| Entry: | 17th August. Today I realised how ill I had been over the past few days, as I felt well! What a difference it makes in approaching the archaeology. However, all is not solved yet. Not only was much of the space dug out of phase or in partial units last year, but I seem to be continuing the tradition. It is extremely difficult to understand the stratigraphic relationship of many of these convoluted fills until they are dug, and I now have a whole series of partly dug units and samples cluttering up the area - some because they are obstructed, some because the construction makes it impossible to remove them in one go. Yesterday I found that the fill between the two 'mouldings' by the crawlhole was overlying the sloping bricks beneath plastery layer 2872. Today I decided to remove that fill, but I knew it was problematic, since I had attempted to do the same on the northern edge of this area to release the lower layers of/layers underlying F279, and had given up on the idea because I could not tell what was part of the dump layer and what was part of F279. My attempt today was partially successful - it may have released the deposits on the south, but those to the north are clearly running under the bricky substructure of/layers underlying F279. In addition, removal of this dumpy fill - 3192 - uncovered more potential mouldings, one of which - a small horn shape with grey inner and white outer - has been visible on the surface for ages. It also uncovered more of the 'red stuff'. So I merely have more problems ahead of me, and have not solved many old ones. As for F279, I went back to taking that apart, since I clearly must finish it before I can deal with the rest stratigraphically. I took off another white marl layer - 3377 - , which looked clear enough but merged in with another marl layer from which it was indistinguishable. It must be a separate layer, as otherwise 3377 is over 3300 on the south and under it on the north, and it simply cannot work that way. Tomorrow I shall remove another marl layer - 3386 - at the western end of F279, which may in fact be more of 3377 if it was broken in the middle, and I'll hope it will clarify what is going on with the underlying brown layers. Really must get this thing done!
Haven't cleared my backlog of lab work. As always, I find it easier to record the beads, which are of no use to me but just require basic mechanical recording, than the figurines, which I do use but need more brain power. Didn't get much done yesterday because I was being interviewed by Leslie and Joshua, and problems with the camera delayed it.Entered By: Naomi Hamilton |
