Friday, July 13 2018

AM

Began work by taking aerial photos of the cobbling of small fist-sized stones situated in Locus 13.  Then, we decided to pause work in Locus 13, in order to expand our section 1m to the west, in order to recover more architectural debris from EPOC4 that was incorporated into beaten earth surface 2 and to more fully expose the small stone cobbling revealed in Locus 13.  Therefore, Locus 14 was opened 1m to the west tof the 2017-2018 sections.

Diagram of Locus 14, 2017 and 2018 sections, EPOC4 N wall, and beaten earth surfaces

Opening photos and elevations for Locus 14 were taken.

Opening elevations: Locus 14

• NW corner (106.50E/41.16S): 26.77m A.E.
• NE corner (107.50E/41.50S): 26.83m A.E.
• 107.52E/43.45S: 26.59m A.E.
• 107.26E/41.42S: 26.60m A.E.
• SE corner (107.20E/44.73S): 26.50m A.E.
• SW corner (106.50E/44.75S): 26.49m A.E.

Locus 14 consists of a compacted soil.  It has been exposed for over two years and is severely baked out, so determining the color of the deposit is difficult.  We are using hand picks and trowels to excavate. Soil is hand-sorted in the trench and the first five buckets of soil are screened through a 1cm gauge sieve, then set aside for flotation.  We are recovering moderate quantities of plaster, but little pottery, bone, slag, or vitrified terracotta. We did recover one potential pan tile flange. As few tiles and no flanges have been recovered from any of the beaten earth surface 2 deposits, this possible flange will be special found (Find #38).

Once we removed the baked out, crusty layer from the upper surface of the locus, soil became significantly more plaster-rich, orange in color, and claylike.  It is identical in appearance to Locus 12. The amount of material culture recovered has increased dramatically as well. Now, we are recovering exceptionally high quantities of plaster, along with moderate amounts of pottery and some tile, bone, slag, and vitrified terracotta.  After reaching the truly plaster-rich deposit, we recovered a tooth from the sieve (Find #39), a possible crucible fragment (Find #40), another pan-tile flange (Find #41), and a second crucible fragment (Find #42). We also found a flake of bronze and decided to bulk-find bronze.

We continued to excavate Locus 14, exposing more plaster.  There also are numerous small-to-medium sized rocks scattered throughout the deposit and interspersed with the plaster.  In the northern area of the locus, more bedrock is appearing. This bedrock is the same bedrock that appeared in the 2017 section and beneath Locus 12.  While exposing the bedrock in the north of the locus, a sherd of odd perforated pottery was found (Find #43), along with a diagnostic bone fragment (Find #44).  Further to the south, in a plaster-rich area, we found a small fluted spindle whorl fragment (Find #45) and a crucible fragment (Find #46).

Special Finds:

• Find #38
• Locus 14
• 107.39E/42.26S
• 26.79m A.E.
• Possible flange

• Find #39
• Locus 14
• Sieve find
• +/- 10cm: 106.58E/44.50S
• 26.59m A.E.
• Tooth

• Find #40
• Locus 14
• 106.99E/44.05S
• 26.56m A.E.
• Crucible fragment

• Find #41
• Locus 14
• 106.91E/41.55S
• 26.76m A.E.
• Pan-tile flange

• Find #42
• Locus 14
• 106.95E/43.45S
• 26.54m A.E.
• Crucible fragment

• Find #43
• Locus 14
• 106.92E/41.59S
• 26.72m A.E.
• Odd perforated pottery

• Find #44
• Locus 14
• 106.80E/41.53S
• 26.74m A.E.
• Diagnostic bone fragment

• Find #45
• Locus 14
• 106.85E/44.12S
• 26.54m A.E.
• Small fluted spindle-whorl fragment

• Find #46
• Locus 14
• 107.27E/42.92S
• 26.67m A.E.
• Crucible fragment

• Find #47
• Locus 14
• 106.91E/41.85S
• 26.68m A.E.
• Crucible fragment

PM

We continued working in the plaster-rich deposit of Locus 14.  Now that the baked-out crust on the upper surface has been removed, soil is notably more claylike but is still compacted.  Soil itself is medium-brown and heavily mottled with plaster inclusions. In addition to plaster, there also are moderate quantities of pottery, bone, slag, and vitrified terracotta.  Since enough soil has been collected for flotation, we now are screening soil through 1cm and 2mm gauge sieves. Finds include another pan tile flange (Find #48) and a piece of pan tile with adhered slag (Find #49).  Additionally, we found a robust long bone (Find #50) and a piece of plaster with preserved reed impressions (Find #51).

As we worked in the northern area of the deposit, near the bedrock shelf, a new red deposit was beginning to appear.  This red deposit likely is equivalent to Locus 9 from 2017.

Special Finds:

• Find #48
• Locus 14
• 106.77E/41.44S
• 26.70m A.E.
• Flange

• Find #49
• Locus 14
• 106.77E/41.44S
• 26.70m A.E.
• Tile with adhered slag

• Find #50
• Locus 14
• 106.50E/41.35S
• 26.75m A.E.
• Robust long bone

• Find #51
• Locus 14
• 106.78E/44.35S
• 26.50m A.E.
• Plaster with preserved reed impressions

Locus 14:

• Tile and plaster: 1 bowl
• Pottery: 64 sherds
• Bone: 9 fragments
• Slag: 12 fragments
• Vitrified terracotta: 7 fragments
• Bronze: 1 fragment