19 July 2023

AM: Excavation began at both the western and eastern ends of Locus 4. The soil was loosened with hand picks and trowels and sorted into buckets. On the eastern end the carbon layer first uncovered below Lucos 4 in the NE corner of the trench was found to continue at the same elevation further west. There were copious inclusions of tile, plaster, and VTC as well as some pottery and bone. Just south of the ovoid tile fall defined yesterday, a linear carbon feature measuring 0.27m x 0.07m was revealed. A carbon sample was taken.

Carbon Sample 1 180.95E/64.90S 26.64m AE Locus 4

Nearby an impressed vitrified terracotta fragment was recovered and recorded as special find 47.

S. F. 47 180.35E/64.43S 26.63m AE Locus 4 Impressed vitrified terracotta in 2 fragments

A vitrified pan tile flange fragment was recorded as special find 48.

S. F. 48 170.99E/64.32S 26.62m AE Locus 4 Vitrified pan tile flange

Another impressed vitrified terracotta fragment was recovered in the same area and recorded as special find 49.

S. F. 49 180.68E/64.11S 26.56m AE Locus 4 Impressed vitrified terracotta in 2 fragments

On the western side of Locus 4 the layer continues at a lower elevation filling the depression previously uncovered in T26. The inclusions here consist mainly of plaster, potter, and fairly small tile fragments. Some of the medium tile fragments which are being defined and left in situ appear to lie on a slope going up the east. A loom weight fragment was recovered in this area and recorded as special find 50.

S. F. 50 177.94E/64.75S 26.63m AE Locus 4 Loom weight fragment

PM: Excavation continued on the eastern and western ends of Locus 4. A few more medium sized tile fragments emerged sloping up to the east on the western end of the Locus. A large bone fragment was recovered in the area. In the eastern extent of the locus, scraping continued down to the black carbon layer, which seems to continue at the same elevation further west. Inclusions of plaster were plentiful as was vitrified terracotta and vitrified plaster, including several very large fragments of about 10-15cm in diameter. Thus far no further large tile fall or interconnected VTC has been uncovered anywhere in the locus. Two impressed vitrified terracotta fragments were recovered and recorded as special finds 51 and 52.

S. F. 51 179.89E/64.65S 26.68m AE Locus 4 Impressed vitrified terracotta

S. F. 52 179.42E/64.61S 26.65m AE Locus 4 Impressed vitrified terracotta

A bone fragment with potentially cut holes was recovered and recorded as special find 53.

S. F. 53 180.18E/64.60S 26.57m AE Locus 4 Bone with potentially cut holes

End of day Locus 4 elevations:

NW: 26.60m AE NE: 26.56m AE SE: 26.56m AE SW: 26.57m AE Daily totals Locus 4:

78 tile: 3 bowls 79 pottery: 77 80 bone: 35 81 plaster: 4.5 bowls 82 VTC: 102 83 vitrified plaster: 0.66 bucket 84 impressed plaster: 14