The 2007 excavation centred on the north-western area of the hill (“Settore 4”, in correspondence with the area excavated during the 1980s and 1990s by the University of Milan). The trench begun in 2005, which revealed one of the many deposits of pottery and stones characterising the upper levels of the hill, was reopened. The need to clarify the stratigraphic relationships (and therefore chronological and functional relationships) between this deposit and the elements in context with it – in particular the pits adjacent to or below it – led to the excavation of an area of only 5 × 6 m. The same attention was paid to the understanding of the ways in which the numerous objects present, large containers of finely made pottery of Greek production, had been deposited. The present state of knowledge indicates that the area was characterised by two occupation phases and a destruction phase.

Phase one occupation: the pits

The earliest occupation phase appeared to be characterised by a series of pits made at the same time and perfectly circular in shape (diameter between circa 2 and 1.5 m). They were cut into sterile terrain and aligned on an east-west axis, following a defined and functional topographic project. Their shape and careful manufacture, their decreasing size and the clayey nature of the terrain in which they were cut seems to suggest that they were used for the settling and preparation of clay. This working hypothesis is also based on the consideration of the nature of the occupation of the area brought to light in the adjacent “Settore 1”. This was a workshop area contemporary with this phase, dating to the final moment of the Enotrian occupation at Incoronata (first half of the 7th century B.C., characterised by the presence of both Greek and indigenous elements), as was shown by the excavation of “Settore 1” (2005 and 2006 campaigns).

Phase two occupation: the deposit

At a subsequent time, and probably not too distant from the moment when the pits were obliterated, a large deposit of mainly Greek pottery was formed. This filled a large rectangular cavity which cut both the sterile terrain and the pits below. The deposit was created during the course of the third quarter of the 7th century B.C., the period which corresponds to the final occupation phase on the hill. The absolute chronology was provided by the presence of a late Proto-Corinthian kotyle. The pottery recovered, in contrast to that found within the pits, was very well preserved: many of the vases could be completely reconstructed, whilst others had clearly been deposited intact. Moreover, the excavation demonstrated the impossibility of identifying any type of construction (an “oikos” according to the interpretation of the excavators from Milan University in these deposits of pottery mixed with stones. Neither could it be shown that the deposit had any relationship – functional or chronological – with the adjacent or below pits. On the contrary, what emerged very clearly was that the pottery and stones were deposited through progressive activity in the subsequent manner:

a) a deeper deposition of fine, painted, thin walled ware vases, locally produced, mainly belonging to one (or more) services for libations, (cups, drinking vessels, oinochoai, stamnoi). These vases were extremely well preserved: some were still intact, others had been purposely broken;

b) this level was covered by large irregular stones, sherds from the bodies and necks of large containers: Corinthian, Attic and eastern Greek amphorae, pithoi, louteria. These containers – all forms for holding liquids – often appeared to have been deliberately placed in a position which protected the smaller delicate vases below, so much so that the latter were preserved intact. This type of deposition is extremely coherent with the ritual pottery depositions commonly found on Mediterranean cult sites of the Archaic period. The form of their deposition thus provided a precise indication of the probable function of these deposits.