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Monday, July 24 2023

AM

This morning, we decided to work in two different locations. First, we continued working in Locus 48, the olive brown deposit in the rectangular cut of Locus 47 in EPOC4’s floor. Here, on Friday, we had begun to expose a new, charcoal-rich deposit underlying Locus 48, although it is not yet clear if this charcoal-rich deposit extends across the entirety of the cut, is confined to a particular area, or is shaped. Therefore, we will remove the remaining Locus 48 deposit in order to determine the nature of the charcoal-rich deposit. We are excavating using trowels, hand-sorting soil in the trench, then passing soil through 1cm and 2mm gauge sieves. So far we have recovered no material culture but the charcoal-rich deposit does seem to be extending outward from where it was first discovered.

In the NW quadrant of the trench, EPOC4’s floor has not been fully exposed. Here, the exterior surface situated to the N of the N foundation wall of the small, rectilinear hut built atop EPOC4’s porch was left in situ as a control. Additionally, two small projections of overlying soil, resulting from the excavations of multiple different trenches, are overlying the rectilinear hut’s exterior northern surface. Therefore, we

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Are excavating these projecting deposits as Locus 49, so that we may also excavate the rectilinear hut’s N exterior surface and more fully expose EPOC4’s floor in the area of the porch. Opening photos and elevations were taken and an opening plan was made for Locus 49.

Locus 49: Opening Coordinates + Elevations:

• NW corner (104.30 E/40.50 S): 26.88m A.E.

• NE corner (106.50 E/40.50 S): 26.97m A.E.

• SE corner (106.50 E/41.10 S): 26.85m A.E.

• 106.20 E/41.10 S: 26.78m A.E.

• 106.20 E/40.65 S: 26.90m A.E.

• 105.50 E/40.65 S: 26.92m A.E.

• 105.40 E/40.90 S: 26.83m A.E.

• 105.10 E41.00 S:26.80m A.E.

• 104.93 E/40.50 S: 26.85m A.E.

• SW corner (104.30 E/40.60 S): 26.77m A.E.

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[plan of trench]

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We were able to quickly excavate Locus 49, removing the deposit and bringing the locus level with the exterior N surface of the small, rectilinear hut built atop EPOC4’s porch. The soil of Locus 49 is light olive brown and baked out on the upper surface, but is loosely compacted underneath the upper crust. We are excavating using handpicks and trowels and are hand-sorting soil in the trench, but are not sieving soil. We are recovering moderately high quantities of pottery and bone, small quantities of tile + plaster, but no slag or vitrified terracotta. While working in Locus 49, we recovered a pottery sherd with a projecting element (Find #77).

Once we were level with the exterior surface of the rectilinear hut, we began to see a mottled deposit along the N edge of the locus, while the rest appears olive brown in color. It is likely that the olive deposit is the exterior surface of the small rectilinear hut, but this does not extend as far north as the northern edge of Locus 49; this mottled deposit likely is debris from EPOC4 that underlies the exterior surface of the small rectilinear hut. Therefore, we decided to close Locus 49 and open Locus 50 across the remaining portion of the exterior surface of the small rectilinear hut. Closing photos, elevations, and a plan were made for Locus 49 and opening photos, elevations and a plan were made for Locus 50.

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Locus 49: Closing Elevations

• NW corner (104.30 E/40.50 S):

• NE corner (106.50 E/40.50 S):

• SE corner (106.50 E/41.10 S):

• 106.20 E/41.10 S:

• 106.20 E/40.65 S:

• 105.50 E/40,65 S:

• 105.40 E/40.90 S:

• 105.10 E/41.00 S:

• 104.93 E/40.55 S

• SW corner (104.30 E/40.60 S):

Locus 50: Opening Elevations

• NW corner (104.30 E/40.50 S):

• NE corner (106.50 E/40.50 S):

• SE corner (106.50 E/42.50 S):

• 105.40 E/42.50 S:

• 105.40 E/42.00 S:

• SW corner (104.42 E/42.00 S):

Simultaneously, we continued working in Locus 48. The underlying charcoal-rich deposit seems to be concentrated in the central area of the locus; to the west, soil is appearing more mottled, while we do not yet know what is happening in the eastern area of the locus. Additionally, there may be a cobbling or packing of small, level stones situated in the surface of the charcoal-rich deposit, although these are not yet sufficiently defined to make that determination. While working in the central area of the locus, we recovered two crucible fragments (Finds #76, 78) an antler fragment (Find #80), and a fragment

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Of a murex core (Find #79) from the sieve.

Special Finds:

• Special find # 76

• Locus 48

• 105.79 E/45.92 S

• 25.99m A.E.

• Crucible fragment

• Special find #77

• Locus 49

• 105.52 E/40.97 S

• 26.62m A.E.

• Pottery sherd w/ projeting element

• Special find #78

• Locus 48

• 105.71 E/45.59 S

• 26.01m A.E.

• Crucible fragment

• Special find #79

• Locus 48

• Sieve find

• +/- 15 cm: 105.65 E/45.75 S

• +/- 2cm: 25.97m A.E.

• Murex core

• Special find #80

• Locus 48

• 105.37 E/45.92 S

• 25.95m A.E.

• Antler fragment

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PM

We continued working in Locus 48 and began working in Locus 50. In Locus 48, we are out from the central area of the locus, which also is at the lowest elevation of this locus; we are leveling so that we may see soil changes more easily. A charcoal-rich soil underlies Locus 48 in the central area of the locus. Here, there also appears to be a concentration of smaller stones (max. Dimensions 12cm) lying flat atop the charcoal-rich deposit. To the west of these small stones, soil appears mottled, and more claylike. It still is not clear how the soil is changing in the E end of the locus.

In Locus 50, we are beginning to remove the soil identified as the surface exterior to the N wall of the small rectilinear building constructed atop EPOC4’s porch. The soil of Locus 50 is olive brown, claylike, and fairly heavily compacted. We are excavating using handpicks and trowels, hand sorting soil in the trench, then passing soil through 1cm and 2mm gauge sieves. We are recovering fairly high quantities, many fragments of which are large and well preserved, including fragments of a pithos with an interior ridge (Find #81). We also are recovering

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Moderate quantities of tile, plaster, and bone. As we continued working, we found a second ridged pithos fragment (Find #83).

In Locus 48, we started excavating and leveling in the eastern half of the locus. Doing so, we learned that the charcoal rich deposit does not extend to the easternedge of the locus; in the NE corner, soil is mottled and claylike, with some yellower patches. Additionally, we recovered app. 5 bone fragments from the NE quadrant of the locus, where the charcoal-rich deposit meets the mottled deposit. Nearby, we also recovered a globular bronze fragment (Find #82).

While sieving soil from Locus 50, we recovered another globular bronze fragment (Find #84)

As we worked in Locus 48, we continued to recover a new, yellower soil to the east of the charcoal concentration. This yellower soil also seems to wrap around to the N, while to the W of the charcoal concentration, soil is more mottled. After slightly more definition, the soil to the west started to appear more similar to that in the east: more yellow. We swept the trench floor and took closing photos for Locus 48, which we will close tomorrow morning, and took photos for a photomagnetic model.

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Special Finds:

• Special find #81

• Locus 50

• 105.33 E/41.73 S

• 26.58m A.E.

• Ridged pithos fragments

• Special find #82

• Locus 48

• 105.98 E/45.91 S

• 25.90m A.E.

• Globular bronze fragment

• Special find #83

• Locus 50

• 105.32 E/42.02 S

• 26.51m A.E.

• Ridged pithos fragments

• Special find #84

• Locus 50

• Sieve find

• +/- 50cm: 106.00 E/40.75 S

• +/- 3cm: 26.64m A.E.

• Globular bronze fragment

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• Special find #85

• Locus 48

• 106.14 E/45.81 S

• 25.94m A.E.

• Possible iron fragment

Locus 48:

• Tile + plater: 56 fragments

• Pottery: 96 sherds

• Bone: 35 fragments

• Slag: 23 fragments

• Vitrified terracotta: 1 fragments

Locus 49:

• Tile + plaster: 43 fragments

• Pottery: 86 sherds

• Bone 29 fragments

• Slag: 0 fragments

• Vitrified terracotta: 0 fragments

Locus 50:

• Tile + plaster: 36 fragments

• Pottery: 153 sherds

• Bone: 39 fragments

• Slag: 3 fragments

• Vitrified terracotta: 3 fragments

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