Tuesday, 23 July 2019

AM

This morning, we continued working in Locus 26 and began working in Locus 27. In both loci, we are using hand picks and trowels to excavate. Furthermore, we will collect the first wheelbarrow-full of soil from each locus as soil samples for flotation.

The soil deposits in both loci are the same. Both are dark gray soils and the coloration is caused by high quantities of charcoal. The soil in both deposits is fairly claylike but also is loose, exhibiting no compaction. We are hand sorting soil in the trench then passing it through a 1cm gauge sieve; once we collect soil samples, we also will screen soil through a 2mm gauge sieve. We are recovering exceptionally high quantities of slag and large amounts of pottery, especially from Locus 27. We also are finding small quantities of bone, pottery, tile, plaster, and vitrified terracotta. In Locus 27, along the northern edge of the locus, a small portion of the plaster-rich EPOC4 subfloor excavated in 2018 has eroded into the locus. From this deposit, we recovered a creamware base. But once the plaster-rich deposit and its interface with Locus 27 was removed, soil throughout Locus 27 was consistently dark gray and charcoal-rich.

In addition to the high quantities of slag and pottery, in Locus 27, we recovered a tile fragment with adhered slag (Find #174), three crucible fragments (Finds #175, 176, 184), two coil made vessel fragments, including a rim (Finds #177, 182-rim), two more tile fragments with adhered slag, one of which is incised on the underside (Finds #178, 180-incised), a flange fragment (Find #183), a possible painted pantile (Find #181). In Locus 26, we found the stem of an impasto chalice/ high footed cup (Find #179).

We continued working in both Loci 26 and 27, excavating both dark gray, charcoal-rich deposits. In both loci, we are recovering exceptionally high quantities of slag, but are finding only limited quantities of tile, plaster, pottery, and bone. Initially, in Locus 27, we were finding high quantities of pottery in Locus 27, but this seems to be due to the erosional intermixing of EPOC4’s subflooring with the Locus 27 deposit along the locus’ northern edge. Now that the erosional subflooring has been removed, we are finding less pottery. However, in Locus 27, we are recovering larger roofing tile fragments, even though we are excavating deposits predating EPOC4. These include a pantile fragment that may be painted (Find #185) and a flange (Find #186). In Locus 26, we also recovered a jaw fragment with teeth (Find #187), and a well-preserved flange (Find #189). Back in Locus 27, we found another pantile fragment with adhered slag (Find #190) and another crucible fragment (Find #191). We also found a fragment of a jawbone preserving tooth sockets (Find #192) and a fragment of cut antler. 

Special Finds:

Find #174

• Locus 27
• 108.71E/42.68S
• 26.53m A.E.
• Tile with adhered slag

Find #175

• Locus 27
• 108.13E/44.29S
• 26.36m A.E.
• Crucible fragment

Find #176

• Locus 27
• 108.10E/42.85S
• 26.58m A.E.
• Crucible fragment

Find #177

• Locus 27
• 107.83E/44.20S
• 26.35m A.E.
• Coil-made pottery

Find #178

• Locus 27
• 108.15E/42.88S
• 26.61m A.E.
• Tile with adhered slag

Find #179

• Locus 26
• 107.94E/45.27S
• 26.21m A.E.
• Tondo fragment

Find #180

• Locus 27
• 108.22E/43.19S
• 26.56m A.E.
• Incised tile with adhered slag

Find #181

• Locus 27
• 108.04E/42.96S
• 26.53m A.E.
• Skyphos base

Find #182

• Locus 27
• 107.75E/43.71S
• 26.38m A.E.
• Coil made rim fragment 

Find #183

• Locus 27
• 107.79E/43.96S
• 26.33m A.E.
• Flange

Find #184

• Locus 27
• 107.91E/42.66S
• 26.45m A.E.
• Crucible fragment

Find #185

• Locus 27
• 107.89E/42.66S
• 26.36m A.E.
• Possible painted tile

Find #186

• Locus 27
• 107.80E/43.87S
• 26.35m A.E.
• Flange

Find #187

• Locus 26
• 107.78E/45.32S
• 26.21m A.E.
• Jaw fragment with teeth

Find #188

• Locus 27
• 107.90E/43.87S
• 26.34m A.E.
• Crucible fragment

Find #189

• Locus 26
• 107.57E/45.83S
• 26.16m A.E.
• Flange

Find #190

• Locus 27
• 108.23E/43.94S
• 26.33m A.E.
• Tile with adhered slag

Find #191

• Locus 27
• 107.72/42.88S
• 26.42m A.E.
• Crucible fragment

Find #192

• Locus 27
• 108.33E/43.86S
• 26.35m A.E.
• Jaw fragment

Find #193

• Locus 27
• 108.26E/43.82S
• 26.37m A.E.
• Cut antler

PM

We continued to excavate in both Loci 26 and 27, using trowels and handpicks. Both Loci consist of soil deposits that are dark gray in color, due to an abundance of charcoal. Furthermore, the soil of both deposits is claylike but loose. Both deposits contain a scattering of small-to-medium sized stones (max. dimension 25cm), and the concentration of stones is densest in the NE corner of Locus 27, where some elements of EPOC4’s subfloor form Locus 12 (2018) were compressed into the underlying Locus 13/27 deposit. Additionally, the bedrock shelf that previously had been exposed to the N of Locus 27 has been shown to be sloping downward, into Locus 27. In the southern part of Locus 27 and the northern part of Locus 26, we are becoming level with the sounding excavated in T76 in 2016. We now are working to level off the elevations of both loci. 

In both loci, we are hand-sorting soil in the trench, then screening soil through a 1cm gauge sieve. We are recovering exceptionally high quantities of slag from both loci and large amounts of pottery, although Locus 27 seems to be yielding more pottery than Locus 26. In Locus 27, we also have recovered three iron fragments (Finds #194, 196, 198), a diagnostic bone fragment (Find #195), and a piece of cut antler (Find #197). Also in Locus 27, we found a large piece of cut antler (Find #200). While working in the northern area of Locus 26, we found a tooth (Find #199) and a crucible fragment (Find #201).

Locus 26:

• Tile and plaster: ⅕ bowl
• Pottery: 40 sherds
• Bone: 28 fragments
• Slag: 303 fragments
• Vitrified terracotta: 32 fragments

Locus 27:

• Tile and plaster: ⅓ bowl
• Pottery: 268 sherds
• Bone: 31 fragments
• Slag: 154 fragments
• Vitrified terracotta: 28 fragments
• Bronze: 2 fragments

Special Finds:

Find #194

• Locus 27
• 108.35E/43.68S
• 26.29m A.E.
• Iron fragment

Find #195

• Locus 27
• 108.28E/43.66S
• 26.31m A.E.
• Diagnostic bone

Find #196

• Locus 27
• 108.16E/43.70S
• 26.33m A.E.
• Iron fragment

Find #197

• Locus 27
• 108.60E/42.96S
• 26.41m A.E.
• Cut antler

Find #198

• Locus 27
• 108.20E/43.68S
• 26.29m A.E.
• Iron fragment

Find #199

• Locus 26
• 107.80E/45.25S
• 26.22m A.E.
• Tooth

Find #200

• Locus 27
• 108.72E/43.04S
• 26.46m A.E.
• Cut antler

Find #201

• Locus 26
• 108.02E/45.42S
• 26.19m A.E.
• Crucible fragment