In 1999 we set up square I. L15 in search of a Roman road. However, we did not discover a Roman road; instead, we determined L15 to be either part of a Byzantine domestic complex or olive oil manufacturing complex. The 2000 season provided us with more evidence to conclude that the north side of WL15003 is part of an olive oil manufacturing complex and that this complex extended eastward crossing what might have been the Roman road leading to the temenos.

We uncovered the main features of L15 during the 1999 season. There are two walls in L15, which run east-west. WLl5003 cuts through the more northern section of the square and divides L15001/ L15006 and L15002/ L15005. WL15004 is located in the south balk of L15. The north balk contains the oil press and we discovered a large basin (around 90cm in diameter) in L15006 on the north side of WL15003. We also found a large amount of collapse in the east balk on both sides of WL15003, which we determined to be the result of an earthquake.

We began digging on May 30th with the purpose of continuing loci L15001 and L15002, which we stopped digging last season in the western section on both the south and north side of WL15003, due to a time constraint. We reopened L15001at elevation 183.66 on the north side of WL15003 next to the oil press in order to find more information about this Byzantine complex in L15 and L16. We found some plaster and tesserae as we did last season. Our pottery also similarly dated to the Byzantine period.

We had a significant soil change in L15001 nearing the same elevation of L15006 , which we dug last season in the eastern section on the north side of WL15003. We changed locus from L15001 to L15006 so that the whole north side of WL15003 was at locus L15006. In L15006 we continued to find tesserae and plaster, but we also discovered a nail and two rings. On June 1st we brought L15006 to an equal elevation of 183.22 in both the eastern section and western section. We then found an architectural fragment from underneath the basin in the eastern section of the square, which Arro said might have been a part of a Byzantine period frieze. The pottery all dated from the Late Roman Period to the Byzantine Period and many of the pieces were parts of large storage jars.

In L15002 we hoped to find any information that indicated how this space south of WL15003 might have been used. We also found large amounts of plaster and tesserae in this locus and our pottery dated from the Late Roman Period to the Byzantine Period.

We changed L15002 to L15005 at elevation 183.36, due to a soil change. We continued to find large amounts of plaster and tesserae. We hit an equal elevation of 183. 22 throughout the south side of WL15003 in L15005. The pottery was mostly Hawarite. We then hit a basalt surface on which we found three coins and some pieces of lamps. Similarly, we discovered a number of coins on the south side of the WL15003 last season, which may indicate a walking surface.

Yet, we did not hit a basalt surface in the western section of L15005. Jack thought the basalt surface might have been cut in a straight line perpendicular to WL15003 to receive the wall. Therefore, we changed L15005 to L15008 in the western section. However, the basalt surface continued in some parts of this section and did not form a cleanly cut line. We then closed the square and analyzed our findings this season and last season.

Therefore, the storage jars, olive press and basin all indicate an oil manufacturing complex north of WL15003. We did not find much new evidence of this besides the storage jars this season, but we also found nothing that disproved this conclusion.

South of WL15003 we also did not find much new information about the space between WL15003 and WL15004. The number of coins found this season and last season may indicate a walking surface as we thought last season.

The collapse in the east balk of L15 we determined to be from a complex on the east side of our square. The square M14 to the southeast of L15 contained large cut stones similar to the collapsed cut stones in the east balk south of WL15003. We also found the column in the east balk to be in secondary use as a part of the eastern complex, since we could see that it rested on soil rather than a stylobate.

The 2000 season's findings mainly reinforced our hypotheses from the 1999 season, but also revealed that the complex on the north side of WL15003 extended eastward across what might have been the Roman road. This complex eventually collapsed, which is indicated by the stones in the east balk of L15 and in the square M14.