I'm calling this a chamber, however there is a mix of evidence at this site that could lead to a conclusion either way: chamber versus root cellar. I'll get right to posting pictures and then attempt to list site features which lend to the confusion.
The front entrance faces east.
This is room 1, just inside the front entrance.
To the left (south) of room 1 is a second room. This room is difficult to access because one of the roof slabs has collapsed.
Further to the south and just off the second room is this small area that might be considered a third room, although it could also be an extension of the walkway between the two rooms. I like to think of it as half a room. I do not know if the opening in this photo is a window (intentional) or if the wall collapsed. Also, a small bit of the roof slab that collapsed is in the bottom left of this photo.
This is what the opening looks like from the outside.
This is the northeast side. There is a small enclosure built into the wall, where the half meter stick is placed.
I didn't count all the roof slabs, but if memory serves me correctly, there are 6 slabs from the entryway to the back of the first room. They are immense.
So is it a chamber or a root cellar? Some things are present that give the structure an ancient feeling. Certainly, the enclosure on the northeast side and the roof slabs. There are rock piles, boulders (that appear to have been noticed - more on that later), a spring, a large outcrop above (to the west), and nice views to the east and south of the structure.The structure is not corbelled.
Some things are present that give it a more recent feeling, or at a minimum just confuse things. There is a lot of surface destruction at the site, including some wooden debris (just in front of the entrance) and junk metal. Mortar is plastered in between some of the stones inside and to the right as you walk in (could have been added later), and there is a small quarry to the southeast, in an outcrop area below (although not directly in front of) the structure.
I'll post pictures from around the site in part 2.
1 comment :
Thanks for the pictures. This is something the NEARA community would want to know about. Looking forward to seeing the rock piles and spring.
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