July 7 2023

AM:

Locus 1 opening day elevations:

NW: 26.73m AE

NE: 26.675m AE

SE: 26.61m AE

SW1: 26.75m AE

SW2: 26.70m AE

SW3: 26.83m AE

Excavation began in the morning in Locus 1 along the western baulks of the trench moving east. The soil, still brown, compact, and sunbaked, was loosened with hand picks. It was sorted by hand into buckets. There were frequent inclusions of plaster, including plaster with reed impressions and vitrified plaster. THere were also much less frequent inclusions of tile fragments, pottery, and bone. There were also carbon inclusions, partially along the 179E gridline. Along the northern baulk, as the brown sunbaked soil was removed, a lighter and wetter clay soil began to emerge which looks reddish pink due to frequent plaster inclusions. In this later there are also emerging large embedded pieces of vitrified plaster and tile. Since this emerging later is significantly different from the top sunbaked brown, the lowering of Locus 1 proceeded throughout the morning to uncover its extent.

PM:

Hand picking continued in Locus 1 moving east in order to uncover the extent of the pinkish red layer that was first uncovered along the northern baulk in the morning. Work concentrated in the remaining sunbaked medium brown areas along the southern and eastern baulks. Inclusions remained consistent with the morning, with plaster--including vitrified and reed impressed--making up the majority. In the corner where the trench width expands from 2m to 3m (SW2), where a carbon deposit lies along the west baulk, bronze flakes were uncovered and recorded as special find 1.

SF1:

Locus 1

179.89E/66.10S

26.72m AE

Bronze flakes

In that area, a darker and more clay-like soil also began to emerge, so Locus ! continued to be lowered to uncover its extent.

Daily totals:

8 Tile: 0.5 bowl

9 Pottery: 43

10 Bone: 2

11 Plaster 2 bowls

12 VTC: 5

13 Vitrified plaster: 137

14 plaster with reed impressions: 17

Locus 1 end of day elevations:

NW: 26.73m AE

NE: 26.695m AE

SE: 26.74m AE

SW1: 26.845m AE

SW2: 26.71m AE

SW3: 26.70m AE