EXCAVATION OF THE SOUTH SUMMIT AREA
Gudmundur Jonsson
During the 2003 season, excavation recommenced in the Summit Area located under the recently-constructed south shelter on the east mound. Excavation had previously been carried out during the seasons of 1996 and 1997 by a Greek team directed by Kostas Kotsakis from the University of Thessaloniki. They began the excavations of Building 10, tentatively assigned to Mellaart’s Level V or later. The aim of the 2003 season was to re-open and to excavate features within Building 10 in order to bring the whole space into a single phase. This was largely successful and a series of platforms, benches and ovens were excavated in order to achieve this. It is intended that excavation will continue during the 2004 season with the aim of understanding the evolution of the spatial configuration of Building 10. The area was also renamed the South Summit Area in order to maintain the spatial designation but to distinguish excavations of 1996–97 and new excavations begun this season.
The aim of bringing the surface of Building 10 into phase was largely met during the 2003 excavation season. Work focused entirely on the domestic space contained within the outer mud¬brick walls of Building 10. The west wall (feature F.104) does not, however, seem to be the actual outer wall of the building. Deposits west of the wall show a continuation of the building in this direction and the relationship between walls F.104 and F.105 (the north wall) is not certain. Similarly there appears to be another building abutting the northwest corner of Building 10. Two smaller walls located east of Building 10 (walls F.132 & F.144) also need further investigation. Kotsakis mentions the possibility that they may define a small lane running along the east side of Building 10. Future research will yield further light on these relationships.
Figure 19. Plan of Building 10.
Figure 20. Features within Building 10, Phase III: 102–105, walls; 1308 & 1309, clay pillars;
1310 & 1315, benches; 1313, oven; 1307, 1312, 1314, 1321 & 1320, platforms;
1317, platform extension; 8004, quartz fragment and worked stone