Daily Log

26

Sketch of unfired covertiles, facing east

27

June 26, 1985

A.M.

Tile:  5          Pottery: 3

The cut to approximately floor level (~55-80 cm below surface level) was begun in QP/71-73.  Throughout the cut, the soil was mostly disintigrated plaster, making it very loose and light-colored.  Chunks of plaster, some very large (including flat-sided with reed impressions) were found with large and small pieces of tile.  Pottery included all types as well as pithos.  Some was burned, even to vitrification.  Several tiles and piesces of plaster showed evidence of burning.  Others were vitrified.  Some glassy slag was found throughout the soil, as were small flecks of carbon.

The only well-defined black burn area was found in P/71 ( see section sketch ).  Black carbon, burned and vitrified pottery, tile, and plaster were found. Small flakes of bronze sheet, contact, and slag came out thorughout the plaster stratum as well a sthe burn area.  Most was collected in a bronze bag, except large or significant pieces.

In Q/71, a heavy plaster concentration was found at ~65-70 cm.  Here, there were almost exclusively large pieces of reed-impression plaster (some with flat edges), also with flecks of carbon.  Very few tiles came from here.  There was very little, if any, evidence of burned tile, pottery, etc., in this plaster area.  Flat-edged and large chunks of plaster were reserved in separate casseti to attempt to determine concentration.

Tile was approximately 60% of material emptied from cassetti.

28

29

19850139

• Find #3
• Q/72-73
• ~60-75 cm (tile box)
• Rochetto; badly fractured; ancient
  • drawing
  • photo

19850037

• Find #4
• P/73
• ~60-75 cm
• Spindle whorl; orangeware
  • drawing
  • photo

30

31

19850045

• Find #6
• P/73
• Ivory plaque fragment
  • photo

32

View of unfired cover tiles looking east, showing plaster casts taken June 26, 1986.

33

P.M.

Tile:  1          Pottery: 1

Work continued, dropping PQ/71-73 to T-26 floor level. In Q/71, the heavy plaster layer continued with large pieces of plaster.  A number of vitrified tile fragments did come up from this area.  As yet, all other material was unburned.  Carbon flecks were still in evidence.  In the burn area in P/73, a large (~3 cm) piece of bronze sheet was found.

Plaster casts were taken of 4 footprints in the unfired cover tiles (see diagrams on p. 27 and p. 32 ).  For a full description, see conservator John Dennis's report.

Footprint #1 suffered a small amount of damage when, in the removal of the plaster cast, some tile fragments in the area of the little toe were dislodged and stuck to the cast.  Tiles were heavily PVA'd before the casts were taken.

Print #2 came up very vague.  It is hoped that a negative will yield more information.  #2 suffered some damage at the heel.

#3 broke in half.  It was redone to recover a portion of the heel.  During the first casting, the tile was lifted somewhat but resettled enough to take a second cast.

#4 was perfect.

#5 was PVA'd.

The heel section for #3 was taken without a problem.

See photos of the plaster cast process.

The heavy plaster area in Q/71 showed 2 cassetti of large chunks of plaster (1 with flat edges) and most of the wheelbarrow material was plaster.  At ~70 cm, a large, apparently flat-edged chunk of plaster was found projecting at an angle from the floor of the trench.  This was excavated to try to determine dimension.  At the end of the day, excavation was not yet completed.  It apparently extended down on a slant into the west baulk.  A heavy layer of carbon was discovered running over the top

34

35

36

37

of the plaster from the south and again seemed to extend into the west baulk.  Almost no tile or pottery came from this area.  Some samples of carbon were lifted and reserved.  In general, very little material came from the really heavy plaster layer except for burned tile, which generally came from the top.

In OP/71, a heavy burn and plaster layer continued to be excavated.  Tile and flat-edged plaster were recovered.  Some pottery of all types, both burned and unburned, was found, as well as a few pieces of bone.  Pithos was also found in small amounts.  In O/73, what may be a tile and plaster fall was uncovered.  This consisted of a heavy, flat ridge of plaster with tile over the top of it.  More excavation is necessary tomorrow.