As in previous years the Austrian Mission worked on the sacred areas situated on the ridge at Velia. The cleaning and recording of sacred area 3, the so-called open-air sanctuary, was undertaken in order to better define its layout and phases. This sacred area, situated between towers A8 and A7, represents one of the smallest sanctuaries on the ridge. Its very poor state of preservation makes its interpretation difficult. The sanctuary measures 17.5 x 12.8 m, was delimited to the north by the fortified walls, the so-called stretch A, and extended over two levels. The upper part comprised an open space (feature 2) with a paving of Velian brick, of which only a very few patches were preserved. The south-western side was occupied by a small room (room 1, 6.8 x 4.2 m), probably opening onto the outer area. The room probably had a roof made of tiles imported from the Gulf of Naples, found scattered across the sanctuary area. Given the sparse remains, it is uncertain as to whether this can be interpreted as a sacred building, however its typology certainly reflects one of the so-called _oikoi_. In the open space itself there were two bases incorporated into a niche in the curtain wall, which is of interest due to their strange collocation. There was no evidence of an altar, whose position can be assumed to have been beside the bases according to the model seen in sanctuary no. 7. The courtyard opened towards the north-east with a _propylon_, constituted by two lateral niches and a threshold, formed by two large sandstone blocks. The ritual space of the scared area was completed by a votive column on a quadrangular base in the area in front of the _propylon_. On the lower level there was another large space (feature 3). The situation was characterised by a substantial difference in height on the slope of almost one metre. This necessitated the creation of the south-eastern perimeter through the construction of a curtain wall 0.75 m wide. Given the large dimensions of this space, but also the construction technique of the wall separating feature 3 from the open area, which does not suggest that it was a supporting wall, it is proposed that feature 3 was a terrace rather than an enclosed room. The lack of diagnostic finds makes it difficult to establish the chronology of this sacred area. However, both the sanctuary typology and the use of tiles from the Gulf of Naples suggest a date of the 3rd century B.C. or later. In 2008 a small _naiskos_ in local sandstone, in a collapsed position, was found to the south of sacred area no. 3. This year a fragment from another relief of the same type was discovered, built into a recent wall, south of the sanctuary. This was the lower part of a _naiskos_, smaller than that found in 2008. Despite its poor state of preservation this discovery corroborates the hypothesis that already in the archaic period the entire zone was dedicated to the cult of a female divinity, traditionally identified as Cybele.

_Elea – Velia, codice catastale foglio 9, particella 13; area sacra n. 8 (la cd. Terrazza di Zeus) e area sacra n.9_ In 2011 and 2012, the Austrian excavations continued exploration of the sacred areas situated on the ridge at Velia, in particular the so-called terrace of Zeus (sacred area n. 8) and sacred area n. 9 above it. There are still problems relating to the dating and function of the large open space known as the terrace of Zeus. The investigations focused on the excavation and analysis of the containing wall at the terrace’s eastern corner. Unfortunately, no diagnostic finds were recovered. On the north-eastern side the containing wall was articulated in two sections. The one to the south-east (MK8-1 SE) formed a sub-structure towards the south-west for the great terrace of Zeus, while the stretch to the north-west (MK8-1 NO) functioned as containment for the slope above which, towards the north-east, sanctuary n. 9 was situated. At the point where the two sections of wall met there was a rectangular structure (MK8-2), open towards the south-west. This may have been a large niche flanked by two entrances to the terrace of Zeus and the sanctuary above. The central part of the large open space (about 500 m2), characterized by the presence of numerous pits, was also investigated. Despite the substantial extension of this sector of the excavation, it was difficult to interpret these features and no conclusion was reached. The phase dating to the second half of the 5th century B.C., attested by the well-known inscribed _cippi_, also remains difficult to define as only evidence for a phase preceding the terrace’s construction has been found. This comprised heavily reworked brick foundations. The use these bricks, so-called _veline_, dates this phase to no earlier than the 3rd century B.C. Therefore, the great terrace should date to the transition between the 3rd and 2nd century B.C. In sacred area n. 9, the excavation identified two rooms on significantly different alignments (room MK9-1 and room MK9-2), heavily altered, perhaps to be interpreted as small cult buildings. Various layers of bricks where also uncovered, perhaps deposits connected with some sort of cult activity. The initial phase of this sanctuary, orientated towards the north-east (room MK9-2), can probably be dated to the 3rd century B.C. In the subsequent phase, another building (MK 9-1) was erected on a higher level. It was at least 11 x 7 m and divided into two rooms, one smaller (3 x 7 m) to the north and a larger one to the south. This sanctuary’s final phase is not easily identifiable due to heavy erosion, but the only evidence, two parallelepiped blocks (US 602/11) and a vertical cut in the rocky outcrop, is homogeneous with the great terrace. It may be possible to reconstruct a room measuring 7.30 x 8.20 m.

The excavation of the Austrian Mission on the central ridge of Velia, conducted during May and July 2013, focused once again on the so-called terrace of Zeus (sacred area n. 8) and the sacred area n. 9 above it concluding thus a three-year research project. In the area of the terrace of Zeus we completed the documentation of the terrace wall by a study of the stairs on the south side by which we could show that these stairs intersected the terrace, but that only the lowest step belongs to the original substance, while the others are part of the reconstruction in the 1930s. In addition we studied the west side of the terrace in its northern part where the only evidence for the course of the delimitation is given by cuts and some foundation trenches in the natural rock. The existence of two clearly diverging directions seems to confirm that the terrace was rebuilt at least once. In this area we also continued the documentation of the quarry identified here in 2012. Most probably it can be connected to the construction of the fortification walls in the 4th c. BC. The investigations of the sacred area n.9 tried to get better insight into the structure of this vast sanctuary that must have been organized in terraces as well according to the difference of height of more than 3 m between the Western and the Eastern part (from 122.00 in the west to 125.10 m on the highest point in the east). However, no clear traces of an internal articulation have been found due to the strong erosion and possible late antique or post antique stone robbery. The excavations of this year brought to light further layers of bricks and tiles in which some well preserved vessels like a ring guttus might be taken as evidence for ritual activities. Three fragments of antefixes, one of them of the well known type of fiore con calice spinoso e corolla compatta confirm the existence of cult buildings. The fragment of a brazier dates this context to the first half of the 2nd c. BC. Of particular interest is also the proof of activities of the first half of the 1st c. AD by the find of a cup Conspectus form 26 as well as the presence of a consistent layer dated to the first half of the 5th c. AD by sigillata africana (forma Hayes 61B; 75/76). Similar phenomena have been found in the sacred area n. 6 in 2006 and make clear that at least the frequentation of the sanctuaries did not come to an end in the Roman period, but until now has not been realized as these strata have mostly been destroyed by earlier excavations

The eastern quarter of the city, separated from the western one by the Frittolo gorge, is characterised in its upper part by steep rocky slopes, while the lower part is formed by large flat terraces covered by an extensive olive grove. To date, only the western part of the eastern quarter has been investigated, while the eastern and south-eastern areas have remained almost completely outside the study. Therefore, one of the main objectives of this campaign was the general study of the urban layout of the quarter and its function. Research started with the road network, identified by F. Krinzinger in the western zone during the 1980s, aligned in a north-north-east/south-south-west direction (direction 6 in the overall urban system of Velia). In order to examine whether and how far this system extended towards the east, geophysical surveys (magnetometer and georadar) were undertaken across a total area of 7.7 hectares. The surveys confirmed that the road network on alignment 6 extended to the south and east only as far as this area where the inlet of the so-called Vignale gorge is situated. On the contrary, the great south-east terrace was laid out on the same alignment as the fortified curtain wall delimiting the area of the city towards the east (new direction 7). In sector QE 4000 it was possible to define the measurements of an Insula (108.90 x 37.42 m). The showiest building was situated in QE 3000: a monumental porticoed complex with a great open courtyard measuring at least 82.86 x 45.61 m, probably a public building. Traces of small kilns, very similar to those identified in trench 1/15 and therefore probably to be interpreted as iron furnaces, were found in various parts of zones QE 2000 and QE 3000. Residential areas and several larger and pyriform kilns, probably for brick and tile, were identified in zone QE 4000 and in particular QE 5000. The excavations in the southern part of zone QE 2000 led to the discovery of a furnace (FQE 2013) in which iron had been worked. This furnace can probably be dated to the late Republican period and was razed almost to the bottom when, in the mid imperial period, wall FQE 2012 was built. This was on an east-west alignment and can probably be interpreted as the edge of the presumed _plateia_ QE-B/C. In all cases, the buildings in this phase followed direction 6, typical of the western zone of the Vignale QE 1000. The situation became clearer in the late antique period when wall FQE 2012 was replaced by wall FQE 2011 which ran immediately south of the mid imperial wall. To the south, this wall was associated with a road that had a simple paved surface and a lateral drainage channel belonging to the same context. Surprisingly, the excavations therefore confirmed that the late antique settlement, documented in the lower city of Velia by the excavations of the last decade, also extended into the eastern part of the Eastern Quarter.

_Velia Eastern Quarter_ The Austrian excavations at Velia in 2016 continued the exploration of the Eastern quarter of the town, started in the previous season 2015, but enlarged the study area, including not only area QE 2000 in the south of plateia QE-A, but also area QE 3000 in the south-east of the thermae in the Vignale. In QE 2000 we excavated another furnace (FQE 2019, trench 1/16), very similar to that found in 2015, belonging probably to the 1st c. AD. Unfortunately it turned out to be strongly damaged by the roots of an olive tree in its north. In trenches 2-3/16 we continued our studies of the late-antique settlement and were able to distinguish two different phases as a small channel was constructed over a wall, already belonging to the houses of the 5th c. AD. We also excavated another part of the drainage channel discovered in 2015. In the area QE 3000 we investigated the eastern part of the large building with central court which was identified by the geomagnetic prospection and could confirm its dating in the Early Imperial period, probably in the 1st c. AD. More exciting was the fact that this building was given up soon afterwards, possibly still in the 1st or the early 2nd c. AD. This observation was also confirmed by a control of pottery finds from the Austrian excavations in the 1980s and 1990s which show a very similar chronological distribution (see also Liko 1999). To the east of the building we found several tombs which all were inhumations graves similar to those excavated by A. Fiammenghi and L. Cicala outside Porta Marina Sud. As these graves were partly disturbed, only some of the grave goods could be attributed securely to the individual burials, but they all consisted of pottery of the 1st or 2nd c. AD as well. At the same time there was constructed a big circular structure with a diameter of more than 4 m that represented a kind of basin with walls that were clearly burnt. The first attempts to interpret it as a kiln for pottery or a limekiln had to be given up as neither structures typical for kilns or remains of calcium carbonate could be found. The excavation of this structure could not be concluded in this campaign and hopefully will be continued in 2017. Also in area QE 3000 we found a stratum with pottery of the 5th c. AD that directly covered the earlier contexts. Unlike the situation in QE 2000 it could not be connected to any architecture. Therefore, at the actual state of research, we have to assume that the Eastern quarter lost its function as a domestic quarter at least partially at a very early moment in the Roman period and that settlement activities were only resumed in this area after a long hiatus in the 4th or rather the 5th c. AD.

In 2017, the Austrian Archaeological Mission continued the exploration of the eastern quarter of the city in zone QE 3000. The main objective was to complete the excavation of the kiln FQE 3003, which began last year. Trenches to the south-east of this area were excavated in order to gain a preliminary idea of the chronological development of the large terrace in the south-eastern part of zone QE 3000. It was clear that the first traces of urban organisation in the south-eastern part, whose orientation was determined dalla direzione 7, were no earlier than the first half of the 3rd century B.C., therefore much later than the western part of the site (Vignale) where excavations in the 1980s brought to light 5th century B.C. pottery. In the second half of the 2nd or early 1st century B.C., the houses appeared to have been destroyed by landslides. The development of the subsequent phase was documented in trenches 1/17 and 3/17, where a paving of large _flysch_ stone slabs, covered by layers containing ash from the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. were identified. Similar situations had already been recorded in the western quarter on the road north of the House of the Frescoes, and also in the western part of the lower city. In a later phase, probably in the 3rd century A.D., kiln FQE 3003 was built, of which only the part dug into the ground was preserved. The structure was oval in plan, on a north-south alignment, while the _praefurnium_, not excavated this year for reasons of time, is thought to be to the west, where two openings were found, one on top of the other. The double openings indicated two phases that will be clarified by further excavation. The combustion chamber presented a series of steps 0.50-0.60 m wide and 0.35 m high, surrounded by stone blocks and covered by brick and tile fragments. Typologically, kiln FQE 3003 finds a parallel in the kiln situated in the locality of Cellarullo, north-west of Benevento, dating to the early imperial period. In the southern part of the combustion chamber, and in the collapse in the northern part, there were several piles of under-fired quadrangular bricks. When the kiln went out of use, the entire structure was filled with stones and rubble. There were also large fragments of very coarse _opus_ _signinum_. It was difficult to date the fill as most of the finds were residual, but a late antique date may be suggested. Captions: Fig. 1 Zona QE 3000 nel Quartiere Est – posizione dei saggi del 2017. Fig. 2 Lastricato nel saggio 3/17. Fig. 3 Saggio 1/17 SE – sezione con cenere dell’eruzione del Vesuvio. Fig. 4 Fornace FQE 3003 da nord.

The 2018 excavations continued the exploration of the eastern quarter of the city in zone QE 3000 and completed the work in the zone of trenches 1-3/17 in the area outside the kiln and that at the crossroads formed by roads QE12/13 and QE-SE3. In this season’s trenches, traces were found of the first phase of urban organisation in the south-eastern part of the East quarter (phase 1) for the first time, characterised by a deep ravine, which divided the terrace in this period. The data from the 2017 trenches placed this phase in the second half of the 3rd and the 2nd century B.C. Following the destruction and abandonment of the first settlement there was substantial reorganisation of the entire zone with the construction of road QE12/13 and the junction with QE-SE3 (phase 2). There was a clear attempt to consolidate the easternmost part of the ravine/torrent with the construction of a terracing wall, which however failed, as attested by the traces of an imposing mudslide in the 1st century B.C. The discovery of numerous fragments of iron slag suggest that this phenomenon also compromised the production and working of iron in this area, documented in 2015 in zone QE 2015. In the following years (phase 3), the situation was consolidated with the construction of a channel FQE 3022, guaranteeing regular drainage, until the arrival of ash from the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D., which radically altered the situation. The suggestion that the earlier destructions of road QE12/13 were connected with the earthquake of 62 A.D. remains a hypothesis. At the beginning of the 2nd century A.D., the quarter was again reorganised (phase 4) with the construction of a large building, which, according to the results of the geophysical survey, could be a reconstructed as a large complex with a sizable courtyard, surrounded by colonnades on three sides, perhaps a public building. In the late 2nd – beginning of the 3rd century A.D., this building, only a small area of which was investigated, met a sudden end, as attested by almost intact ceramic vessels, large tile fragments and, on the western side of the supposed portico, a tile collapse. Following this event, the area clearly went into decline, as indicated by a burial, but also by layers of brick/tile and animal bones. The only building activity was the construction of a large brick-making kiln (FQE 3003) that was only in use for a short period. The few material finds attest late antique occupation of the area, with clear traces in zone QE 2000 found during the 2015 and 2016 campaigns.

In 2019, the Austrian Mission continued the exploration of the eastern quarter of the city in zone QE 3000. The main aim of the campaign was to extend the excavations in the area where road QE 12/13 crossed road QE-SE3 (excavated 2016-2018), towards the south, to gain a better understanding of the relationship between the terracing wall FQE 3032 (phase 2) and the channel FQE 3022 (phase 3). The aim was also to define the dimensions of the building with the large courtyard (phase 4). While the evidence for the first phase, of Hellenistic date, remained scarce, the excavation of road QE12/13 built in the 1st century A.D., revealed a well-made paving of flysch and sandstone to the south of the point where it met road QE-SE3. The 2019 excavations identified a new building, formed by wall FQE 3004 and a row of sandstone blocks (US 209/19) that ran parallel to wall FQE 3004 for three metres. Given the limited extension of the excavated area, it is difficult to identify the structure type, but it may have been a type of stoà. The channel FQE 3022, identified in trench 1/19, can be attributed to phase 3, datable to within the first half of the 1st century A.D. The trench clearly showed that for the channel’s construction the continuation of the terracing wall FQE 3022, no longer functioning, was eliminated. As seen in trenches in previous years, the paved road surface in trench 1/19 was covered by mud from a large landslide, mixed with small pumice inclusions deriving from the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. highlighting the consequences of the event for most of Campania. These landslides caused a general reorganisation of the east quarter. To the west of the old road QE12/13, a structure was built that has been reconstructed as a substantial complex with a large courtyard, surrounded on three sides by a portico, according to the results of the geophysical survey. On the northern edge of trench 1/19, wall FQE 3049 was identified, which constituted the southern perimeter of the complex’s east wing, thus further defining the building’s dimensions (57.80 x 42.60), although some problems remain regarding the interpretation of the geophysical results. Last year’s excavations showed that this large complex was abandoned in the late 2nd or early 3rd century A.D. A ritual context, dating to the early 3rd century A.D., was found in the zone of the old channel just south of the complex. It comprised the deposition of a small headless sheep in a pit, surrounded by tile fragments (FQE 3051). Next to it, there was the neck of an amphora, perhaps used for making libations. This feature was similar to a situation found just north, where the skeleton of a dog, also headless (FQE 3010) was positioned between several layers of tiles.