Date: 27-Jul-97
Weather: Hot, still and very funny
Number of Workers: 0
Lots Open: 886, 888, 889
Page Reference: 334

STRATEGY: 1. To continue taking down lot 886 to articulate stones in the west of the trench and to bring down to the same level as 888. 2. To cut in towards the tholos wall from f230 to try and see if there is an outside edge of the tholos wall preserved.

SUMMARY: The first objective was achieved and I am now confident we have a double course of stones in the west of the trench. Stuart and I tried to find evidence of a cut in which these stones have been placed but nothing came to light. We are therefore pretty confident that the tholos was not cut into the pise building, i.e., later. Stuart speculated that perhaps the main room f231 may have been the original structure, then it was surrounded by a tholos with additional, later walls added to divide up the space between the tholos wall and the walls of f231 for storage or insulation. Inside the tholos wall 40cm south of the northern baulk I found part of a large, circular seal sf123. I then opened lot 889 to expose the remains of f250 and to search for the exterior walls of the tholos. I succeeded in discovering that, after the junction of f250 with the main tholos ring, there was a gap in the tholos ring. This was filled with pise with a possible plaster face. This face centred(?) and seemed to make up a very solid face, but not, it seems, following the tholos wall, but along the line of wall f242. This possibly adds weight to the argument that the pise building may be later than the tholos, as speculated by the lack of foundation trench.