The 1996 excavations at Sepphoris opened in Field V on June 10, 1996. Permit number was 102/96. Staff included James F. Strange, Director, Thomas R.W. Longstaff, Associate Director, and Dennis E. Groh, Associate Director. Other staff included Lucille Roussin, Mosaicist, Joan Keller, Glass Historian, Alysia Fischer, Glass Technologist, Richard Kremer, Architect, Arlene Fradkin, Zooarchaeologist, Diane Treacy-Cole, Numismatist, Ron Levy, Surveyor, Mary Lynn Jones, Registrar, and Carolyn Strange, Camp Manager.
The objectives of the season were (1) to further disclose the stratigraphic history of the Field V building, heretofore called the Peristyle Building. For various reasons it seems preferable to designate this structure as the basilical building. (2) to connect the stratigraphy from our excavations east and west in this building by excavating in the unexcavated area in the middle of the building. The operative hypothesis is that the basilical building is one structure, 40 x 60 m. and founded in the ER period, probably by Herod Antipas. This building continued in use until the middle of the fourth century, when it was destroyed. At the east end of the building a bath was built in the Byzantine period which deeply disturbed the basilical building and obscured its history and disposition in earlier periods.
V.11 (John Serrage). Excavations showed the red soil found everywhere under the polychrome mosaic. A very small fraction of the mosaic was found in the northwest corner of the square, likely the mosaic from the side room found in square 10. Also in the northwest corner of the square was revealed the foundation for the stylobate continuing from the northwest. The southeast of the square was found to contain a massive wall 60 cm. thick which formed the outside wall of the stepped pool from Square V.25 just to the east. This pool measured at least 1.10 m. from east to west, though its other dimension is yet to be found.
V.46 (Teryn Gilbertson). This square disclosed the colored mosaic of the side aisle on the south side of the basilical structure. A drain ran from northeast to southwest beneath the mosaic at its destroyed east edge. A second drain in the southeast corner of the square connected with that found in V.25 in previous seasons. An unexpected find was the remains of a stepped pool entered at the southwest of the square and which would have lain beneath the colored mosaic of the side aisle. This pool and a short section of wall (L46017) beneath the mosaic hint at the occupation before the founding of the basilical structure.
V. 25 (Barbara Pilcher) Renewed excavation in this square confirmed the presence of the pool with stepped entrance extending from V.46 to the north. The size of the pool can be projected from the two squares as about 1.2 x 0.9 m.. The second pool in the southwest of this square has already been mentioned.
V.111 (George Kalantzis). In this square was found an internal closing wall to the building identical to that of the facade some 25.3 m. to the east. In other words it was determined from the 52 cm. thick wall and the different depositions on the two sides of the wall that the basilical structure measured about 40 m. broad and 34.7 m. long. On the east side stood four colonnaded porches around a central, unroofed courtyard. Those who entered from the cardo into the building, which was about 60m. long in overall length, entered into the first porch.
V.108 (Heather Murphy) All traces of the porches and founding of the basilical structure and its porches were disturbed by later occupation. In the sixth century CE there was substantial glass pyrotechnology in this area, which extended into square V.11 to the north and square V.109 to the east. The square was found to have a collapsed glass furnace in the southwest corner which extended into V.25 and V.107. Beneath the level of the furnace was an earlier Byzantine room only 0.74 x 0.60 m., presumably for storage. It was emptied before being filled in antiquity.
V.107 (Alysia Fischer) Removal of the north balk of this square disclosed more of the glass furnace in V.108. This also necessitated removal of the east balk of Square V.25. The furnace was found to have been built of wattle and daub in a beehive shape.
V.112 (Joanna Strange) A 2 x 4 m. probe to bedrock was excavated in this square. Little of architectural note was found, but the stratigraphic history extended from the Early Roman period to the Late Arab period. This area would have lain under the western porch against the closing wall of the basilical building.
V.109 (James R. Strange) Across the square from southwest to northeast ran the foundation which we interpret tentatively as that of one of the porch stylobates. If so, the porch was 3.0 m. broad. Drains emptied water from beneath the porch at the east end of the probe.
V.113 (Barbara Pilcher) The major feature of this square was a heavy, Late Roman paving which would have stood as the pavement of the unroofed courtyard inside the four porches on the west of the basilical building. The pavement was at the same elevation (261.51) as the mosaic floor to the west and butted against it. That is, the pavement was reused in the fifth century to form part of the courtyard of the Byzantine bath which succeeded the basilical building and its porch after the destruction of both in mid-fourth century C.E.
V.114 (Lora Sorkin) The major occupation in this square ranged from the sixth century to the 10th century CE. A series of hard floors were found, which apparently were part of the area set aside for glass industry in these centuries. In the center of the square was a bell-shaped void only slightly more than one meter deep, but equipped with a square, pierced stone top about 40 x 40 cm. The top resembles the top of a cistern, but much smaller. There was nothing recoverable in the soil which washed inside. The central hole in the top stone is only 22 cm. wide. It is possible that this is a privy for the glass workers in the area.
V.115 (Joanna Strange) This sqaure was situated as the continuation of the geometric mosaic in the eastern half of the basilical structure. The polychrome mosaic was indeed found with its full borders. The pattern in V115 connected up with that of V.46 to the southwest. The bedding of the mosaic was excavated where damaged in antiquity, as well as the founding of the bedding.
(Submitted by James F. Strange, Thomas R. W. Longstaff, and Dennis E. Groh)
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