Daily log: July 8, 2016

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Friday, July 8, 2016

Locus 5

AM

This morning work begins in Locus 5 to continue excavating the soil underneath the stone feature. The soil remains a mottled brown with black and white inclusions and is very claylike. There are a small number of roots, a small number of small pottery sherds, and very little terracotta. Soil is excavated using trowels and then hand-sorted into a bucket to be dumped into a wheelbarrow. No bone fragments have been recovered. The soil continues to be very compacted.

As excavations continues in Locus 5 , using trowels and hand-sorting, a few almost palm-sized fragments of terracotta, some sherds of pottery, and a fragment of bone have been found. While sorting, a fragment of vitrified terracotta (Special Find #) was

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found.

Special Find #1 :

- Locus 5

- 72.58S/55.44E

- 23.41mAE

- vitrified terracotta

- Drawing

The soil is beginning to reveal pockets of a light yellowish gray-brown soil alongside the white and black inclusions in a mottled brown with claylike, compacted consistency. Another bone fragment has also been identified and other material finds include pottery, from less-than-fingernail-sized to larger, and terracotta fragments up to half a palm sized. The Southern portion of Locus 5 appears to reveal more of the yellowish gray-brown soil than the North, but in the Northern area a number of snail shells have also appeared. In addition, the North of Locus 5 has been more productive in terms of pottery finds.

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Because it has been decided that there may be an extension of the stone feature elsewhere in Locus 3 , and in order to explore the relationship between Loci 4 and 5 to the rest of the trench, it has been determined that work will cease in Locus 5 and turn instead to Locus 3 . To this end, Locus 5 will be levelled and baulked using trowels. Soil is hand-sorted into buckets and emptied into a wheelbarrow for disposal. Elevations were taken for reference.

A pick pass was conducted lightly in the Easternmost half-meter of the trench in Locus 3 . This was done in order to evaluate soil and ensure the Locus remains in Locus 3 . Soil is hand-sorted into buckets and dumped into a wheelbarrow.

PM

A pick pass was conducted in the central extent of

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the trench. Having been sorted by hand into buckets, then wheel-barrowed to the Southwestern dirt dump, the soil seemed sandier, more olive in color than the brown soil of previous passes. In addition, the terracotta being recovered in the trench seems to reveal more pottery than tile.

A second pass was conducted in the Central-Western extent of the trench. Soil continues to be a lighter olive in color, and sandier in fabric. Roots continue to be present throughout the trench, though in lesser amount than before. The quantity of rocks in the trench seems to have decreased as well.

A third pass was conducted in the Western extent of the trench. The fabric of the soil, the quantity and quality of the material seem consistent with the prior two passes, except in the Northwest corner of the trench, where the soil remains dark olive brown in color, and soft in fabric.

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The trench was leveled throughout using hand picks, and soil was sorted by and into buckets, then wheel-barrowed to the Southwest dirt dump.

Locus 5 Closing Elevations:

- (72.29S/55.63E) = 23.38mAE

- (72.22S/55.50E) = 23.38mAE

- (72.23S/55.32E) = 23.38mAE

- (72.25S/55.19E) = 23.37mAE

- (72.61S/55.26E) = 23.34mAE

- (72.67S/55.36E) = 23.38mAE

- (72.78S/55.50E) = 23.35mAE

- (72.77S/55.59E) = 23.35mAE

- (72.69S/55.62E) = 23.40mAE

- (72.63S/55.72E) = 23.39mAE

- (72.55S/55.69E) = 23.28mAE

- (72.48S/55.71E) = 23.32mAE

- (72.42S/55.78E) = 23.38mAE

Locus 3 Closing Elevations:

- NE corner: 23.63mAE

- NW corner: 23.62mAE

- SW corner: 23.67mAE

- SE corner: 23.64mAE

Locus 5 finds:

- Tile: 1/20 bowl

- Pottery: 18 sherds

- Bone: 3 fragments

Locus 3 finds:

- Tile: 5/6 bowl

- Pottery: 63 sherds

- Bone: 0 fragments

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Baulk trim:

- Tile: 1/30 bowl

- Pottery: 8 sherds

- Bone: 0 fragments

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