Two campaigns took place in 2018, the first in room 11 in Area IV and the second in Area V. The aim was to conclude the investigation of the so-called Baths of Elagabalus (Area IV) and to continue the research, begun in 2017, at the eastern foot of the north-eastern slope of the Palatine hill (Area V).

In Area IV, a deep proto-historic deposit was investigated, which had been identified and partially excavated during previous years (rooms 10, 12) and preserved in direct contact with the modern fill. The geological substratum of yellow silt was reached across the entire excavated area, at 26.50 m a.s.l (not original) to the north and 27.50 m to the south. The deposit, dating to the early Iron Age developing between the early Latium IIA (c. 925-875 B.C.) and III phase (8th century B.C.), was preserved to a maximum thickness of c. 1.50 m. The evidence, although patchy, confirmed the picture already formed thanks to the excavation of room 10: settlement on this area of the Palatine slope, from the beginning of the Iron Age, was confirmed by a series of low terraces running both south and west, with differences of height of c. 0.30-0.50 m, on which dwelling structures were situated. The system of terraces and the associated huts, rebuilt several times on top of themselves, gradually moved towards the north, probably as a consequence of the equally gradual filling up of the small valley separating the Palatine from the Velian hill, with the consequent extension (and reorganisation) of the settlement area.

The obliteration of each building phase was marked by the excavation of large oval or sub-circular pits dug to reach the base geological deposits of silt, used for making plaster and other structural elements, and then filled with dumps of stones, plaster and pottery belonging to the old structures. The excavations in area V saw the initial use of mechanical means to clear down to below the latest levels, which revealed a series of construction activities in the area during the modern era. These were characterised by the presence of numerous pits mainly filled with building rubble and various other materials (both ancient and modern), dug into layers that were essentially constituted by building materials. At the end of the excavations, a photogrammetric survey was undertaken for use in the creation of 3D models and a series of orthophotos of the identified structures were made using Agisoft Photoscan software.