27 July 2018

AM

Due to the thunderstorm on 25 July, the soil is still damp. Trowels were used to scrape down the soil to reveal the surface below the layer of mud. To prepare for excavation, handpicks were used to knock in the southern lip of the baulk wall.

Due to the time constraints of the season, as well as the inability to work in the area of the T-22 west extension because of mud, excavation methodology was adjusted slightly. Pick passes will be sorted thoroughly into the wheelbarrow. In-trench sorting will utilize trowels to pull soil into shovel heads, which will be placed into buckets for the wheelbarrow sorting.

The first pick pass peeled back the western portion of the trench from west to east. While sorting the soil, a fragment of a ridged impasto rim was discovered.

Special find #67: Ridged Impasto rim

27.06 m.AE

47.06 S / 169.11 E

The rim has ancient breaks and joins with supplemental find #68, which was recovered from the pottery bowl. It is possibly part of the same vessel as special find #63.

Supplemental find #68: Ridged impasto rim

Aprx: 27.04-27.08 m.AE

Aprx: 47.01-47.11 S/ 169.06-169.16 E

The rim was recovered from the pottery bowl and joins with special find #67 at an ancient break. It is possibly part of the same vessel as special find #63.

A second pick pass focused on the eastern part of the trench, peeling back the soil from east to west. While sorting, a fragment of terracotta with an impression was discovered.

Special find #69: Terracotta with impression

26.97 m.AE

46.99 S / 170.35 E

The fragment preserves an impression approx.. 1 cm in width at width at its widest and approx.. 3.5 cm and 3 cm in length.

This pick pass also revealed a higher concentration of fist-sized pieces of plaster in the northeastern quadrant of the trench. A third pick pass did not reveal a similar concentration in the western area.

A fourth pick pass focused on the eastern area of the trench, peeling back the soil from east to west.

While sorting the soil, a small diagnostic knuckle bone was discovered.

Special find #70: Diagnostic knuckle bone

Apprx. 26.97 m.AE

Apprx. 46-47.57 S / 169.51-171 E

The knucklebone is approx.. 1.5 cm in length and approx.. 0.6-0.8cm in width on the ends. The knucklebone was discovered while hand-sorting into the wheelbarrow, so a range of coordinates and elevations have been provided.

The lip of the southern baulk wall of the trench was knocked in using handpicks and trowels. The eastern baulk wall between T-92 and T-91 was also taken down using handpicks and trowels. During this cleaning, a slipped handle fragment was discovered with ancient breaks on both ends.

Special find #71: Slipped handle

27.09 m.AE

46.65 S / 169.35 E

Locus 6

The handle fragment preserves a small area of slip on one face of the surface. The fragment is approx.. 0.8 cm in diameter and approx.. 1.8 cm at its maximum length.

PM

A pick pass focused on the western section of the trench, peeling back the soil from the west to the east. A higher concentration of plaster is beginning to appear in the western quadrant of the trench. Whole sorting the soil, a slipped rim was discovered.

Special find #72: Slipped pottery

27.03 m.AE

46.66 S / 169.35 E

Locus 6

The rim preserves traces of slip extending to the sherd’s lower and right edge. The rim of the fragment, as well as the interior face, preserves small traces of slip.

A second pick pass in the eastern section of the trench peeled back the soil from east to west. While sorting, a decorated spindle whorl was discovered.

Special find #73: Decorated spindle whorl

27.01 m.AE

46.92 S / 169.46 E

Locus 6

The impasto spindle whorl preserves the decoration in the form of perforated lines that extended from end to end. The spindle whorl is approximately 2cm in diameter with a 0.5cm diameter aperture for the thread-hole.

In addition, a fragment of slipped pottery was also recovered.

Special find #74: Slipped pottery

26.98 m.AE

47.24 S / 169.84 E

Locus 6

The sherd preserves what appears to be a striped pattern, although there is not enough to state a definitive pattern. The exterior of the fragment appears to preserve two colors of slip, one light and one dark. The interior preserves a greater amount of slip, particularly the lighter color.

A third pick pass was thrown in the western section of the trench, peeling back the soil from the west to east. While sorting, a supplemental find was discovered. Since the exact location of the find, a bronze fragment, is unknown, a range of coordinates and elevations was taken.

Supplemental find #75: Bronze fragment

Approx.. 26.94 – 26.98 m.AE

Approx. 46.85 - 46.95 S / Approx. 169.53 – 169.63 E

Locus 6

The fragment is approx. 1 cm in length and preserves an angular shape. Part of the pseudo morph was also recovered and will be sent to the magazzino with the fragment.

The trench baulk walls in the east and the south were then knocked in and the trench was tidied.

Closing elevations for the day were then taken and recorded as follows:

NW (46 S / 168 E) – 26.99 m.AE

NE (46 S / 171 E) – 27.03 m.AE

NE2 (47.81 S / 171 E) – 27.02 m.AE

SW3 (46.82 S / 168 E) – 26.98 m.AE

End of day totals:

Pottery – 252 pieces

Bone – 97 pieces

Tile – 3 bowls

Bronze – 1 piece

Non-diagnostic slipped pottery – 1 piece

As materials were brought to the magazzino, it was determined that special finds #67 and supplemental find #68 do not join with special find #63 as the fabrics of the fragments are not consistent.