R. Stillwell, Kourion (Theatre) 1954R. Stillwell

Aug. 23The N. Hypocaust shows hardly an traces of fire on outside. N.E angle of chamber was actually plastered. Whole thing late filled with earth, stones, brick frags. and lots of gravel stucco frags. Seems to have been a level .60 below top of E. wall ["d"]. laid with a pale cement floor containing gravel and brick frags. It is in the gap of the N. wall only, and at low level where black charring on stone appears. Suggest that brick opening in rubble S wall is for access, or draft control.

E. pool. Base coat: gravel cement Finish coat: pounded brick - possible wash of light colored cement over this but may be only lime deposit. The angle fillings are made with large beach pebbles. Never more than the original two coats.

Use of well squared blocks in steps, and elsewhere suggests diff of period from N. pool. The pool gives the clear imp. that it was "tacked-on" to the bath.

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Room 35 (over cellar)

W, N, + E sides are all contemp. Built of rough-squared stones, incl a used col. drum in E. wall - and careful limestone chip chinking. all 3 walls. plastered. white gypsum plaster. Only the large blocks along top of N. wall have 4 pieces of tile used for levelling, - a small wedge of tile in N.W. corner at top of wall butts against plaster which runs behind it. The S. wall seems rebuilt. Its back (N) is irregular, to within .50 of W. wall. The S wall is set back, from the face of the rock-cut below for a dist. of 20 cm. This would, if wall now gone were the usual thickness. free the round hole at floor of S. side of room. The whole may go with the earliest period of the bath.

S. + N. walls of Room to W. seem later, the S. wall is not bad. It has probably been rebuilt however. for it makes a sharp break with stones extending from W. wall of 35

Room 33, 34 (N. 3, 4)

33. Floor level .10 below mosaic of Vestibule. This is latest floor. No evid for earlier level. The wall dividing 33 + 34 seems very late - possibly villa period, but probably even later as it has no foundations at S. end, where it curves westward. Mosaic tesserae in 34, near W. side may be debris, but possibly room once had a mosaic floor.