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closeStructural Design Implies Dry Interior, Not Tank of Water
Posted by bbrittain on 26 Jul 2021 at 21:56 GMT
Great detective work! I am impressed with the precision of your analysis, and the clarity with which you explain it. However, I do question some of the underlying assumptions about the structure itself.
Built like a boat, with the boards on the outside, and major framing inside, this structure was clearly designed to withstand external load. Thus, it was probably intended to remain empty, with the heavy timbers counteracting the force of the surrounding soil. Had the structure been filled with water, this framing would not have been necessary. And had the framing been meant simply as temporary shoring, to hold back the banks until the pit was filled with water, they are unlikely to have been constructed so carefully. The fact that the first structure collapsed indicates that it was not filled with water. And the fact that the second structure was built stronger than the first provides further evidence that these structures were meant to remain empty, and were not relying on the countervailing force of water to hold the walls back.
If these structures were dry inside, they could have been used for storage, much like a modern-day root cellar. This would help to explain the shovels, plows, vases, vessels, and baskets that were found during excavation, all of which appear to have been carefully placed at the bottom of the structure, rather than dropped into a pool of water. Once the structure was no longer in use and being maintained, the above-ground components would have rotted and fallen in. With the roof gone, rain and wind-borne soil would have gradually filled the opening. After 3,000 years, it could have easily been filled to the top.
This is not an especially large or complex structure, and I suspect that a couple of modern-day timber framers, using period-approriate tools, could replicate it in a matter of a few months. And they would likely clean up the job site at the conclusion of the project, just as the original builders did, leaving few if any chips behind. The Timber Framers Guild is always on the lookout for intriguing projects; this might be something that would interest them!
What I find most exciting is that there may be many more of these structures scattered around the Po Plain, hidden just below the surface.
Thank you again for a very interesting and thought-provoking article.