Report on the 1955 seasonH. de Contenson

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1/ East end of the area excavated in 1955. At the eastern extremity of this industrial zone, one finds near the surface, ashes with archaeological material: spindle whorl of black steatite, decorated with engraved concentric lines (Pt. 73), miniature hand-made vessel, jar with short tubular spout at the base of the vessel, jug with tubular spout short and decorated with painted lines, stirrup-shaped handle (semicircular with an excrescence, degenerate form of the "wishbone" type), bowl with spiral decoration on the base, fine bowl with flaring rim, horizontal handle on the rim of a cup, sherd with stylised birds in black-brown on light buff ground, of Sub-Mycenaean late style, related to the style called Philistine, of Iron I. All this material rests on Floor I, which appears at a depth of 0.60.

At about 0.90 m., a thick layer of ash heralds Floor II, met at 1 m. It contains numerous sherds of the beginning of Iron I: "bucchero", carinated bowls, sherds painted with concentric circles, horizontal handles, cooking pots, as well as a button of stone with double perforation, a conical spindle whorl decorated with pointed semicircles, a stone pestle and a block of red ochre.

On Floor III, at 1.20 m., on which the excavation was stopped, pottery of Late Bronze II-I was recovered: Mycenaean, hand-made pottery, early "milk bowl", bichrome sherd with decoration of metopes and bands black-red-black, as well as rare "red on red" sherds.

2/ Corridors to the West of the area of Pt. 73. In these two adjoining corridors oriented North-South, one can distinguish three main layers.

The upper layer, from the surface to 0.60, contains a mixed materialvery mixed: fragment of glazed pottery of green colour with mouldings, S in relief and handle below the rim, Byzantine or medieval; amphora base with flaring foot, perhaps Hellenistic; but mainly Iron I: fragment of crucible, gourd and bowl with handle in the form of a spur. There was also found a spindle whorl of black steatite, with engraved pointed circles, at 0.50 depth (Pt. 10), a cylinder of grey steatite (Pt. 59), a