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Friday, July 14 2023

AM

We began the day in Locus 45, continuing to excavate the mottled soil of the deposit in order to to expose the underlying plaster-rich earthen floor of EPOC4. The soil of Locus 45 is dark grayish brown, mottled with terracotta and charcoal inclusions, claylike, and loosely compacted. We are excavating using trowels and handpicks, hand sorting in the trench, and passing soil through 1cm and 2mm gauge sieves. We are recovering high quantities of pottery and slag and moderate quantities of plaster, bone, and vitrified terracotta.

The floor surface of EPOC4 is sloping downward from N to S and E to W. The drop off seems to be sharper moving E to W; at app. 105. E, the plaster-rich surface of EPOC4 seems to drop sharply in elevation, moving from E to W. While working in the westmost meters of the Locus, we recovered a bronze pin fragment (Find #45), perhaps from a fibula. We also recovered a ridged impasto rim that may be slipped (Find #46) and a crucible fragment (Find #47)

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We continued working in Locus 45, both bringing down the parts of the locus where soil is at a higher elevation, in the SW quadrant, and exposing the surface of EPOC4’s plaster-rich floor. As we come down onto the floor surface, the quantity of material culture that we recover is increasing. We also recovered more crucible fragments (Find #48) from near EPOC4’s southern foundation wall.

Special finds

• Special find #45

• Locus 45

• 104.30 E/45.6 S

• 26.34m A.E.

• Bronze pin fragment: possible fibula pin

• Special find #46

• Locus 45

• 105.06 E/45.42 S

• 27.27m A.E.

• Ridged impasto rim, maybe slipped

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• Special find #47

• Locus 45

• *resting atop EPOC4 floor*

• 106.34 E/45.93 S

• 26.23m A.E.

• Crucible fragment

• Special find #48

• Locus 45

• 105.59 E/46.45 S

• 26.27m A.E.

• Crucible fragments

PM

We continued working in Locus 45, lowering the highest points of the locus in the western area while simultaneously working from E to W and continuing to expose EPOC4’s plaster-rich floor. The soil of Locus 45 remains loosely compacted, claylike, and mottled, with terracotta, charcoal, and limestone inclusions. We are continuing to recover high quantities of pottery and moderately high quantities of plaster, til, bone, slag, and vitrified terracotta. While working in the southern meters of the deposit, near EPOC4’s southern foundation wall, we recovered an iron nail (Find #49) and two crucible fragments (Finds #50, 51).

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Despite our continuous work in the western meters of the trench, we still have not uncovered the floor in these areas. It appears to be sloping downward fairly dramatically from NE to SW at approximately 105 E. We will continue working next week to fully reveal the floor of EPOC4.

Locus 45:

• Tile + plaster: ⅔ bowl

• Pottery: 189 sherds

• Bone: 29 fragments

• Slag: 28 fragments

• Vitrified terracotta: 5 fragments

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Special finds: Locus 45

• Special find #49

• Locus 45

• 105.37 E/46.08 S

• 26.22m A.E.

• Iron nail

• Special find #50

• Locus 45

• 105.42 E/46.50 S

• 26.21m A.E.

• Crucible fragment

• Special find #51

• Locus 45

• 105.05 E/46.45 S

• 26.25m A.E.

• Tile with adhered slag

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