Date: 07-Aug-97
Weather: Hot, cloudless, still
Number of Workers: 4
Lots Open: 1318, 1319, 1320
Page Reference: 99

STRATEGY: 1. Take final photos of f87 & plan it then dismantle systematically to ascertain its structure - it will be dismantled along easting 515 so that we will get a good section. 2. Continue removing the last of 1309, i.e., small patches on south of trench around f91.

SUMMARY: 1. Photos & plans made of f87. 2. We removed the outer, eastern part of f87s circle - the material underneath was the same as 1309 & 1304 but I gave it a seperate lot no. just to be sure i.e. 1318. At the North of the 'tholos' (i.e., c. 11 o'clock on the circle) the soil under the outer circle of stones was fine & silty & like 1301. This material extended North & west for c. 1m - it contained very little artifactural material. I never defined a clear edge and can't think of an explanation for its close similarity with 1301/1306 which lay the channel between the inner & outer walls. The stones of the outer circle of the tholos seem to be built over a fairly thick silty deposit. 3. We began removing the last of 1309 but the material under f91 was very loose, mixed & pit-like. I found no edge (again!) but distinguished this material as 1319. 4. At the end of the day we began picking through the plaster of the west half of f87 - finds were called lot 1320. The plaster proved to be exceptionally hard & overlies a solid packing of fist-sized river stones.