| Entry: | This is a continuation of my general impressions. The sense of a dividing line between specialists and excavators is stronger than I first imagined. I thought it was just me not being used to the situation. But after the meetings discussing the methodology chapters last week, I understood this was recognised as a problem early on in the project. It seems some adjustments have been made since then but the feeling of some inequality is still in the air somehow. I have also noticed it is not difficult to find oneself identifying with one side of the us/them dichotomy. At least I do, even though I don’t mean to or wish to. Maybe because an informal difference between the specialists and the excavators is built in in the project, even though it is not explicitly so. It became very clear when we took a vote on whether the two chapters on the excavators view and the lab peoples view should be merged or not. Most of the specialists voted for a merge as the two chapters would be concerning the same topic. Which seems logic. But that is not realising the problem of the specialists setting the agenda and the excavators feeling of having no say. Most of the excavators voted for two separate chapters. I guess because most of them feel they have something different to say.
This seems to be an ongoing problem and there is evidently no easy solution to it. Maybe some of the system needs to be changed, like giving more initiative to the excavators or creating a continuity among the excavating staff from season to season.
Yesterday’s trip to Asikli hoyuk was very interesting and useful, and it was a shame not everyone got to see it. Not everybody wants to spend most of their day off on a bus, so maybe it could be an idea to go on a study trip like this during work hours.
In the north area I have been removing infilling in one of the rooms of building 5, space 156. As I excavated the east part of it first, I found a slight difference in the fill in the eight spit. It turned darker and consisted more of clay (unit 3228). Right underneath this I hit a surface that might be a floor. The west side was very similar, but in the northern part of the west side I found a higher concentration of charcoal and ash, and parts of the north wall seems to be cracked or damaged in some way as the ashy fill also can be found behind pieces of the bricks. These brick may or may not be in situ. The fill has parts of brick and plaster in it, but the bricks I am mentioning here are of the same kind as other bricks in the north wall. This darker fill may represent a phase at the end of the occupation or right before the infilling of the room. In the fill, maybe on the dark clay (3228) a part of a wall was found lying horizontally. A part of the western wall seems to have fallen down or have been pulled down before or as the room was filled in. When the fallen wall is excavated this may be clear. The standing western wall is damaged right at this place.Entered By: Åsa Berggren |
