Descriptive Attribute	Value(s)
Architectural or Soil Locus?	Soil
Stage	Stage 5
Phase	XI
Stage Description	Accumulation of an ash deposit underlying the topsoil.
Top (m)	Opening elevation: 900.121 m at north, 880.475 m at south.
Bottom (m)	Closing elevation: 899.256 m at north, 899.556 m at south.
Definition	Ash layer
Phase Description	Phase XI: Further collapse post- CE 5th c., possibly the result of the earthquake of CE 512. Major collapses...
Description	Locus 3 is a fine layer of very dark gray, ash deposit. It post-dates the stage of destruction, as the ash layer (Locus 3) overlies the rubble layer (Locus 4). It underlies a layer of topsoil (Locus 1) which makes it hard to understand how contemporary the period of burning is. Within this ash layer there was a large amount of pottery and a greater variety of artifacts than in any other layer. There was also random concentrations of bone, glass, fluted plaster, as well as capital fragments, including three elephant trunks, and two lamp fragments. The dating that was somewhat determinable between all of these artifacts was mixed and ranged from pre-Byzantine to modern. This is probably caused by of any number of factors — it is possible that this layer is ash tumble from anywhere around the West Exedra, which would explain the diversity in artifacts. There is also some evidence that might lead one to believe that after destruction the area was used as a firing area, possibly a kiln. There was a large concentration of ridged roof tiles found along the west edges of the trench, which may have been used to support a kiln. The column (Locus 2) also seems to have been burned at the same level as the ash layer to the extent that it is scorched and more eroded than the rest of the column. It is possible that the column was used as a firing wall for a kiln. The only other evidence that might suggest repeated firing is the large amount of olive pits found on the east edge of SP 26 throughout the ash layer. It is very unclear if the firing was done in the trench, or whether it is an ash pit, fallen in from above. The most interesting aspect of this layer were the elephant trunks, which had probably fallen from the elephant capital found in Trench 5 at the end of the 1994 season, as well as the fluted plaster found near the wall, which may have ornamented the columns in the Lower Temenos as it seems to in the Upper Temenos. It may be helpful to excavate to the east of SP 26 to better understand where the ash deposit comes from, what was being burned and for what reason.