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7 July 2023

AM

T26 was established as a 7m x 3m rectangle with a 3m x 2m extension 3m from the northern baulk wall.  The trench was strung and cleaned for opening photos.   Opening photos were taken of the trench and of individual Loci.  12 Loci were opened and opening elevations and coordinates were taken.

T26 opening coordinates:

NW: 174E/64S

SW: 174E/71S

SE1: 177E/71S

SE2: 177E/68S

E1: 179E/68S

E2: 179E/66S

NE1: 177E/66S

NE2: 177E/64S

T26 opening elevations:

NW: 26.98m AE

SW: 26.64m AE

SE1: 26.64m AE

SE2: 26.65m AE

E1: 26.64m AE

E2: 26.66m AE

NE1: 26.78m AE

NE2: 26.71m AE

Locus 1 opening coordinates

NW: 174E/64S

SW: 174E/67.57S

SE1: 175.40E/67.37S

SE2: 179E/68S

NE2: 177E/64S

NE1:179E/66S

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Locus 1 opening elevations:

NW: 26.98m AE

SW: 26.78m AE

SE1: 26.72m AE

SE2: 26.64m AE

NE2: 26.66m AE

NE1: 26.71m AE

Locus 2 opening elevations:

NW: 26.72m AE

SW: 26.68m AE

SE: 26.68m AE

NE: 26.69m AE

Locus 2 opening coordinates:

NW: 174E/67.64S

SW1: 174E/70.22S

SE1: 174.43E/70.22S

NE1: 174E/67.64S

Locus 3 opening coordinates:

NW: 175.01E/68.71S

SW: 174.42E/70.18S

SE: 175E/68.54S

NE: 175.47E/68.84S

Locus 3 opening elevations:

NW: 26.79m AE

SW: 26.70m AE

SE: 26.71m AE

NE: 26.78m AE

Locus 4 opening coordinates:

NW: 176.37E/67.82S

SW: 175E/71S

SE: 177E/71S

NE: 177E/67.96S

Locus 4 opening elevations:

NW1: 26.73m AE

NW2: 26.69m AE

NW3: 26.62m AE

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SW: 26.70m AE

SE: 26.64m AE

NE1: 26.65m AE

NE2: 26.65m AE

Locus 5 opening coordinates:

N: 175.87E/ 68.04S

SW: 174.93E/68.47S

SE: 175.78E/68.36S

Locus 5 opening elevations:

N: 26.86m AE

SW: 26.86m AE

SE: 26.82m AE

Locus 6 opening coordinates:

NW: 175.24E/67.42S

SW: 175.26E/67.62S

SE: 175.43E/67.55S

NE: 175.4E/67.37S

Locus 6 opening elevation:

26.73m AE

Locus 7 opening coordinates:

NW: 175.81E/67.19S

SW: 175.82E/68.52S

SE: 176.29E/68.33S

SE: 176.39E/67.29S

Locus 7 opening elevations:

NW: 26.56m AE

SW: 26.60m AE

SE: 26.58m AE

NE: 26.46m AE

Locus 8 opening coordinates:

NW: 177.03E/66.41S

SW: 177.00E/67.23S

SE: 177.61E/67.48S

NE: 178.21E/66.36S

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Locus 8 opening elevations:

NW: 26.55m AE

SW: 26.49m AE

SE: 26.59m AE

NE: 26.53m AE

Locus 9 opening coordinates:

NW: 176.51E/67.30S

SW: 176.39E/67.57S

SE: 176.92E/67.60S

NE: 176.81E/67.26S

Locus 9 opening elevations:

NW: 26.46m AE

SW: 26.59m AE

SE: 26.63m AE

NE: 26.50m AE

Locus 10 opening coordinates: [Ed: coordinates missing in trench book here, were added]

NW: 178.21E/66.36S

SW: 177.61E/67.48S

SE: 178.83E/67.81S

NE: 178.83E/66.36S

Locus 10 opening elevations:

NW: 26.53m AE

SW: 26.67m AE

SE: 26.73m AE

NE: 26.58m AE

Locus 11 opening elevations: [Ed: opening elevations missing in trench book here, were added]

NW: 26.92m AE

SW: 26.92m AE

SE: 26.92m AE

NE: 26.92m AE

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Locus 11 opening coordinates:

NW: 177.83E/67.75S

SW: 177.84E/67.95S

SE: 178.67E/67.94S

NE: 178.55E/67.61S

Locus 12 opening coordinates:

NW: 175.21E/67.49S

SW: 175.51E/67.59S

SE: 175.10E/67.32S

NE: 175.01E/67.28S

Locus 12 opening elevations:

NW: 26.69m AE

SW: 26.75m AE

SE: 26.76m AE

NE: 26.70m AE

Locus 1 is a dark brown soil and clay mixture that is highly compressed due to it being sunbaked.  Locus 1 has a uneven surface with horizontally growing roots due to being covered by a tarp.  The layer is composed of a rectangle of unexcavated soil representing the level that excavations reached [Ed:?] in the 1980s.

Locus 2 is a plaster floor surface representing the OC2/Workshop floor.  The surface extends 2.30m from its northern edge before appearing to form a corner.  

Locus 3 is a layer of dirt that appears in a rectangle 50cm wide extending from Locus 5 to the southern baulk wall.  The layer appears to be a straight cut in the floor filled by a brown clay.

Locus 4 is a plaster floor surface that functioned as the OC2/Workshop floor surface.  The locus is the extent of the floor to the east of the locus 3 break in the floor.

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Locus 5 is a triangular worked limestone measuring 0.45m x 0.30m x 0.30m that is positioned 0.87m from the eastern baulk wall.  Locus 5 is a column pad of the OC2/Workshop structure.

Locus 6 is a smaller rectangular worked limestone measuring 0.18m x 0.12m about 0.54m north of the extent of Locus 8.

Locus 7 is a dark carbon included brown soil that is triangular in shape.  The layer was exposed in 2019 after sectioning through the plaster floor surface.

Locus 8 is a soil fill with exposed tiles and plaster that was revealed within a depression to the north of the workshop floor (Locus 3).  Locus 8 covers Locus 9, a fragment of the plaster surface that is cracked off and sloping within the depression revealed in 2019.

Locus 10 is a carbon included dark brown layer that is semicircular in shape.  The layer represents the highest soil associated with the depression revealed in 2019.  

Locus 11 is a worked limestone with rounded edges that measres 0.35m x0.90m within the trench.  The limestone is a stone column pad in the north of the OC2/Workshop.

Locus 12 is a layer of 3 pan tiles that are resting on the sloping surface of Locus 10 and the sloping floor surface of Locus 9.  The tiles are located close to the northern estent of the OC2/Workshop roof.

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41

PM

The loci were drawn on millimeter paper.  While the trench drawings were completed excavation began in the southern most 50cm of the eastern extent of Locus 1.  The area was picked using a large pick axe.  The pick pass revealed soil that was compacted and hardened due to the tarps and previous exposure.  Hand picks were used to break up larger dirt clods that were too hard to break up by hand.  The soil close to border of Locus 2 is very dark in color with frequent inclusions of carbon.  Small amount of tile, pottery, and frequent fragments of plaster are being recovered.  Two fragments of plaster with reed impressions (Special Find #2 & Special Find #3) were recovered along with a fragment of burnt bone(Special Find #4).

Special Find #2

Locus 2

174.19m E

66.57m S

26.85m AE

Plaster with reed impression

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Special Find #3

Locus 1

174.77m E

67.00m S

26.84m AE

Plaster with reed impressions

Special Find #4

Locus 1

179.80m E

66.88m S

26.71m AE

Burnt Bone & associated fragments

While sorting continued in Locus 1, hand picks were used to remove the baked soil that is compacted in Locus 8.  While sorting, a fragment of vitrified terracotta (Special Find #5) and an additional fragment of vitrified terracotta (Special Find #6) were recovered.

Special Find #5

Locus 8

174.18m E

67.02m S

26.80m AE

Vitrified Terracotta

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Special Find #6

Locus 8

177.16m E

67.11m AE

Vitrified Terracotta

The same area of Locus 1 was picked using a pick axe in order to remove the compacted and sun baked soil.  The pickpass revealed a ligher brown soil to the north of the carbon included layer.  Additional excavation is needed to determine if the lighter soil extends or is caused by a large amount of plaster inclusions.  The picked soil was covered with a tarp during lunch.

PM

The soil picked before lunch was sorted into buckets by hand.  A large amaunt of vitrified materials, carbon, and plaster continues to be recovered.  A fragment of plaster with a reed impression (Special Find #7), a fragment of vitrified tile (Special Find #8) and a fragment of vitrified terracotta with 8 associated fragments were recovered (Special Find #9).

Special Find #7

Locus 1

174.89m E

66.61m S

26.79m AE

Plaster with reed impression

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Special Find #8

Locus 1

174.36m E

66.27m S

26.85m AE

Vitrified Terracotta

Special Find #9

Locus 1

174.20m E

66.41m S

26.75m AE

Vitrified Terracotta & 8 associated fragments

The soil in Locus 8 continues to be lowered using handpicks and trowels in order to investigate the extent of the slope between Locus 8 and Locus 10 and to investigate the relationship of the roof tiles in Locus 12 with the tile visible in the eastern extent of Locus 8.  While sorting soil by hand into buckets a fragment of burnt bone was found (Special Find #10).

Special Find #10

Locus 8

177.60m E

66.48m S

26.69m AE

Burnt Bone & associated frags.

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Sorting by hand into buckets continued in Locus 1.  Frequent inclusions of small to medium sized roots, associated with the oak tree to the east of the trench are being found throughout the area being excavated in Locus 1.  Frequent fragments of plaster are being recovered along with some fragments of terracotta.  Vitrified material is frequently being recovered, such as a fragment of vitrified plaster (Special Find #11), and vitrified terracotta (Special Find #12).  Plaster with reed impressions continue to be recovered (Special Find #13) (Special Find #14).

Special Find #11

Locus 1

174.22m E

66.51m S

26.93m AE

Vitrified plaster

Special Find #12

Locus 1

174.35m E

66.63m S

26.90m AE

Vitrified Terracotta & 29 frags

*3 largest frags drawn

Special Find #13

Locus 1

174.66m E

66.36m S

26.91m AE

Plaster with reed impressions

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Special Find #14

Locus 1

174.41m E

66.67m S

26.88m AE

Plaster with reed impression and 2 associated fragments

The loose soil was sorted into buckets by hand and the trench was swept.  Closing elevations were taken.

Closing elevations:

Locus 1:

NW: 26.95m AE

SW: 26.68m AE

SE: 26.74m AE

NE: 26.87m AE

Daily Totals:

Locus 1

Terracotta - 9 pcs

Plaster - 1 bowl

Locus 8

Terracotta - 1 pc.

Plaster - 26 pcs