Description:

Locus 18 was a mottled, claylike deposit that was medium brown in color with plaster, limestone, and charcoal inclusions. It laid just to the north of EPOC4’s southern wall and just south of the sections made to EPOC4’s porch in 2016 and 2017. In excavating Locus 18, small rocks were uncovered in the northwest corner of the section, which are not as densely packed as the cobbling found in Loci 14 and 15 and which are also at a higher elevation than the aforementioned cobbling. In the southern part of Locus 18, larger stones were uncovered that appear to have once been a part of EPOC4’s southern wall, and which had perhaps spilled over to the north and potentially landed on the southern extension of beaten earth surface 2.  These stones were defined as we excavated Locus 18, using trowels and hand picks. Moderate quantities of plaster, pottery, and bone were recovered, as well as small amounts of tile, slag, and vitrified terracotta. Locus 18 underlaid Locus 17 and overlaid Locus 19. Locus 18 is equivalent to Locus 11 from the T90 2018 excavations and Locus 6 from the T90 2017 excavations.

Cataloged Finds:

• 20180029: Folded bronze sheet
• 20180017: Projecting handle

Secure Context: Yes