Methodology

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The intended method of excavation in T 62 will be to break up soil using the pointed end of a pick axe. For strata that contain an abundance of material, soil will be removed from the trench using trowels and sorted while in the trench directly into buckets.

For each Locus excepting Locus 1 , every fourth bucket of soil will be sifted. Any materials found during sifting will be collected in a latte box separate from those used to collect finds recovered while hand sorting in the trench. The sifting station is approximately fifteen meters north of T 62 along the common dirt dump.

If the amount of material recovered is too great to pick axe, then trowels will be used to break up the soil. Depending on what is uncovered in T 62 the methods of excavation may change, as the trench and the remains found in it dictate the excavation method.

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A dirt dump for discarding all soil excavated from T 62 is established approximately five meters east of T 62 on an old dirt dump. A rock dump for discarding all rocks removed from T 62 will be established approximately twenty meters east, using the same rock dump from the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Terra cotta roofing tiles and plaster will be counted by bowls with a diameter of 36cm and a maximum depth of 10cm. Once tile and plaster have been counted they will be discarded in a tile dump, which is established approximately fifteen meters north of T 62 near the sifting station and common dirt dump. Pottery and bone will be collected, counted, and saved separately in latte boxes. Latte boxes have the approximate depth of 23cm, length of 9cm, and width of 6 cm.

For any special finds recovered from the trench, coordinates and elevations will be taken. In order to determine the coordinates, a plumb bob

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will be held over the location of the special find, and then the distance from two of the perpendicular baulk walls will be determined by extending a tape measure at a right angle from the string of the plumb bob to the string marking the boundaries of the trench.

In order to determine the elevation of special finds, once again a plumb bob will be held over the find spot of the special find. Simultaneously, a string with a line level will be attached to a fixed datum point and will be pulled taut and level, so that it intersects with the string of the plumb bob. A tape measure will be held so that it runs parallel to the string of the plumb bob, and the elevation relative to the datum point may then be determined. As the absolute elevation of the datum point is known, the absolute elevation of the special find may be calculated using the found relative elevation.

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