Locus 24 was a soil deposit located in the southern part of T90, just to the north of EPOC4’s southern wall.  It is situated in the same location as Loci 19 and 20 from the 2018 excavations of T90.  Locus 24 measures roughly 2 x 1.5 meters in dimension.

Locus 24 was excavated using hand picks and trowels.  Soil was hand-sorted in the trench, then passed through a 1cm gauge sieve.  The first wheelbarrow of soil was collected as a flotation sample.

Locus 24 was a dark brown, claylike, and loosely compacted deposit.  The soil also was heavily mottled, primarily with charcoal inclusions, which gave the soil its dark color; there also were terracotta, plaster, and limestone inclusions present.  The soil contained a loose scattering of small rocks (maximum dimension of 15cm).

Locus 24 contained moderately high quantities of material culture.  Most materials recovered from Locus 24 consisted of plaster and pottery, but there also were smaller quantities of terracotta tile, bone, slag, and bronze flakes.  We also found large quantities of crucible fragments and tile fragments with adhered slag.  These finds, in conjunction with the slag recovered, suggest that the processing and refining of metallic ores occurred in this area.

Locus 24 directly overlaid a preserved portion of EPOC4’s floor.  This floor surface was uncovered under nearly the entire locus, except in the NE quarter of Locus 24.  The floor surface continued out of the NW quarter of EPOC4 and joined with portions of EPOC4’s floor exposed in 2017 and 2018.  In the NE quarter of the locus, Locus 24 overlaid Locus 26.

Due to stratigraphic positioning, we conclude that Locus 24 postdates EPOC4.  Based on the large quantities of plaster recovered from this locus, we conclude that Locus 24 is associated with the abandonment and destruction of EPOC4 and perhaps contains remains from EPOC4’s collapsed walls.

Locus 24 is equivalent to Locus 7 from the 2017 excavations of T90 and to Locus 19 from the 2018 excavations of T90