CHAP. VI - WESTERN THESSALY, TSANI MAGHULA

Summary

The mound known as Tsani Maghula (p. 11, no. 96) lies three-quarters of an hour east of Sophhades just to the north of the railway line, and about the same distance from the site of Cierium by Pirghos Mataranga (Πύργος Ματαράγκα). The mound is about 105 metres long by 73 wide, and is 8·50 m. high. We excavated here in July 1909, and tested the mound by shafts sunk at its northern end. The largest shaft driven down on the north-east side struck virgin soil at a depth of 9·45 metres. Another sunk in the highest part of the mound reached the second settlement at nine metres, and as the first and second settlements in the large shaft are together over four metres thick, the deposit at the highest part of the mound must be between twelve and thirteen metres thick. In any case it extends to a depth of four metres below the present ground level at the foot of the mound. As the shafts were sunk, successive horizontal layers of burnt rubbish, similar to those at Zerelia, appeared, which seem to mark the limits of settlements destroyed by fire. Taking these layers, which probably are the remains of wattle and daub huts, as convenient though perhaps arbitrary divisions, we divide the whole deposit into eight successive settlements or strata, on which the following description of the finds is based.