A Spatial and Functional Analysis of ‘B uilding 4’ at EBA III Tell Fadous-Kfarabida (Lebanon)

The site of Tell Fadous-Kfarabida (northern Lebanon), which covers an area of some 1.5ha, was no ordinary village. Despite the fact that at least 40% of the mound had already been destroyed by bulldozers prior to excavation, fieldwork since 2004 has clarified the layout of what was apparently a regional centre for the gathering of agricultural produce during the EB (Early Bronze Age) III period and was probably linked to the site of Byblos, located 12km to the south. One of the excavated structures appears to be unusually large and was apparently built for a specific purpose. Evidence of large-scale storage, of administrative procedures involving the sealing of goods and of a massive investment in architecture, are all equally apparent in the surviving eastern part of Building 4 on the western side of the mound. This paper aims to reconstruct circulation patterns and activity areas and to propose a function for rooms and spaces, particularly in the northern wing excavated between 2011 and 2015. Evidence for the existence of a second storey will also be summarised. In order to determine the function of the space in Building 4, the architecture, stratigraphy and finds will be briefly reviewed.