Tuesday, July 18 2017

AM

Work began in Locus 4, extending the section cut further to the north, in order to fully expose the small stone cluster revealed on Friday.  Soil of Locus 4 is a medium olive brown color, has white inclusions, and is claylike in texture.  There are numerous small rocks present in the locus.  Soil is excavated using hand picks and trowels and is hand sorted in the trench.  The first five buckets of soil from the locus are screened through a 1cm gauge sieve then collected as a sample for flotation; all remaining buckets of soil will be sieved as well.  We are finding relatively high quantities of pottery and bone but little tile.  Some of the pottery is fairly intact.  We also found a large animal molar (Find #21), a ridged rim sherd (Find #22), and a sherd of slipped pottery (Find #23), along with a ribbed bone bead (Find #24) and a knuckle bone (Find #25).

As we removed soil from Locus 4, we continued to expose small, fist-sized stones to the north.  These stones are delineated to the west and may be delineated to the east as well, although this is not yet clear.  While defining rocks, we found another tooth (Find #26).

Special Finds

Find #21

• Locus 4
• 106.14E/41.71S
• 26.73m A.E.
• Animal molar

Find #22

• Locus 4
• 105.92E/41.06S
• 26.77m A.E.
• Ridged rim

Find #23

• Locus 4
• 106.04E/41.19S
• 26.78m A.E.
• Slipped pottery

Find #24

• Locus 4
• 105.71E/41.35S
• 26.75m A.E.
• Ribbed bone bead

Find #25

• Locus 4
• 105.89E/41.82S
• 26.59m A.E.
• Knuckle bone

Find #26

• Locus 4
• 105.95E/41.88S
• 26.62m A.E.
• Tooth

PM

We continued excavating in Locus 4, defining the stones of the rock cluster.  The stones are delineated to the west, although it is not clear if this is an ancient delineation or results from earlier excavations here.  As of now, there is no sign of delineation to the east.  Therefore, we extended Locus 4 50cm to the east, to determine in these stones are delineated to the east or run eastward as a long, continuous feature, perhaps running parallel to the removed N wall.  The stones also are contained in a new, mottled soil, with many rock, terracotta, and carbon inclusions.  While defining stones, we found a vertebra fragment (Find #27) and what might be a cut bone fragment (Find #28).  The new soil in which the rocks are contained also contains numerous visible sherds of pottery and bone.

As we worked to define the stones, the rocks began to peter out gradually to the east.  Additionally, we began to reveal a plaster-rich deposit that likely is the beaten earth surface of the rectilinear structure.

Locus 4:

• Tile and plaster: 1/10 bowl
• Pottery: 116 sherds
• Bone: 20 fragments

Special Finds

Find #27

• Locus 4
• 105.80E/41.42S
• 26.59m A.E.
• Vertebra

Find #28

• Locus 4
• 106.66E/41.75S
• 26.64m A.E.
• Possible cut bone