TARP2023 Stratigraphic Unit 9047

Identifier

en TARP2023_SU_9047

Title

en TARP2023 Stratigraphic Unit 9047

Context type

en Architecture

Context subtype

en Wall

Context formation category

en Creation/Construction

Description

en Wall SU 9047 represents a long opus quadratum wall that comprises the southern edge of the Roman period temple. The wall survives as a a series of very long sandstone cut blocks, which are nicely faced by slightly less finely than the stones of WS_64. The length of the wall and the natural topography cause its founding to vary as it extends from west to east. The western portion of the wall is set directly into cut bedrock, with a visible cut (9018) present from the furthest west exposed point in the trench to the far side of Area B (and underneath Drain 2). Around the area of 9049, a slight increase in the width of 9018 allowed us to uncover that portions of the cut are first filled with basalt stones and use green clay as a bonding agent to hold the blocks in place. In Area C, the lowest courses of 9047 eventually extend over a drop in bedrock. The western part of this drop is filled by an additional, lower course of cut blocks, but roughly halfway across Area C to the east the blocks of 9047 transition to being founded only on fill. This fill, 9064, both underlies and abuts 9047 in this area, showing that both were laid down at the same time. Wall 9047 survives to a height of at most 3 courses, each the same depth. There is a notch cut across the top of the highest course aligned with the western face of 9046. 9047 shares bedrock founation platforms with the walls that make up both sides of Area D. Largest visible block measures 270 x 80 x 34cm.

Marko, Alex