| Entry: | PTW, JFB and myself continued with unit 18314 today. We were able to lift out more of it and have a little bit left to remove tomorrow before beginning room fill 18342 that is defined by the walls and buttresses in space 343. We have been able to tentatively define the buttresses we suspect to be present in space 343, attached to the north, east and southern walls (F. 5074, 5050=2425, 2426). The western wall is not known as this is, if projected correctly, somewhere beyond the western profile unexcavated.
Lots of new units have been opened in recent days whilst I have been excavating, so I have not been able to pay enough attention to the new units being defined by the other excavators. JMR in space 310 has removed 18326 and is now down to a new layer 18343, in the room fill. The section of the room fill in space 310 shows three distinct deposits whoses interfaces are lined with large ceramic sherds - some of which were defined in the previous week as the afore discussed cluster units. The plaster line in the plan of space 310 is causing some debate - it could belong to the earlier plaster line still in situ in the upper elevation on the surrounding walls of space 310, however, it could also belong to a separate earlier phase of the space - this will only be resolved if the mudbricks behind the plaster can partially be exposed in order to establish whether 'lifting' is occurring in the walls, or whether the feature is continuous and hence the plaster line in the plan belonging to one phase. A horn core was recovered from this space today.
SO and EMM have finished defining the pit that (cut 18340) that disturbs the south-western corner of space 345. The fill 18337 will be excavated once cut 18340 has finished being recorded.
ER and SRW have continued in space 342 where excavation of the 'colourful' layer, suspected to directly overly the cutlural surface, has yielded more small finds. A very fragmented and fragile horn core was discovered in this space today potentially attached to the skull. |
