The ninth excavation season concentrated on the west side of the stage building and the perimeter gallery in the area of the pulvinar.

WEST SIDE OF THE SCENE BUILDING

Trench 48, begun in 2010, was completed and showed the existence of a space (originally covered) abutting the west basilica.
Trench 53 documented a razed structure of which only the alignment of the north-east corner of the vestibule, in front of the basilica, was identified.

The extension of trench 19 established the dimensions of the room to the north-east of the vestibule and showed that the structure was destroyed by the cut for the piping present in trench 54.

Trench 52, at the far western end of the crypt, confirmed the presence of a stairway symmetrical to the one at the other end. There was an interesting stratigraphy in this trench with various abandonment levels, which is exceptional for Hadrian’s Villa.

AREA NEXT TO THE PULVINAR IN THE SUMMA CAVEA

Excavation in trench 50 revealed the system of communication between the perimeter gallery, the corridor crossing the crypt below the _pulvinar- , and the link with the central vomitorium.

Trench 31 was extended in order to identify the distance between the windows in this section of the facade, east of the pulvinar. Unfortunately, in this zone the perimeter wall was razed to the ground and therefore provided no useful information.

LATRINE VESTIBULE

Trench 51, situated south of the room linking the space with the exedras and the latrine vestibule, showed the transition between the two adjacent areas, made difficult by the change in level between one area and the other. The latrine’s cloaca was documented together with the construction phases of the piping and the space in which it is situated.

WATER SUPPLY INFRASTRUCTURES WEST OF THE THEATRE

Lastly, the water galleries east of the nymphaeum, behind the containing wall with the exedras were explored. These structures were shown on the plan by P. A. Paris. The galleries are reached through a vertical shaft, which rain caused to open behind the wall with exedras, and entered through a small opening that was probably a manhole. The galleries are cut into the tufa like those documented behind the nymphaeum and the postscaenium, and are linked to a central distribution area by separate arms.