., possibly the result of the earthquake of CE 512. Major collapses... Phase IX: Major CE 363 earthquake leads to the collapse of the West Colonnade directly on top of the... Phase XIII: Major collapses continue into the Islamic period.
Definition	Fill deposit inside Vault Locus 12
Stage Description	Major collapse.
Top (m)	Opening elevation: ca. 894.473 m.
Underlies	Locus 12.
Stage	Stage 6