1.1. Observations from the excavation

5Following mechanical stripping, which unearthed the pre-pottery grey spots of the building (St 800) and pit St 801 located less than two metres northwest of the former, the first manual excavation (fig. 6-3, A-B) yielded a series of important observations.

Fig. 6-3 – Views from the south to the north (except A: from the east) of some of the successive passes of B800 and its fireplace (St 801; top left): A, B, During and after the first stripping; C, After the second pass; D, After the sixth pass, i.e., just before the excavation of the many structures dug into the rocky floor.

6The outline of St 800 (= B800) was nearly completely preserved and described an almost perfect circle of 6 m in diameter, cut into the beige carbonated colluvial substratum, at least in the northern half. A foundation trench for the peripheral earth wall was already visible at the limit of the southwest quadrant of the circle.

7However, in the same way as for the Central Sector’s Communal building (chap. 5), the erosion of the slope levelled out the upper part of this structure, removing the external circulation level and the fills and floor of the southern half of the building. There, it stopped on the vertical Lefkara limestone rocky benches, intermittently covered with what must have been the remains of an embankment intended to level out the south half of the floor to the same level as the north one.

8Another important observation was that the fills in the north half presented a series of more or less coalescent peripheral spots of light-brown or reddish sediments (fig. 6-3, A). These possibly represent pits posterior to the primary fillings, similar to the Sotira excavations observed near the northern limit of the Communal building (chap. 5). This impression was backed up by the presence of abundant diverse-coloured spots on the substratum of the southern half of the building. These pits were too large for pits dug into a pre-pottery building floor during occupation. The abundance of Sotira excavations within the building was confirmed by successive excavations, which revealed abundant large rounded depressions dug into the building floor (fig. 6-3, C-D), and by the regular presence of small quantities of Archaic or more frequently Sotira pottery sherds in many structures and stratigraphic units (SU 800.1, 800.2, 800.7, 800.12), and also by some six caprine, cattle and fallow deer remains (chap. 4). These animal species were introduced to Cyprus later than the PPNA (SU 800.8; appendix 6-3).

Fig. 6-4 – North-south profile of building 800 along its largest diameter, eastern view.

1.2. Observations from the north-south profile

9The north-south profile of building 800 brings to light the general structure as well as the original constructions and the different phases of infilling.

1.2.3. Final fills of the building terrace and reworking by later digging

14The fills were 30–40-cm-thick at the most (fig. 6-5). They were rich in lithic material and, in some places, in faunal remains and ornaments (SU 800.4, 800.8 and 800.2). The stratigraphic unit (SU 800.1) overlying these fills and the products from the peripheral dismantling of the structure appeared to be a colluvium rather than a late filling deposit.

15This sedimentary series was intersected by a vast pit (St 845 = SU 800.7) cutting into the initial floor of the building. Several depressions visible in the fill indicated that the latter, also rich in PPNA material, was dug out progressively. At least seven small, often atypical Neolithic sherds point towards Sotira digging, comparable to that observed in the northern half of St 10 (St 90 and 91; chap. 5). All this was covered by the topsoil, in continuity with ancient or more recent structures (St 836).

Fig. 6-5 – North-south profile of the base of building 800 (top) along its largest diameter, and profile following the same axis of the sedimentary infill in the northern half.

2.1. General overview

16The detailed and careful excavation of the deep part of building 800 (fig. 6-6) revealed about 100 structures, including nine foundation trenches, two hearths, 35 pits (five of which date to the Neolithic period with pottery and two others dated to historical periods) and 45 stake, pole or post holes, of which only one was definitely not PPNA (fig. 6-7; see also the 3D photogrammetry in appendix 6-5). These features have been divided into seven typo-functional groups: the peripheral foundation trench; the central and the large peripheral posts; the north-eastern complex, which can be considered as the layout of an entrance; the small foundation trenches inside the building, and the posts and features associated with them; the ground and its ditch features; fire structures, including the external hearth pit St 801; and the deposits of remarkable objects.

Fig. 6-6 – Sub-nadiral views of building B800 at the end of the 2015 season, seen from south to north (A) and from north to south (B). Northwest of the building is hearth pit St 801. To the east, appears the outline of buildings 906 and 904.

Fig. 6-7 – Plan of the structures studied in building 800 and its immediate vicinity.

2.2. The peripheral foundation trench

17The entire peripheral foundation trench was excavated. It is divided into three sections (fig. 6-8):

• From the western post hole St 880 to the northeast, a large regular arched trench (St 838) continuously bordered almost half of the circular structure. This portion of the foundation trench was filled with compact, light-grey, well-sorted building earth corresponding to the base of the wall (see also fig. 6-5). This architectural remnant included several deposits of remarkable objects in places (cf. below and chap. 13). Removal of this fill exposed a very hard, sub-horizontal carbonated pedological concretion, 3 to 8 cm thick, almost everywhere. It contained flints and carbonised plant debris and lay on a decarbonated sediment marking the contact zone of the building soil with the bedrock. After complete removal of this sediment, the overall profile of the excavation appeared highly asymmetrical (fig. 6-5).
•  To the southwest, beyond post hole St 866 and disturbance St 894 resulting from its removal (cf. infra), the foundation trench (St 802) extends for a little more than 2 m, arching regularly in a south-eastern direction (St 802). The erosion of the slope reduced its apparent thickness from 20 to 12 cm from the northwest to the southeast. Its filling was composed of a rather loose fine grey silt, containing some granules of building soil. It appears to derive from the bioturbation of a primitive fill, which may have been building earth, comparable to that of St 838. The south-eastern termination of this section of the foundation trench was not the result of erosion but was more clearly interrupted.
• To the east and south, the foundation trench was extended by a 5-m-long section (St 814), with a less regular contour and a reduced depth, interrupted by three large post holes. The remains of the wall had been replaced by a fine, grey-brown, poorly consolidated silt, containing rolled fragments of havara. This material is probably the result of intense bioturbation of the building earth from the peripheral wall base. The south-western end of St 814 was too eroded to determine whether it was taphonomically altered or not. At this point, it was only 10 cm deeper than the northern trench, which clearly shows that the building was almost horizontal.

18The excavation of the oval depression (35 x 68 cm) St 811 (squares G-H/8; fig. 6-7 and 6-8), located in the extension of the south-eastern portion of trench St 814, evidenced that it was not an extension of this third section of the peripheral trench but the shallow base (15 cm) of a possibly much deeper pit. Its brown-grey silty sediment, probably also bioturbated, yielded a few flints, a fragment of handstone and three shells, including a tusk shell.

Fig. 6-8 – Plan of the perimeter foundation trenches and associated post holes, as well as the small internal foundation trenches. The central bistre-coloured area shows the remains of the plastered floor. The dotted circle and central cross are an attempt at modelling the building’s geometrical shape.

19Many observations point to the presence of a building earth wall around the southern half of the building, interrupted by a door. Firstly, why dig a foundation trench if it is not for building a wall? Furthermore, the foundation trench depth of c. 10 cm is identical to that of the northern arch. Although it was much more bioturbated, due to its proximity to the ground surface, the material that filled the southern half should have been similar to the wall base characterised in the north. Moreover, even in the northern section, the building earth of the wall was only preserved in its deepest part (fig. 6-5). Besides, if the wall had been levelled as soon as the building was abandoned, the edges of the trench excavation would have collapsed towards the interior of the digging. The perfect persistence of the original sub--vertical profile proves that the wall was still intact and robust at the time of the demolition and filling. It could only be detected from a certain depth, close to the floor of the building, as the highest part of the wall had undergone pedological evolution and bioturbations (roots, enchitreids). These processes transformed the building earth into a loose fine grey sandy-silt, similar to the material filling trenches St 802 and St 814.

20However, this does not mean that the south wall was similar to the north one. The presence of a 2-m-wide door and 10 external post holes close to this wall suggest a specific architectural structure not found in the north half.

2.3. The central and peripheral southern posts

21Analyses of the dimensions of the 44 stake, pole or post holes listed within and in the vicinity of B800 point to a large diversity of post diameters (7 to 35 cm), sections and depths (4 to 75 cm; fig. 6-9). Given that the actual wood sections were 4–10 cm smaller than their respective holes, two categories can be distinguished according to their cross-sections: poles and posts, above 15–18 cm (more than 500 cm²), which might have been used in the building architecture, and stakes, between 2 and 10 cm (and less than 250 cm²), which were probably internal elements. The former namely comprised the central post (St 871) and 10 posts located in the southern half of the building.

Fig. 6-9 – Cross-sectional (length x width) and depth analysis of the 44 stake, pole and post holes found in building B800. The dimensions in brackets under the cross-sectional surfaces are estimates of the actual wood section. The labels of the dots are the hole numbers also visible on the plans of fig. 6-7 and 6-8.

Fig. 6-10 – Central post hole (St 871) after the removal of the overlying, rather loose sediment comprised in the large and shallow pit St 895 and before excavating the fill of the hole. On the left, two small limestone plates and a block could correspond to the removed remains of the wedging system dismantled following the extraction of the central post for reuse.

2.3.2. Post holes in the southern half

23The nine large post holes (diameter between 20 and 35 cm; fig. 6-9) of the B800 southern arc (fig. 6-8) were partly implanted in the foundation trench (N = 5) and partly around it (N = 4; 20 to 80 cm). Three of the posts in the foundation trench arc were relatively closely paired with a post in the external arc, especially at the eastern and western termination of the system. One additional significantly smaller post hole (St 914) against the inner wall of the building may have been part of the internal post arc. From west to east, the nine main post holes were as follows (fig. 6.8):

• St 880 (square D5), in foundation trench St 838: 20 cm deep post hole with a diameter of 18–20 cm, associated with a wedge stone (fig. 6-11). The fill was made up of dismantled raw earth and centimetric limestones.
• St 815, 866 and 894 (square D5). Located at the edge of the building’s foundation trench, to the east, under a wedge stone shared with post hole 880 (fig. 6-12, A); this complex was composed of a flared post hole, 35 cm deep and 20 cm in diameter, with an ochre-rich fill (St 866, fig. 6-12, B and C). It was associated with an elongated notch oriented to the southeast (St 894), filled with bioturbated silt (fig. 6-12, B and D) and overlain by building earth (St 815), probably derived from the deterioration of the peripheral wall (St 838). This layout probably results from the removal of the post for re-use.
• St 813 and St 810 (D6/7, E8): post holes located 80 cm outside the foundation trench and 1.80 m from each other. They were very similar to each other, although St 813 was more eroded and bioturbated than St 810 (appendix 6-4). They were cut into the chalky Lefkara limestone. Their edges still bore traces of the tools used to excavate them. The respective depths of these post holes were 18 and 23 cm. They were filled with brown bioturbated silt, with small blocks of limestone and a few rare flint fragments. A pinkish-grey carbonate crust covered the stones. Both holes show an inverted cone profile. The minimum diameter was estimated to be between 22 and 25 cm for the former, and between 25 and 29 cm for the latter.
• St 912 (I7; fig. 6-13, A): a highly eroded post hole with a very bioturbated silty fill, located in the south-eastern foundation trench (St 814). Estimated diameter c. 28–30 cm. An elongated depression adjoined it to the southeast, suggesting that the post had been pulled out for reuse.
• St 891 (I7; fig. 6-13, A), located 25 cm southeast of the foundation trench and post hole St 912; this hole, still 23 cm deep despite erosion, corresponds to a post with a diameter of 20 to 25 cm.

• St 896 and 816 (I6; fig. 6-13, B). These two post holes were paired and shared the same wedge stone. Both were large in diameter (28–30 cm) and one was in the foundation trench, while the other was outside it, against the perimeter wall of the building. They were at approximately the same depth (about 20 cm). The post hole in the foundation trench was sunk 7 cm below the base of the foundation. They were both filled with a fine, grey-brown, compact silt with some flints.

• Structure 913 (I5; appendix 6-4). Post hole 31 cm deep, set in foundation trench St 814, east of the building. The fill was composed of sandy-silt and pebbles. The section of the post was estimated at 18 cm.
• This system of two arches composed of strong posts, perhaps strengthened by the three robust posts of the east partition wall (see below), could have played two different and non-exclusive roles:
• Supporting the walls and the roof in a part of the building where, given the slope on which it was built, the elevation was at a maximum (between 160 and 180 cm). The absence of such a system in the northern half could be explained by the fact that the mud wall there only protruded 80 to 100 cm from the ground (cf. the slope in fig. 6-5) and could ensure an architectural function without the addition of wooden reinforcement;
• Supporting a roof overhang to protect this wall (and a probable opening in it) from prevailing rain and wind, usually from the S-SW.

Fig. 6-11 – Profile of post hole St 880, with stone wedging and remarkable deposits (bottom left).

Coupe du trou de poteau St 880, avec calage de pierres et dépôts remarquables (en bas à gauche). Cliché P. Mylona, MNHN.

Fig. 6-12 – Post hole St 866 and associated structure: views from the south (A) and from above (B); profile and plan (C).

Fig. 6-13 – A, Post hole St 912 (top left) adjoining an elongated depression interpreted as traces of post removal. To the right is the not yet excavated post hole St 891. B, Paired post holes St 896 (right) and 816, with their shared wedge stone.

2.4. The northeast area: a complex and multiphase entrance system?

24The northeast quarter of building 800 was characterised by an irregular circular design of the building (fig. 6-8) and by a high density of building earth features, stake holes and deposits of remarkable objects (see below: 2.7.), which we interpreted as the remains of an entrance. This complex consists of the following elements (fig. 6-7 and 6-14; appendix 6-4):

• A significant thickening of foundation trench St 838, filled with very dense building earth, with an additional width of 30 to 50 cm in this area;
• A large mass of building earth (St 890), serving both as a peripheral wall and as anchoring for the eastern partition of B800;
• The extension of a spot of clayey-silt for about 40 cm towards the centre of the building (SU 800.24 and SU 800.29, not shown in fig. 6-7; see however fig. 6-3, D) in continuity with the eastern part of this thickening. This formation covered the plastered floor of the building as well as hearth floor St 911 and the pit with remarkable deposits St 888. It can be interpreted as the remains of an earthen ramp or step for going from the external circulation level down to the building floor;
• A slightly arched oblong depression (St 898; figs 6-7 and 6-14), 55 cm long, 25 cm wide and 6 cm deep, filled with a light-grey, homogeneous and highly carbonated sediment. Beyond this depression, towards the northeast, the plaster covering the floor of the building in the central space disappears;
• A sub-rectangular area, 80 cm E-W by 40 cm N-S (St 911; H/3-4; fig. 6-15, A-B). It is composed of a compacted -pinkish-brown clayey-silt, with a bedded structure rich in small charcoals, resting on a fine compact sandy-silt. It can therefore be interpreted as a hearth slab;
• Two small and shallow pits (St 888 and 899, fig. 6-15, C), containing a large flint blade and four and three macro-tool elements respectively; they were concealed on the one hand by hearth floor St 911 and a layer of building earth (SU 800.29), which covered the latter (St 888), and on the other hand by the fill of oblong depression St 898;
• A set of 14 stake holes with homogeneous diameters (fig. 6-14), ranging from 7 to 15 cm:
• To the northwest, five stake holes (paired holes St 836-869, fig. 6-16, and holes St 879, 926 and 927) could be linked to the north-western bench of the building (see below), rather than to the features under discussion here; unless they were common to both features. In any case, they seem to mark the northern limit of the entrance, in continuity with the north-western bench;
• To the southeast, two post holes (St 915 and 934) flanked the hearth floor St 911 to the east and south. In the centre, an isolated post (St 932) and three twin posts with similar southwest/northeast orientations (St 864-897, St 865-876 and St 918-922; figs 6-15, C) delimited the north area of the hearth floor and its built-up cover (SU 800.29). These features are clog shaped, indicating that they were dug in one go, but were deeper on one side than on the other. After the two stakes had been driven in, the hole was stabilised with wedging elements or, more often, with building soil packed into the interstices, giving the feature its “8” shape.

25The whole post hole structure is difficult to interpret, perhaps because the structures observed belonged to several successive states of use and repair. It is however certain that in the final state, some of the pits and the hearth floor were hidden, and could therefore correspond to foundation deposits. If this was indeed an entrance, the passage could have been on SU 800.29, which hid hearth floor 911 and served as a step. In this case, the small posts located to the north could have propped up a sort of canopy sheltering the northern bench seat from direct contact with the exterior.

Fig. 6-14 – Sub-nadiral view of the north-eastern entrance area of B800. North is towards the top. For the scale, see fig. 6-7.

Fig. 6-15 – Nadiral view (A) and profile (B) of the hearth slab found under the north-eastern B800 entrance system. C, the three pairs of post holes of the entrance structure, St 918-922, 865-876 et 864-897; to the south, the hidden pit St 888; to the north, the southern extremity of the oblong depression St 898.

Fig. 6-16 – St 837 and 869, paired stake holes in the northeast sector, with wedging made up of a large conical core (between the two pegs) and a large flint flake.

2.5. Small foundation trenches in the building and associated installations

26Apart from the peripheral foundation trench, we found four other smaller trenches of different kinds in the building, all associated with varying numbers of post holes or pits (fig. 6-17): a north curvilinear narrow trench (St 919), a western straight narrow trench (St 860), a south shallow curved trench (St 857, and an eastern curvilinear shallow trench (St 853-890, St 882).

• The north curvilinear trench St 919, 3.60 m long and about 10 cm deep (fig. 6-18), was dug into the plastered floor of the building, which itself rested directly on the levelled havara. It was entrenched to the west against the foundation trench of the perimeter wall and ended in the north near the entrance structure, masked by three small pits. Thus, together with the perimeter wall, it delimited a crescent-shaped space to the north, with a maximum width of 60 cm, which was too small to be a circulation area. This circumscribed area had already been identified during the first stripping of the building’s floor, due to the exceptional state of preservation of the floor plaster (named here St 862). Five small stake holes (10–15 cm in diameter) and lightly implanted (5–10 cm) stakes lined this trench, two to the north, 70 cm apart (St 920 and 924), three to the south (St 925, St 921 and St 879, the latter being larger and already mentioned as possibly being connected to the entrance feature). The three southern stakes were evenly spaced at 1 m intervals. The easternmost pole was also located 1 m from the perimeter wall. The two rows of stakes were wedged (fig. 6-19). They may have held up planks or slabs intended to delimit the structure, behind which an accumulation of earth would have served as a bench.
• The western rectilinear trench (St 860) was 2.4 m long and about 15 cm wide (fig. 6-20; see more detail in appendix 6-4). It was also dug into the havara. It was entrenched against the eastern perimeter wall, where it was connected to the northern trench by a shallow channel filled with raw earth, which extended for 50 cm against the perimeter wall. A medium-sized (20–22 cm) but deeply implanted (30 cm) post (St 885) delimited it to the west, close to the complex of large western posts of the perimeter wall, St 866-880. Eight less firmly implanted (12 to 20 cm) stake holes with standardised sections, between 12 and 17 cm large (fig. 6-17), were grouped around the trench. The arrangement was much less regular than for the northern trench. Three of them (St 829, 868, 867), only 40 cm apart from each other, adjoined it to the south, whereas only one was found in the same situation as the north (St 916). Four other stakes, two of which were paired (St 870, 832, 830-831; fig. 6-21), delineated an irregular quadrilateral away from and to the northwest of the trench. It is difficult to say whether or not these features are related to each other.

Fig. 6-17 – Plan of the internal trenches and associated fittings of building 800.

Fig. 6-18 – Trench St 919 in sub-nadiral view. To the south, the northern B800 foundation trench. To the north, the three large Neolithic pottery pits (St 845, 847 and 841).

Fig. 6-19 – Stake holes 920 and 921 staggered on either side of trench St 919.

Fig. 6-20 – Western trench and the surrounding stake holes and pits.

Fig. 6-21 – St 830 and 831, paired stake holes, north of the rectilinear foundation trench St 860.

27Due to the absence of larger post holes in the trench itself, as well as the shallow depth of the latter, as for trench St 919, and the layout of the adjacent stakes, we interpret this feature as a bench boundary. It was longer than the northern one, since the distance between the peripheral wall and the eastern end of St 860 reached 1.5 m.

• The southernmost shallow trench St 857 (fig. 6-22) was shorter and deeper (15 cm) than trenches St 919 and St 860. There were no associated stake holes. Its filling of slightly compacted fine grey silt is reminiscent of that of the southern portions of the peripheral trench, and could have resulted from the bioturbation of a raw earth wall. This hypothesis was corroborated by the presence of a remarkable deposit (ISO-F22), an anthropomorphic limestone figurine and a spherical striker; cf. infra. It was not directly connected to the peripheral wall, or to the other trenches. The trench partially obstructed the opening created by the southern interruption of the peripheral foundation trench, from which it was separated to the east by an 80-cm-wide corridor (fig. 6-17). Given the alignment of this very eroded trench with the large post St 872, as well as its depth and width, which were greater than those of the limits of benches St 860 and 920, it appears to be the foundation trench of a building earth partition wall.
•  The eastern curvilinear trench (St 853-890, St 882; fig. 6-23) extended for nearly 3 m, between the entrance system, with which it merged into a massive block of building earth, and the north-south meridian of the building. It curved parallel to small ditch St 898, on the other side of the entrance, and could therefore have formed part of the entrance corridor. It consisted of two segments, each 15–20 cm deep, interrupted by post hole St 884, which is one of the largest in the building (at least 30 cm in diameter). Both of these segments differ from the three trenches described above as they are wider (25–35 cm). The western section (St 882) was wide (35 cm) and shallow (14 cm), filled with a heterogeneous sediment consisting of building soil clods, limestone concretions and fine grey silt. There were also flint flakes and tools, macro-tools and a fragment of an arrowhead. This appears to be the foundation of a highly eroded and largely bioturbated mud wall. The eastern section (St 853-890) was 1.5 m long, with the 15 cm post hole St 883 at its centre. Its width increased from 25 cm in the south to almost 50 cm in the north. This northern widening corresponded to the splitting of the ditch into two partly coalescing gullies, St 890 to the west and St 853 to the east. The fill was composed of a brown, not very compact (and therefore strongly bioturbated) silt, becoming the raw earth of SU 800.26 in the north.

Fig. 6-22 – Southern trench St 857, still unexcavated (carbonate cover) and interrupted by the Sotira silo St 858.

Fig. 6-23 – View of the northern end of trench St 853-890. Note the parallelism with St 898, located on the other side of the northeast entrance of the building.

28The presence of two large posts along the line of this ditch, the absence of posts on either side and its significantly greater width than that of trenches St 919 and 860, tend to suggest that this trench was a base for a building earth partition, rather than a bench boundary.

• Hole St 872 (fig. 6-24), which corresponds to a large (30 cm diameter) and firmly entrenched (33 cm) post, was undoubtedly linked to this set of features. It is located in the immediate vicinity of post St 884 (fig. 6-17), part of the eastern partition, and at the virtual point of intersection of the southern and eastern partitions. It establishes a continuity between these two elements, which thus appear to delimit, together with the south-eastern peripheral wall of the building, an interior space of 80 to 100 cm wide, opening to the outside through the southern interruption of the peripheral wall.

Fig. 6-24 – Nadiral view of post hole 872 before excavation, showing the wedge stones and the pit made by pulling out the post (St 893) to the west.

2.6. The floor and its ditched features

29On a large northern half of the building, the floor appears as a thin layer of very compact plaster (SU 800.13) strongly adhering to the underlying havara (SU 800.18), often covered with a very adherent carbonate concretion (kafkallah). The surface of this floor was cut by three reversed micro-faults with a rejection of 1–3 cm, oriented WSW-ENE (fig. 6-7 and 6-25), after the abandonment and filling in of the structure. Apart from these tectonic changes, we can conclude that the initial surface was perfectly horizontal.

Fig. 6-25 – View of the B800 floor from ENE towards WSW.

30The platform formed in this way extended 3.80 m southwards from the north wall to the edge of the present erosion limit (fig. 6-5). Beyond this limit, layers of crushed havara appear, presumably corresponding to an embankment. The latter is so dismantled that, if it had also been covered with floor plaster, it would probably have disappeared. It is therefore impossible to confirm that the plastered floor extended south to the erosion limit. It is possible that the floor beyond trenches 860 and 853-890/882 was not treated as carefully as in the northern area.

31In addition to at least six Sotira and two Archaic pits (fig. 6-7), 10 small pits with no apparent association with the benches or partitions cut into the building floor. Most of them were located around the central post hole and hidden by the floor plaster.

• Pit St 835 (square F5; fig. 6-26) adjoined the hearth slab on its western edge. Delineated in 2014, this oval pit (59 x 45 cm) was fairly deep (35 cm) and narrowed rapidly (30 x 15 cm) to a slightly bilobed shape. It was filled in two stages: the deep part (SU 835.2) was a fine grey silt with carbonate concretions, containing a remarkable flint blade, numerous granules and ochre powder, as well as a total of 14 tusk shells. The final, sterile fill was composed of a grey silt very rich in building earth and calcareous aggregates. It was not hidden by the floor plaster. It may also have been connected to the use of the hearth slab.
• Pit St 848 was located 30 cm northwest of the central post (square F4; fig. 6-27, A). This small oval pit, 40 x 50 cm, 25 cm deep and filled with a fine grey silt containing a few stones and flints, contained three shallow circular depressions with diameters between 12 and 15 cm. At least two of these (St 908 and 909) can be interpreted as the base of stake holes with diameters between 12 and 17 cm. The function of this device is enigmatic.
• Pit St 851 (H4; appendix 6-4) was located 10 cm from the western boundary of the eastern partition. It was a small shallow (12 cm) depression measuring 25 x 22 cm, dug into the built-up earth soils 800.30 and 800.23, which were part of the building earth mass buttressing the partition in this sector. It also cut into the rocky soil of SU 800.18. The loamy, loosely compacted fill of the pit contained abundant carbonate concretions as well as spherical flint stones, flakes and blades.
• Pit St 861 (squares FG/4; 30 x 36 cm; fig. 6-27, B; appendix 6-4) was located 15 cm east of the previous one, and 25 cm north of the central post. It was filled with three large and three small stones protruding 5 to 8 cm from the surface of the ground, sealed by a layer of pedological carbonate concretions. Under this fill, probably dating from the abandonment of the building, two small pits (St 929 and 930; fig. 6-27 C) emerged, about 15 cm in diameter and 14 and 12 cm deep, respectively. The first contained a flint, the second a flint, a macro-tool and an animal bone fragment.
• St 875 (H/6-7; fig. 6-28) was an ochre deposit located near the virtual confluence of the east and south curvilinear ditches. It was associated with two small nested depressions (St 892 and 893), intersected in the north by post hole St 872.
• Pits St 898 and 899 (square H3, fig. 6-29) were two oblong, almost confluent pits, extending over a little more than a metre from north to south, containing a number of remarkable lithic pieces. They were located beneath demolition layer SU 800.28 which adhered to the building floor.
• Pit St 928 (square G4; fig. 6-27, C) was a circular depression 18 cm in diameter, 10 cm deep, filled with concretions. It seems to have been concealed by the floor plaster. Charred plant remains were found in the concretion, including several pistachio seeds and one cereal seed. It is possible that this pit was part of the same structure as those in St 861.
• Pit St 933 (square G5; fig. 6-30) was also located near the central post, this time 30 cm to the east. Quadrangular in shape (30 x 50 cm), 13 cm deep, it was hidden by the floor plaster. The northern margin of the pit was destroyed when the central post was pulled out. It therefore dates from after the time the building was abandoned. It was filled with a poorly consolidated grey silt, containing a few flint fragments, a possible animal bone and several tusk shells. It was clearly a pit with remarkable deposits, sealed under the floor of the building.
• Pit St 935 (square H5; 46 x 50 cm; appendix 6-4) lies 30 cm east of hearth slab 889, at the foot of eastern partition St 882. It was 30 cm deep and was dug into the havara. It was not hidden by the floor plaster. It was filled with a fine grey silt, containing charcoal and some flints. The function of this pit may be related to the use of the hearth slab.

Fig. 6-26 – Sub-nadiral views of pit St 835 before (A) and after (B) excavation, and profile (C).

Fig. 6-27 – Sub-nadiral views of: A, pit St 848 and its two stake holes (908-909); B, pit St 861 before the removal of the stones obstructing it; C, depressions 928, 929 and 930 after excavation.

Fig. 6-28 – Planimetric drawing and section of pits St 892 and 893, intersected by post hole St 872, near the ochre deposit St 875.

Fig. 6-29 – Pits St 898 and 899, dug into the B800 floor, with a number of lithics on the surface.

Fig. 6-30 – Sub-nadiral view of concealed pit St 933 after removal of the plaster.

2.7. External and internal fire-related features

32Aside from the southern post holes described above, the only unquestionably PPN feature found outside the building was pit hearth St 801 (fig. 6-3, 6-6, A and 6-31), located less than two metres northwest of the limit of B800. To the northeast, it was accompanied by the smaller pit St 843, 0.90 m in diameter and 0.25 m deep in the centre, also filled with grey silt. Combustion in this structure resulted in rubefaction of the walls. The fill consisted of fine, homogeneous, grey silt, including several flints and stones of about 10 cm. Two spondylus were also found. Below this, a fine and granular grey-blue silt appeared (SU 801.4), containing a burnt pebble on the western edge, a quern fragment in the east and a picrolite bead in the centre. The base was filled with reddish-brown silt, corresponding to rubefaction due to combustion. This pit was very similar to the ones found in the southeast zone of the Central Sector (chap. 8) and in almost all the buildings of Sector B (chap. 7). It differs from the latter in that it is located outside the building.

33There was no hearth pit in building B800. Conversely, a roughly quadrangular, flat and slightly reddened surface (St 889, squares F-G/5; fig. 6-6, A, 6-7 and 6-32) could be interpreted as a fire plate that might have been heated by hot stones heated in the external fire pit. It was located near the north-south axis of the building, but 80 cm south of the east-west axis. This location is slightly offset compared to the central post and the geometric centre of the edifice. It was damaged as a result of intense heat and was broken up by the tectonic micro-fault mentioned above. Taking these observations into account, the size of this roughly quadrangular area could be estimated at 60 x 40 cm.

Fig. 6-31 – Hearth pit St 801 and small pit St 843. A, B and C, Successive excavation phases down to the pit base. D, Section. E, Photo of the two pits after only half of St 801 had been excavated.

Fig. 6-32 – Central hearth slab of building 800.

2.8. Remarkable object deposits

34Many of the structures described above yielded deposits of ochre or remarkable objects (flint blades or points, macro-tool element, tusk shells, picrolites, seeds).

• St 839 (square D5, fig. 6-33, A): included in the construction wall of the edifice, this cache contained an exceptionally large projectile point just beside some strongly tilted blades.
• St 842 (square I5, fig. 6-33, B): group of four flint blades, two end scrapers on blades, one on a flake, a small flake, a fragment of a large burnt flake and a green rock pebble fragment were incorporated in a massive block of building earth.
• St 873 (square D6, fig. 6-33, C): contained a small batch of three opaque chert blades oriented east-west.
• – St 875 (square H7, fig. 6-33, D): in a small, slightly marked-out depression, dug into embankment SU 800.23, two translucent flint blades were half lodged in a clump of nodules and red ochre dust, lying on its side.
• – St 877 (square H2, fig. 6-33, E): two large blades in translucent chert (lengths 16 and 13 cm) were deposited against the wall during the digging out of the pit. Beneath them, six additional smaller flint blades were accompanied a pebble and two macrotool fragments. All of them were hidden in the earthen wall.
• – ISO-F 22 (square F-G/7, fig. 6-33, F): in the fill of southern foundation trench St 857, along the north-south axis of the building (fig. 6-7), a polished spherical hammerstone, with a diameter of 7 cm, was deposited with a cone-shaped limestone block (14 cm long, basal diameter of 7.5 cm), with a peripheral groove at mid-height and a slight constriction in the upper two-thirds of the object (chap. 20).
•  St 904 (square H2, fig. 6-33, G): at the edge of the outer excavation of the northern wall and in the thickness of the latter, this deposit was composed of two large blades superimposed head to tail (distal parts facing north and south, respectively), covering a batch of three large flint flakes, two limestone fragments, another blade oriented east-west and a fragmented blade.
• St 905 (square G2, fig. 6-33, H): in a similar position, 80 cm further east, this deposit consisted of three large flakes, a handstone, a blade fragment and two flakes.
• St 910 (square I3, fig. 6-33, I): located in the thickening of the northern wall marking the entrance to the building, this pit contained six large unretouched flint blades, piled up in a north-south oriented heap, mostly on their ventral side.

Fig. 6-33 – Remarkable deposits in B800; C, St 873; D, St 875.

35In addition, in the perimeter wall, five remarkable isolated pieces were found: a picrolite bead (ISO-F4), a remarkable grinding tool (cupmark, ISO-F23), a flint arrowhead (ISO-F24), a picrolite pebble encircled by a thin groove (ISO-F25) and a large grooved stone partially decorated with squares and bearing traces of prolonged use (ISO-F26; fig. 6-34).

Fig. 6-34 – Grooved stone ISO-F26 found in wall St 838.

36The plan in fig. 6-35 provides an overall picture of the remarkable deposits. Firstly, it shows that, unlike the flint flakes also represented on this plan, the remarkable deposits are concentrated in small pits or sometimes in post holes, in the northeast quarter of the building, and in the peripheral walls. None were found in the foundation trenches of the perimeter wall of the southern half. This could be attributed to the fact that the wall itself was not preserved in this section. However, the low concentration of remarkable deposits observed outside the northeast quarter of the northern arc, where the wall was well preserved, suggests that this absence may also be due to the scarcity of deposits in the southern arc.

Fig. 6-35 – Spatial distribution of the remarkable object deposits and the concealed pits interpreted as having served as offering deposits.

37In fact, like in the Communal building (chap. 5), the remarkable deposits were concentrated in the area interpreted as the entrance to the building, which in turn supports this hypothesis.

38In addition, no remarkable deposits were found around the benches or in the eastern partition. The only internal trench with such deposits was the southernmost one (St 857), which supports our hypothesis of a partition wall rather than a bench edge.

3.1. Overview of observations

39Despite erosion and post-PPN excavations, building B800 was in a relatively good state of preservation, or at least sufficient for the preservation of its whole footprint. This 28 m² circular edifice with a diameter of 6 m was terraced into the slope. The upper half, with a horizontal base, was dug into the substratum consisting of carbonated colluvium and havara, over a depth of about 1 m. This represents an excavated volume of between 5 and 10 m³ (contra c. 70 m³ for the Communal building; chap. 5). The lower half of the building was levelled out with embankment backfill made up of havara gravel, probably from digging out the upper half.

40A thick earthen wall (35 cm) built in a 30-cm-deep foundation trench encircled the building area. The upper part of the northern arc of the wall and the whole southern half-arc were largely dismantled by pedological activity. Conversely, the deepest part of the north half-arc was heavily recarbonated. To the north, this wall leant against the vertical incision in the substratum for notching the building into the slope. The wall probably did not protrude more than 1 m above the ground level here.

Fig. 6-36 – Interpretation of the general organisation of building B800 and drawing of a 3D reconstruction.

41At least in the well-preserved section, i.e., the northern two-thirds of the total surface, the floor was covered with plaster, secondarily impregnated by pedological carbonatation and broken by several tectonic micro-faults.

42The sub-central post inserted 70 cm deep, and a dozen posts with sections ranging between 20–30 cm, grouped in three sub-concentric arcs in the building’s southern half (three in the south-eastern partition, five in the foundation trench, i.e., included in the peripheral earth wall, and four external posts; fig. 6-36, A), point to the presence of a roof. The absence of post holes in the northern half of the foundation trench suggests that the earthen wall was sufficiently sturdy here to support the roof. The latter may have sloped towards the south, in order to prevent water accumulation and to reduce the height of the probably more fragile southern wall (fig. 6-36, B).

43The four southernmost posts point to an external structure along the building wall (fig. 6-36, A), possibly an awning designed to protect the wall and the southern entrance (cf. infra), on the side of the prevailing wind (and rain).

44We identified two probable, possibly contemporaneous entrances. The better preserved one is located to the northeast, and seems to have comprised earthen steps or a sloping surface for passing from the external circulation level down to the building floor, 1 m below. These two features are reminiscent of the Communal building entrance (chap. 5). This entry was also marked by the thickening of the peripheral wall base bordered by the remains of two small foundation trenches with parallel partitions. It also presented a high concentration of structures, including a hearth slab and small pits concealed by the earthen deposit corresponding to the above-mentioned steps or sloping surface. The density of deposits of remarkable objects in this zone highlights the high symbolic value of this part of the building.

45The 2-m-long interruption of the peripheral wall to the south suggests the presence of a second entrance, possibly protected by the above-mentioned awning. The presence of a pit with remarkable objects is also noteworthy, composed of a large mass of ochre and the only anthropomorphic figurine found in the building. However, the scarcity of specific features and deposits in this entrance, compared to the north-eastern one, suggests a different function.

46The bipartition of the building’s internal area would appear to account for the presence of two different entrances. The partition consists of an earthen partition wall, running from the northeast to the southwest, composed of three more or less aligned sections built in shallow foundation trenches, supported by at least three strong posts (fig. 6-36, A).

47The north room was roughly elliptic, with an axis measuring 5 and 4 m for a surface estimated at 15.7 m². It was characterised everywhere by a coated floor, a large hearth slab south of the central post, which was probably heated with coals burnt in the external fire pit, and by two c. 3.5-m-long benches, laid out symmetrically in relation to the opposing axis of the northeast entrance. The 0.2–0.5 m-wide north bench was large enough for sitting on, while the south one, with a maximum width of 1.5 m, could also have been used for other purposes. These benches leant against the north peripheral wall and the south partition, respectively. On the other side, they were carefully edged by planks or slabs, as indicated by small trenches and stakes intended to maintain them in a vertical position. They were probably filled with building earth. In addition, the floor of this north room was cut by several small pits containing remarkable objects, at least one of which was linked to a building abandonment ritual. Two large sets of stake holes, often in pairs, suggest the presence of diverse super structures related to activities carried out in this area. Overall, this evidence suggests that this area was residential (fig. 6-36, B).

48The south room was an oblong area with a surface of 8 m² and a single access through the south door. It was clearly separated (but not necessarily sealed off) from the north room. There was no evidence of plaster on the floor, either because it never existed, or because it was completely eroded out. In the same way, the absence of any fire place, offering pit or stake hole may at least partly result from erosion. However, the easternmost extremity of this room, which underwent less erosion than the south-western part, did not contain any of these features. We propose interpreting this area as a zone mainly used for storage or artisanal activities.

49This building also provides information on the management of construction materials, particularly wood. The cross-section of the largest posts did not exceed 30 cm. They were often paired to attain sufficient architectural solidity. In addition, four of the largest posts, particularly the central one, were retrieved after the abandonment of the building. The small quantity of demolition materials found in the backfill of the building, limited to SU 800.9 and 800.28, suggests that construction materials other than wood were also possibly intentionally dismantled and reused.

3.2. Communal or domestic building?

50B800 and the Communal building share several major characteristics: a perfectly circular shape, peripheral benches north and south of the axis defined by the northeast entrance, half-buried in the slope, a peripheral earthen wall built in a trench, a central post suggesting the presence of a roof, a complex north-eastern entrance structure and frequent remarkable deposits hidden in the walls and floor, especially in the entrance area. However, except for the first two, all of these features were also found in most of the Sector B buildings considered to be residential (chap. 7). In addition, four important traits distinguish B800 from the Communal building:

• B800 is rather big (28 m²), but is more similar in size to the largest Sector B residential buildings (maximum 30 m²) and the Ayia Varvara-Asprokremnos residential buildings (McCartney et al. 2010), the more than twice as large area of the Communal building (78 m²);
• The total surface of the Communal building was buried, whereas B800 was not strictly speaking buried, but was terraced into the slope, with only the north half dug out. This constitutes a major difference in terms of architectural conception and working time, since only 5–10 m³ would have been excavated for B800, compared to 70 m³ for the Communal building (compare fig. 5-25 and 6-36, B). In this respect, B800 is not significantly different from the nearby buildings B906 and B907 (appendix 6-2);
• The Communal building clearly displays at least four phases of reconstruction (chap. 5). We cannot rule out the possibility of the reorganisation of B800 during its existence (adding partitions, post holes, etc), but these modifications were not comparable to the massive and frequent recharges of earth on the walls or on the superimposed floors of phases 2, 3 and probably 4, described for the Communal building;
•  The layout plan of B800, marked by the presence of a central hearth and systems of partitions/benches separating two areas is not comparable to the structures described in the Communal building.

51We cannot rule out the existence of communal technical activities or social interactions in building B800, but it appears to be a residential building rather than a well characterised Communal building, such as the one on the middle terrace, 50 m further south. B800 was already interpreted as such after the 2014 excavation season, and thus played an important role in the process of studying Klimonas, by serving as a reference for the excavation and interpretation of the Sector B residential buildings during the 2015 and overall 2016 seasons.

52B800 would, however, be one of the largest domestic PPNA buildings known on the continent (Stordeur 2006) and at the site of Klimonas, where only foundation ditches St 29 and St 23, located to the southeast of St 10 (chap. 8) and B10 and B18 (chap. 7), displayed comparable dimensions.

3.3. PPNA occupation of the north terrace

53B800 yielded abundant data, even though it was the only extensively excavated building on the north terrace. The two buildings identified close to the east of B800 (appendix 6-2) indicate that B800 was not isolated in this area but accompanied by at least one other building of the same size (5.8 m in diameter for B907). The fills excavated in B800 (and B906 and 907) indicate that the latter was rapidly backfilled with domestic waste containing PPNA flint, macro-tools, pendants and even faunal remains (SU 800.4, 800.7, 800.17). This waste probably derived from activities or the dismantling of other PPNA buildings located higher up on the upper terrace, where our test excavations (appendix 2-1) showed that slope erosion did not leave any PPNA remains.

54Two of the 2009 test pits on the upper terrace, especially the rich 168-7 (appendix 6-1), show that some buildings are still preserved deep down under colluvial accumulations, on the southern edge of the upper terrace, between Sector F and the road. Two additional buildings built successively on top of each other and visible in the road section (appendix 2-2) also corroborate this observation. From B800 to the eastern road, our test pit evidenced at least seven PPNA buildings. It is probable that a more or less continuous series of PPNA buildings are preserved on the edge of the upper terrace and on the slope between it and the middle terrace, like in Sector B (chap. 7).