Daily Trench Journal

Area D

Trench 5

July 11, 2002

Work focused on getting the central region of the trench lowered, in particular the area E of L5094/L5100. A new pit (L5102) was uncovered along the central-E baulk and though it is possible it is the same as last year’s L5059, I don’t believe that to be the case as we went through a layer of sandy material which extended beyond the later discovered horizontal boundaries of the pit. However, either L5102 being or L5059’s continuation or simply L5059’s existence (which I had briefly forgotten until I took another look at my top plans from last season) could explain the mixed pottery and other materials towards the eastern baulk of the trench.

Also, we may be beginning to uncover an oven in the central portion of the trench. At this time its potential associations are totally unclear as we’ve only begun to uncover and until we’re a bit further they will remain so. In fact, until things are slightly more clear about the exact nature of the oven, it will remain locus-less until I am completely sure of its existence (right now it’s just a partial semi-circle of burnt-red mudbrick).

New loci: 5103—the area with concentrated jumbled mudbrick inclusions, some entire bricks, SE of L5079/5094/5100 and N of the mudbrick structure; and L5104 as the S wall of the eastern half of the mudbrick structure. I re-examined the mudbrick wall with the removal of a partial row of brick to double-check last year’s work as its placement still seems somewhat queer. Nonetheless, the wall is definitely there.