Trench D6 daily Journal     July 23, 2002

We began in L29 today by clearing about 3 cm throughout, searching for the drain of furnace L20. We found two carbon samples, KT 43 and 44. The trough that appeared to be straight yesterday turned into a curve that looped back on itself and split, looking much more like an animal burrow than a drain. We found two small areas of dark ash which extended down, a mystery for later.

We then reevaluated L6 debri (after having reduced much of it to the level of L4 yesterday) and contracted it to include only the debri itself and the area immediately surrounding it. We gave locus #30 to the pebbled surface east of the north end of L10, and L31 to the area east of the debri itself (although there is no apparent difference between L31 and L4).

Next we focused on L25 and L27, clearing about 10 cm each. In 25 we found a stone (possibly quartz/quartzite) with a large vein of what appears to iron within it (KT 12- broken into ~5 pieces by Kerem). In 27 we found what appears to be a yellow mudbrick (10 YR 6/4 – light yellowish brown) set across the opening of the chamber. This is the same color as the material in the same location in L25 (possibly also a brick, but cut through) as well as a curving "wall" in L6.

In L6 we continued to contract around the mud brick "structure" itself and the yellow curving wall to the West. A buffer of harder soil had been left yesterday around it. This was no problem on the east side, where we found new mudbricks and a few stones. On the west we had a more difficult time distinguishing between the surrounding material and the wall itself, and left a small buffer.

We then articulated L5 and removed the loose mudbricks and debri. We found a line of conglomerate of small pebbles and yellowish clay coated in a white coating that extended from the debri in L6 out 60cm before abruptly turning S for another 40 cm, near the end of which we noticed more slag poking out.

Meanwhile Baris cleared the final remnants (directly S of L20) of Locus 9 without much excitement other than the continuation of surface L17. We cleaned L17 and took photographs of it’s association with L15 and L20.

Finally we articulated and cleared L14, taking 17cm at first and then another 3cm. Under the jumbled collapse we noticed the bricks formed a wall and found a single chamber furnace.. Both sides were covered in slag (KTs 7 and 13), although the south wall was in bad condition. We also found a green "ore stone" (KT 9). The inside of this stone was a porous conglomerate of very small granules of translucent green and black.

Again, we took soil samples from everything near L20 and L14, and many photographs. Our plan for tomorrow is to first try to find the extent of L15 and L17, and to excavate into L19 (sherd garden).