This excavation was undertaken in the area next to the central part of the defences where, beside the west gate, house K had been obliterated by the huge earthworks abutting the walls. The house had stone footings and walls of unbaked bricks, plastered with lime and painted white and red. The construction of the central part of the defences in the mid to second half of the 3rd century B.C. caused the sacrifice of many pre-existing houses, that were either completely razed to the ground or had only their walls demolished and were then covered with a deep layer of dumped earth and stones. In the so-called "area HI" (800sq.m) situated in the centre of the plateau between the rectilinear inner wall and the acropolis wall, the extension of the city's first phase was investigated. This provided more comprehensive data regarding house M (11.07 x 23.04m), which was composed of an elongated courtyard with 4 rooms opening onto it. In the same sector a well came to light, situated between houses IH and J. It had a circular well-head (diam. 0.70m), surrounded by limestone and sandstone slabs. The well's presence may have conditioned the positioning of the nearby "House of the Molds", which needed water for the manufacturing activity which took place there. Following the abandonment of this house, during the 3rd century B.C. the well began to fill with demolition debris but remained in use for at least the duration of the 2nd century B.C., until the moment when the "lower city" was abandoned and life became concentrated on the upper terrace of the plateau (acropolis or arx), circa 150m away. That the well was still in use is attested by numerous fragments of common ware jugs found among the fallen stones inside it. Also present were fragments of black glaze forms, including a cup (Morel 2324), dating to around 150-50B.C. (Maria Luisa Nava)

Building R, situated between the "House of the Monolith" and the "House of the Moulds", has been excavated and four phases identified dating to between the end of the 4th century B.C. and the first half of the 3rd century B.C. The original nucleus covered a small area of circa 100 sq.m and was composed of two separate rectangular rooms, with a front portico. In phase 2 the area doubles (196 sq.m) and becomes more structured (18.50 x 10.60m). At the centre of the complex is a long courtyard, with symetrically placed rooms on the sides: two on the east (the original rooms) and two on the west of smaller dimensions. Three of the rooms opened onto the courtyard, the fourth maintained its access to the street. The main entrance was preceded by an internal prothyron (porch). One of the rooms was used for food storeage as attested by the presence of 6 large pithoi placed along the walls. In phase 3 a basalt paved ramp was added to the prothyron and the space infront of it, to provide easier access. Phase 4 saw the addition of the last room to the complex. It had an independent entrance on the west side and contained numerous pithoi aligned along the walls and in the centre. The bases of two pithoi were lined with lead. In the destruction layer which was composed of mainly mud brick and tiles, there were evident traces of a fire. Nails and an iron key were found within this layer. The initial estimate of the capacity of the pithoi of somewhere between 300-500 litres each indicates a storeage capacity of between 6.000-10.000 litres. Such a quantity suggests that this structure had a commercial as well as residential function. (Maria Luisa Nava)

The excavation of structure R has been completed confirming its function as a granary and workshop. In several rooms carbonized grains of barley, spelt and legumes (broadbean, bean, lupin) were found on the floor, inside pithoi and beneath the fragments of a Punic amphora (Maña B2). The large room 6, which opened onto a road via a basalt paved ramp, was almost entirely occupied by an oval kiln for pottery and brick production (max. diam. 3m), which was not part of the building's original layout. Silver frazioni from Thourioi and Metaponto provide a terminus post quem of the end of the 4th century - beginning of the 3rd century B.C. The adjacent building P is rectangular (10.70 x 7.85m) with a partly porticoed front and faces a basalt paved courtyard. It is arranged around a central, square room which is attatched to the back wall of the complex, whilst the other sides are surrounded by an open space. The plan recalls that of sacellae which stand within an enclosure or are divided into three sections (but without a podium). The finds confirm the religious nature of the site. In the central cella a small silver statue of a standing woman holding a patera in her left hand was found. Rods from thymiateria and terracotta female figurines, mainly seated, were found in the courtyard. Along the north wall of the temenos arms, spearheads, belts and two breast plates were found. Nail holes in the wall show that these objects were once hung upon it. The destruction of building P must have occurred during the Second Punic War, as attested by the Roman coins (amongst which a "vittoriato") found lying directly on the pavement. Considering the link between the two buildings, even though P seems later than R, it is likely that the storeroom belonged to the sanctuary and that an earlier phase of the cult exists which has still to be excavated. (Maria Luisa Nava)