Report on the soundings carried out in September–October 1958 at EnkomiH. de Contenson

Layer 3 (c): Very abundant pottery of the Iron I intermediate phase: small "wavy lines" bowl with black decoration; jars of "Canaanite" type; basalt bowl; in the S.E. corner; stone loom weight and spindle whorl; trough in sun-dried earth in the N.W. corner.

Layer 2: no pottery.

Layer 1: Abundant pottery of the Iron I final phase: "wavy lines" bowls of standard or evolved type; handle with double roll or figure-of-8 section; jar handle with incised +; jug with cylindrical spout and vertical decoration (Pt 35); bronze point and steatite spindle whorl (Pt 36); stone seal (Pt 37); bone stopper (Pt 38); stone weight and loom weight.

Conclusions - Traces of an occupation of the Middle Bronze III or Late Bronze I in a cavity in the virgin soil. Floor and use layer of the middle of Iron I, with well (C.4). A little later, but still in the same phase, construction of a large architectural complex and installation of considerable furnishings, which will constitute layer 3; then, destruction of this habitation by fire, collapse of the bricks belonging to the upper parts of the walls, and crushing of the pottery "in situ". Around 1100 B.C., a floor is laid over the whole surface of the sounding at 50 cm; at Pt 25, however, as a result of the settling of the underlying rubble, this floor is at a depth of 60 cm; the upper parts of the stone walls of layer 3 are reused; the floor of which one has just spoken remained in use until the abandonment of the town.

During the excavation, it was at first considered to see in the Pt 25 a potter's kiln. This hypothesis was disproved in the course of the work: where a structure was expected, we uncovered a square hall, provided with a door in the S.W. corner; instead of a kilnload of identical vessels, with misfires and firing defects, one found very varied furnishings, with various ceramic forms and tools of all kinds of different materials.