Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (9.1997(1998))

The next deposit series is a layer of structureless sand, poorly
sorted, covering the whole slope (fig. 1, layer 6). To judge by its
character, this is a slope deposit, heavily changed due to aeolian
processes. At the time of its formation, the area of the
archaeological site must have been completely and evenly covered
with sandy deposits.
Within the upper part of the structureless sandy series (fig. 1,
layer 6) two rill erosion forms are strongly marked. They originate
in episodic concentrated water flow running down the slope (fig. 1,
layer 7) toward the northwest, that is, in accordance with the
present slope inclination. Both grain-size and diagonal stratification
of these rill deposits indicate that the water flow was brief and
violent, connected with episodic downpours.
To complete the description of the northern wall of pit I, it is
to be noted that the investigations comprised also a pale-yellow,
well sorted sandy deposit inside a rock-cut shaft, sampled from
a depth of 7 m below the surface. A macroscopic examination of
the sand is sufficient to reveal that it differs from all other sand
deposits identified in the trench wall. Neither does a similar sand
occur anywhere in the vicinity.
For a detailed textural deposit analysis, sand was sampled
from: the shaft (depth of 7 m), the weathering-soil horizon (fig. 1,
layer 3c), alluvial sand series (fig. 1, layer 4a) and the rill erosion
form deposit (fig.l, layer 7). The rounding and frosting of quartz
grains of the sand fraction (0.5-08 mm) were studied under an
optical microscope, and a surface micromorphology of quartz
grains of the same diameter was done under a scanning electron
microscope (SEM); a heavy - mineral analysis and an X-Ray-

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