Thursday, July 12 2018

AM

Continued working in the plaster-rich deposit of Locus 12.  The deposit is comprised mainly of plaster held in place by a medium-brown soil.  The deposit is heavily compacted and likely is an eastern continuation of Beaten earth surface 2.  We excavated the deposit using hand picks and trowels. Soil was hand-sorted in the trench then passed through 1cm and 2mm gauge sieves.  We recovered high quantities of plaster, including numerous larger fragments with preserved finished surfaces and reed impressions (Finds #20-25).  Additionally, we recovered moderate quantities of pottery, bone, slag, and vitrified terracotta.

There is a particularly dense concentration of plaster in the western half of the locus, lying atop and pushed up against bedrock.  As we remove Locus 12, we continue to expose more bedrock, in the western half of the locus, and a new charcoal-rich dark gray deposit in the eastern half of the locus.  This new dark gray deposit likely is equivalent to Locus 10 from 2017 and also contains a cobbling of smaller stones. While working to expose the new dark gray deposit, we recovered another large plaster fragment with reed impressions (Find #26), a curving plaster fragment with reed impressions (Find #27), a double-banded handle (Find #28), a curved piece of plaster (Find #29), and a plaster fragment with a flat surface and reed impressions (Find #30).  We also recovered a piece of plaster with one curving face and one flat face, possibly created by roofing tiles (Find #31), a piece of plaster with deep reed impressions (Find #32), and a piece of slag (Find #33).

We fully removed the plaster-rich deposit of Locus 12, exposing the underlying bedrock in the western half of the locus and the underlying dark gray deposit in the east.  The plaster of Locus 12 also is visible in the section wall that, in part, is flush with the southern face of EPOC4’s N wall. Based on the plaster recovered, the flat surfaces of which may preserve impressions created by roofing tiles, we hypothesize that Locus 12 represents the collapse of EPOC4’s walls and roof.  Furthermore, the plaster is very fragile and has not been fired, unlike some plaster found in the OC buildings, which were fired in the conflagration that destroyed the OC. Therefore, EPOC4 probably was not destroyed in a fire. Also, based on the stratigraphic profile, EPOC4’s debris slightly overlaps the lowest part of EPOC4’s wall.  Therefore, EPOC4’s floor lies beneath its walls, so its floor surface must have been countersunk, in a manner similar to Iron Age huts.

Special Finds:

• Find #20
• Locus 12
• 108.53E/41.88S
• 26.82m A.E.
• Curved plaster fragment

• Find #21
• Locus 12
• 108.47E/42.03S
• 26.78m A.E.
• Plaster fragments with flat surfaces and a corner

• Find #22
• Locus 12
• 108.50E/41.76S
• 26.79m A.E.
• Plaster with reed impressions

• Find #23
• Locus 12
• 108.46E/41.92S
• 26.79m A.E.
• Large plaster fragment with reed impressions

• Find #24
• Locus 12
• 108.36E/41.82S
• 26.83m A.E.
• Plaster with flat surface

• Find #25
• Locus 12
• 108.26E/41.94S
• 26.76m A.E.
• Plaster with finished surfaces

• Find #26
• Locus 12
• 108.51E/41.64S
• 26.83m A.E.
• Plaster with reed impressions

• Find #27
• Locus 12
• 108.31E/41.87S
• 26.77m A.E.
• Plaster with reed impressions

• Find #28
• Locus 12
• 108.38E/41.91S
• 26.78m A.E.
• Double-banded handle

• Find #29
• Locus 12
• 108.06E/41.79S
• 26.82m A.E.
• Curved plaster

• Find #30
• Locus 12
• 108.62E/41.58S
• 26.85m A.E.
• Plaster with flat surface and reed impressions

• Find #31
• Locus 12
• 108.19E/41.68S
• 26.83m A.E.
• Plaster with flat and curved faces (tile impressions?)

• Find #32
• Locus 12
• 108.36E/41.63S
• 26.86m A.E.
• Plaster with deep impressions

• Find #33
• Locus 12
• 108.49E/41.80S
• 26.77m A.E.
• Slag

PM

As all the plaster-rich deposit of Locus 12 was excavated this morning, exposing the bedrock and the new dark gray deposit beneath, Locus 12 was closed and Locus 13 opened.  Closing photos and elevations for Locus 12/Opening photos and elevations for Locus 13 were taken.

Closing elevations: Locus 12/Opening elevations: Locus 13

• NW corner (107.50E/41.50S): 26.83m A.E.
• NE corner (109.13E/41.50S): 26.90m A.E.
• 110E/41.90S: 26.91m A.E.
• SE corner (110E/43S): 26.81m A.E.
• 109E/43S: 26.74m A.E.
• 109E/42S: 26.79m A.E.
• SW corner (107.50E/42S): 26.60m A.E.

The soil of Locus 13 is a dark grayish brown.  It includes high quantities of charcoal, which likely have caused the gray color.  Soil also is highly compacted likely resulting from the compaction of the overlying beaten earth surface 2.  There are numerous small, fist-sized rocks that form a sort of cobbling across the deposit. The soil color and texture, along with the cobbling of small stones, is identical to Locus 10 from 2017, which is contiguous with Locus 13.  These loci are equivalent.

Currently, we are working to define the stones of the cobbling, in preparation for aerial photography.  We are excavating using trowels. Soil is hand-sorted in the trench then passed through a 1cm gauge sieve, in preparation for flotation.  We are recovering much less plaster than in the previous deposit, but have found noticeably more slag. The amount of pottery and bone recovered is comparable with quantities from Locus 12.  We also found two charcoal samples (Charcoal samples 2 and 3). Special finds include a possible worked stone (Find #34), a piece of plaster with preserved flat surfaces and reed impressions (Find #35), a piece of plaster with preserved reed impressions and two angled flat surface (Find #36), and bronze sheet fragments (Find #37).

Special Finds:

• Find #34
• Locus 13
• 108.59E/41.86S
• 26.81m A.E.
• Possible worked stone

• Find #35
• Locus 13
• 109.24E/42.91S
• 26.79m A.E.
• Plaster with flat surfaces and reed impressions

• Find #36
• Locus 12
• 108.73E/42.07S
• 26.83m A.E.
• Plaster with reed impressions and two angled surfaces

• Find #37
• Locus 13
• 108.75E/42.08S
• 26.84m A.E.
• Bronze sheet fragments

Charcoal samples:

• Charcoal sample #2
• Locus 13
• 109.12E/42.13S
• 26.87m A.E.
• Charcoal

• Charcoal sample #3
• Locus 13
• 109.05E/42.03S
• 26.84m A.E.
• Charcoal

Locus 12:

• Tiles and plaster: 1 ½ bowls
• Pottery: 27 sherds
• Bone: 13 fragments
• Slag: 9 fragments
• Vitrified terracotta: 12 fragments

Locus 13:

• Tile and plaster: ? bowl
• Pottery: 27 sherds
• Bone: 1 fragment
• Slag: 27 fragments
• Vitrified terracotta: 23 fragments