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Wednesday, July 5 2023

AM

Began the day removing the remaining geotext from the eastern half of the trench. Once all the geotext was removed, we triangulated the western corners of the trench, off of a baseline we shot and measured the previous week along 110E, which will form the E boundary of the trench. T90 will be reopened again as a 7x10 meter trench. The coordinates are as follows:

• NW corner: 103E/38S

• NE corner: 110E/38S

• SE corner: 110E/48S

• SW corner: 103E/38S

We took opening photos of the entire trench. Next, we identified two distinct deposits to begin excavating. Following the same stratigraphic sequence employed in prior excavation seasons, these deposits will be excavated as Loci 41 and 42. Locus 41 is a soil deposit positioned in the southern central meters of the trench. It is positioned stratigraphically above Locus 42, which is the remaining southern wall of the small, rectilinear hut that was built over the remains of EPOC4, following the building’s abandonment; this wall was left in situ as a control,

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but we will remove it to more fully expose EPOC4’s floor. Locus 42 is equivalent to Locus 16, which was excavated in 2018. Opening photos and elevations of both loci were taken.

Opening Elevations: Locus 41

• NW corner (106.01E/44.85S): 26.63m A.E.

• NE corner (106.36E/44.90S): 26.69m A.E.

• SE corner (106.39E/46.18S): 26.63m A.E.

• SW corner (106.15E/46.17S): 26.59m A.E.

Opening Elevations: Locus 42

• NW corner (103.91E/44.57S): 26.59m A.E.

• NE corner (106.11E/45.24S): 26.61m A.E.

• SE corner (106.16E/45.75S): 26.58m A.E.

• SW corner (103.93E/45.43S): 26.65m A.E.

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Sketch of trench, with Loci 41 and 42

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PM

We began working in both Loci 41 and 42. In Locus 41, we are using hand picks to break up soil then troweling soil into dustpans and hand-sorting it in the trenches. The soil is claylike and medium olive-brown. Here, we are recovering small quantities of material culture. In Locus 42, we are removing the stones of the southern wall of the rectilinear hut and troweling the soil. After hand-sorting soil in the trench, we also are sieving soil from Locus 42, passing it through a 1cm and 2mm gauge sieve. Here, we are recovering moderate quantities of ceramics but little tile and bone. While working in Locus 42, we recovered a ridged impasto rim fragment (Find #1) and a crucible fragment (Find #2) was recovered from the pottery box. Additionally, we recovered a large bone fragment with a possible bore hole (Find #3).

Locus 41:

• Tile and plaster: 15 fragments

• Pottery: 10 sherds

• Bone: 0 fragments

• Slag: 0 fragments

• Vitrified terracotta: 0 fragments

Locus 42:

• Tile and plaster: 20 fragments

• Pottery: 16 sherds

• Bone: 3 fragments

• Slag: 0 fragments

• Vitrified terracotta: 0 fragments

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Special Finds:

• Special Find #1

• Locus 42

• 105.69E/45.24S

• 26.43m A.E.

• Ridged impasto rim fragment

• Special Find #2

• Locus 42

• Pottery box find

• +/- 5cm: 105.43E/45.39S

• +/- 3cm: 26.50m A.E.

• Crucible fragment

• Special Find #3

• Locus 42

• 105.45E/45.13S

• 26.47m A.E.

• Bone fragment with bore hole

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