Daily Log

86

87

Wednesday June 20

Sun, a strong breeze

Area G-H 4-5

Tried to make this area look a little more tdy but still looks far from beautiful.

Tried to define eastern edge o fbig stones in F-G 3/4; this is not easy as the edge of the wall is blurred by destruction material.  Western edge looks more promising.

Also made a quite small cut (E-W) in grid H5 to check stratification of possible (very uncertain though) clay plaster wall.  E-W burnt soil still sems to continue for up to 10 more cms (lower surface of B-stratum not even) containing disintegrated clay plaster, small size stones etc.  Below this appears a yellowish somewhat clayen soil, with carbon speckles.  Depth of cut not more than ca 20cms.

Discarded material from area:

• G 4
• H 4-5

Str. A :

Very little material.

• Pantile: 1 small frag.
• Covertile: 2 smal fragments
• Pithos: 1 small frag. of p. rim (small size)
• Clay-plaster: 1 small frag.

88

89

Str. B :

• Tiles: 1 casette of tiles and covertiles.
• Wallplaster: 1 cassetta of tiles and covertiles.

Brought to the magazzino (excl. fine pottery)

Str. B:

• Coarse pottery: 1 cassetta
• some 10 samples of clay plaster

Area E-F (N. half of F) 2-3

In this area we intend to

1. Trace the big stones northwards and see if they connect with the big stone disclosed last year in D3
2. Take down E 2-3 west of this wall (if it turns out to be a continuous line of stones suggestive of a wall) - at same time trace the beams (?), which have appeared in profile D/E 2-3, destruction level, see profile drawing E.R.III p. , southwards.

First A stratum , yellowish grey, contains little, as usual.  In F area it is clearly separated from burnt level B below by a thin whitish surface, from which the soil above stacca.  A stratum ab. 10cm thick in F, gets somewhat thicker N-wards.

Then B stratum which is clearly burnt; esp. heavily burnt at prob. eastern edge of big stones appearing in E-F 3 on a high level, connecting stone line in

( pictures p. 90 )

90

Pictures

91

F-H 3 with D3 stone as suspected.  In E-F, as before, western edge of stones comes out much more clearly than eastern edge which is uncertain.

Now these stones certainly have the appearance of a wall; disclosed length: 5 meters.  Probable width: at least = stones of this size.

Have not been met with beofre in LB level (or levels=.

Where does N part of wall turn?

The stone in grid F 2/3 is partly concealed by one of the stones (big size) making up a posthole in grids UB level.  In between comes a soil layer cm thick.

The next step is to uncover the western side of the big stones .  W. edge of stone in D3 was already uncovered in 1972.  We now porceed S-wards starting in E 2-3, where we go as far as UB post hole stones allow (these should probably not be lifted yet).  At the E edge of Red Area Wall we meet with a red pavement of small size in A level: Cf profile drawing ER III p. Same few sherds within the red.  East of this, A level is as usual, dry yellowish grey soil, little contents.  B level is heavily burnt soil, colored reddish, with big patches of black burnt soil (cf last year in esp: C-D 2-3).

The stratum is ab. 40cm thick, contains much tile and much clayplaster (some very interesting pieces brought to magazzino).  All this accords with the observations in area B-D 2-3 from last year.

This layer should porbably be considered as a destruction stratum to be connected with big stone wall immediately to

Also not that B-stratum slopes westwards, down from Upper pres. level of stones.

92

93

the east of it.

As for the relation between Big Slope Wall and Red Area wall, the former should be the earlier as B destruction level continues below foundation stones of Red Area Wall.

Difficult ot say anything yet about relation between Big Stone Wall, and LB unit disclosed in R5-R6-7-courtyard.

B stratum finishes downwards with a distinct surface colored all black by carbon (clearly visible in profile drawing ERIII p. ).  This level seems to accord well with level reached June 11, p. 19-21 sopra , in grids C-D 2-3 N-wards.  Prob. pavement level, porbalby "outside."

When B stratum has been dug away in E2, the vertical, smooth western side of 2 covers of stone foundation appears in E3 with a total height of 50cms (lower stone 35 upper 15).  The lower surface of the lower stone is some few centimeters below the abovementioned carbon colored surface.

The supposed beams visible in profile section ERIII p. turned out to be heavily burnt wall plaster, greyish black at core, reddish surface.  Still seems strange that they appear quite regular in section: fill between wooden members?

Finds in B level:

19730029

19730029

• Find #2
• E2
• Str. B -74
• Spindlewhorl; fluted sides, impasto
• Photos

94

95

Discarded material from E 2-3

Str. A:

• Tiles: 8 frags.
• Covertiles: 1 frag.

Str. B:

• Tiles: 1 1/2 cassetta
• Clayplaster: 1 cassaetta (a few good pieces brought to magazzino)

In tile box was found a fragment of ridgeole tile with part of scar preserved for acroterion.

19730101

19730101

• Find #3
• E 2-3
• Str. B
• Fragment of ridgepole tile, the 3.5cm with part of scar (for acroterion?) preserved.
• Drawing
• Photo

19730312

19730312

• Belongs to ridgepole tile supporting volute acroterion???