New exciting data from Week 4

It has been a very successful week at Gabii, which added interesting new data to the overall picture.

In Area F, the excavation progressed on different fronts simultaneously. In the north section of the lower terrace, a team continued digging the dumps that covered the large corridor at the back of the building, revealing part of a third room to the west. This was probably connected with the staircase joining the lower and upper terraces. Other important features were also uncovered, most notably the foundation trench of the monumental ashlar wall and the original surface of the upper stretch of the road delimiting the complex (this was a via glareata). Excavation of these fills will hopefully provide dating elements.

In the front part of the building, more built features were recorded. Another set of rooms at the level of the main thoroughfare was thus identified.

A test-trench was begun in one of the rooms that opened onto the side of the axial access-way, which showed evidence of a multi-phased occupation. A fragment of brick featuring a stamp dating to the 98-180 CE period was found incorporated in the mortar floor of this room, giving us a much-needed terminus post quem for the last phase of construction at this site.

Activities finally resumed in Area D. The removal of the construction level of the Archaic compound exposed the outlines of preexisting huts, which however are still partially masked by the abandonment layers, including concentrations of burnt adobe. This horizon will be the focus of the excavation in this sector of the dig in the last week.

M. Evans presents a selection of miniature votives to the students

More votive offerings have been retrieved from the northwest part of the area, seemingly in connection with a U-shaped structure that had been identified in previous years near one of the rooms of the complex (perhaps an altar?).

Dr. Peter Rauxloh (MOLA) with the topo team

On July 17th, the Project hosted Dr. Peter Rauxloh, MOLA's Director of Technical Solutions, who spent the day with our topo team to learn about our recording methodology, especially the use of photogrammetry.