All these small walls seem to belong to the same project and operate as a group. They are clearly part of the post abandonment phase of the area. The fills surrounding the walls contained very little construction materials, so our current hypothesis is that the spaces were cleared of these materials. Several of the walls contain architectural spolia of various periods, such as marble columnar elements. Most likely for the linear features of Area H, these walls functioned as retaining walls for the purpose of leveling out the area. There are no clear doorways or passages in any of the walls. While walls 7003 (northern half), 7008, 7009, 7010, 7011, 7006, 7007, 7005, and 7004 sit on the road, their purpose is most likely connected to the walls 7003 (southern half), 7023, 7024, 7025, 7026, and 7027 which all sit on a uniform surface (with the exception of walls 7015 and 7014 which rest on a surface much deeper than the others). The uniformity suggests that this surface was visible or constructed by the creators of the walls. The current theory for the purpose of the walls is agricultural, for some kind of leveling for small-scale agriculture or viticulture. Photos from the Soprintendenza indicate that the walls cover the fill of the drainage channel and the Via Gabina. Our excavations also demonstrated that the walls cover the via Gabina. This indicates that the road was already out of use and therefore suggests an early medieval date, possibly connected to the the passage of this territory into the hands of the church.
Northern portion of 2016 Area H