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Wednesday, July 26 2023

AM

We began working in Locus 50, as Locus 51 still is too wet to excavate after yesterday’s rain. The soil is Locus 50 is olive brown in color and is moderately compacted, with a hard crust on the upper surface resulting from repeated sun exposure over the last five excavation seasons. Underneath the olive brown soil of Locus 50 is a darker brownish-gray, looser deposit that likely is equivalent to Locus 45 and associated with the abandonment, destruction, and debris of EPOC4. Therefore, we are working to remove the last of the Locus 50 soil. We are excavating using handpicks and trowels, hand-sorting soil in the trench, then passing soil through 1cm and 2mm guava sieves. We are recovering moderately high quantities of pottery and bone but little tile, plaster, slag, and vitrified terracotta. While working in the NE part of the locus, we recovered a colander fragment (Find #88), likely used for cheese production, and a crucible fragment (Find #89).

As we worked in the westernmost meters of the locus, we bega to uncover a patch of yellow colored, compacted soil. It is unclear what the purpose or function of this yellow deposit is, but given its

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High level of compaction, it may be a high portion of EPOC4’s floor. We will leave it in situ until we determine the nature of this deposit. As we worked along the eastern edge of the locus, the same rocky, compacted, yellow deposit began to appear as well.

By app. 9 am, we had removed the last of the Locus 50 olive brown soil, exposing the rocky, compacted, yellow deposit along both the E and W edges of the locus and the darker, looser, mottled deposit across most of the rest of the locus. Therefore, we decided to close Locus 50 and open Locus 52 across the darker, gray, looser deposit. Closing photos, elevations, and a plan were completed for Locus 50 and opening photos, elevations, and a plan were made for Locus 52.

Locus 50: Closing Elevations/ Locus 52: Opening Elevations

• NW corner (104.30 E/40.50 S): 26.59m A.E.

• NE corner (106.50 E/40.50 S): 26.65m A.E.

• SE corner (106.50 E/42.50 S): 26.51m A.E.

• 105.40 E/42.50 S: 26.48m A.E.

• 105.40 E/42.00 S: 26.56m A.E.

• SW corner (104.42 E/42.00 S): 26.58m A.E.

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We began excavating in Locus 52. Locus 52 is darker brownish gray in color, is only loosely compacted, and is mottled, with terracotta and charcoal inclusions. Along the southern edge of the locus, Locus 52 visibly overlies EPOC’s beaten-earth floor, so we are working from S to N, in order to fully expose EPOC4’s floor in the area of the porch. We are excavating using handpicks and trowels, hand-sorting soil in the trench, then sieving soil through 1cm and 2mm gauge sieves. Initially, we are recovering moderately high quantities of pottery and bone.

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Special Finds:

• Special find #88

• Locus 50

• 106.18 E/41.71 S

• 26.61m A.E.

• Colander fragment for cheese production

• Special find #89

• Locus 50

• 106.07 E/41.02 S

• 26.58m A.E.

• Crucible fragment

• Special find #90

• Locus 50

• 106.03 E/41.63 S

• 26.59m A.E.

• Ridged impasto rim

PM

We continued working in Locus 52, working from S to N in order to expose more of EPOC4’s beaten-earth floor surface. As we moved from S to N, we noticed a looser and darker patch of soil that seems to be bounded linearly and is aligned with three larger stones (max. Dimensions 50 cm) that appears to be running southward out of EPOC4’s N foundation wall. At this point, it is not clear whether this soil infills a cut into

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EPOC4’s floor or if this soil and larger stones form an architectural feature. We will level the trench floor to the height of this different soil and will continue to expose more of EPOC4’s floor. We recovered two small bronze fragments (Find #91), and a finework handle (Find #92).

Simultaneously, we began working in Locus 51, the soil deposit currently at the bottom of the Locus 47 cut. At this point, it is not yet clear whether the soil of Locus 51 still infills the cut, in which case the cut runs deeper, or if the upper surface of Locus 51 marks the bottom of the Locus 47 cut. We began working in the eastern end of the locus moving west, toward the concentration of charcoal. We removed the small stones in the eastern part of the trench and removed app. 5cm of soil. Quickly, we found that the small stones are situated in galestra. As we approached the concentration of charcoal in the central meters of the locus, we found that the charcoal is resting atop galestra as well. Notably, all material culture has been recovered from the charcoal concentration. Here, we have recovered moderate quantities of bone, including two large diagnostic bone fragments (Finds #93, 95). We also

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Are recovering moderate quantities of pottery, including a crucible fragment (Find #94).

While working in Locus 52, trying to reveal EPOC4’s floor we recovered an intact bronze serpentine fibula (Find #96).

Locus 50:

• Tile + plaster: 10 fragments

• Pottery: 74 sherds

• Bone: 45 fragments

• Slag: 2 fragments

• Vitrified terracotta: 2 fragments

Locus 51:

• Tile + plaster: 1 fragment

• Pottery: 9 sherds

• Bone: 4 fragments

• Slag: 0 fragments

• Vitrified terracotta: 0 fragments

Locus 52:

• Tile + plaster: 44 fragments

• Pottery: 126 sherds

• Bone: 65 fragments

• Slag: 2 fragments

• Vitrified terracotta: 1 fragment

Special finds:

• Special find #91

• Locus 52

• 106.12 E/42.27 S

• 26.53m A.E.

• Bronze fragments

• Special find #92

• Locus 52

• 106.01 E/42.24 S

• 26.51m A.E.

• *Resting atop EPOC4 floor*

• Handle fragment for a lid

• Special find #93

• Locus 51

• 106.03 E/46.12 S

• 25.95m A.E.

• Diagnostic bone fragment

• Special find #94

• Locus 51

• 105.88 E/46.00 S

• 25.94m A.E.

• Crucible fragment

• Special find #95

• Locus 51

• 105.89 E/46.12 S

• 25.95m A.E.

• Diagnostic bone fragment

• Special find #96

• Locus 52

• 105.89 E/41.29 S

• 26.48m A.E.

• Bronze serpentine fibula

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