Description:

Locus 13 consisted of a charcoal-rich, dark gray colored soil.  There were high concentrations of charcoal present in this deposit, leading us to conclude that this was a burnt deposit.  The texture of the soil was claylike and compacted. The compaction was most likely due to this locus undelaying a beaten earth surface (Locus 12).  

Locus 13 was confined to a small area in the northeast corner of the trench.  It was bounded to the north by the northern wall of EPOC4 and to the south by the 2017 sections and soundings.  It ovelaid a bedrock shelf in the northern meters of the deposit.

Locus 13 contained high quantities of ferric slag, crucible fragments, and tile fragments with adhered slag.  All these materials, coupled with the high concentrations of charcoal, suggest that the processing and refining of ores occurred in this area of EPOC4 and in this deposit.  No chronologically diagnostic materials were recovered from this locus, making it difficult to date the deposit.

In addition to high concentrations of charcoal, Locus 13 also was characterized by a dense stone packing.  These stones all were roughly fist-sized and densely-packed and were similar to the cobbling of similarly sized stones found within Locus 10 of the T90 2017 excavation.  They were situated within the dark-gray charcoal-rich soil of Locus 13, and high quantities of plaster were situated above this stone packing. Our current interpretation is that this packing of stones represents a subflooring, to aid in the drainage of the overlying plaster-rich beaten earth floor surface of Locus 12.

The deposit was excavated and the rock packing was defined using trowels.

Locus 13 is equivalent to Locus 10 from T90 2017 excavations. Locus 13 underlaid Locus 12.

Cataloged Finds:

• 20180033: Slag
• 20180034: Slag

Secure Context: Yes