The 2019 campaign involved the stratigraphic analysis of the walls on the western slopes of the Tanit Hill and further research in area C2, already partially investigated during the 2017 and 2018 campaigns.

Below the structural remains of a phase characterised by modest buildings in mud and wood, the excavations revealed clear traces of an abandonment phase. The preliminary cataloguing of the materials from these contexts indicates they date to the period between the late 4th and the 5th centuries A.D.

In this period, several substantial dumps of building rubble were deposited in this area. Part of these materials probably accumulated during the collapse of structures built in preceding periods that occurred over time. Other accumulations probably relate to the robbing of the standing walls: some negative traces of these actions were clearly visible in the razing of the walls and in the surrounding stratigraphy.

In the central part of the trench, the partial removal of the floor surfaces and layers of collapse revealed the presence of a vertical shaft, sealed in antiquity, which provided access to an underground space. This space was partially filled and can probably be identified as a “bath-tub” shaped cistern. The present size of the opening to the shaft did not make it possible to enter the cavity, which was inspected using photography and video images. Entrance to the cavity and the study of the stratigraphy within will take place during 2020 campaign.