| Entry: | LKH, SCS and PTW continued taking out roomfill in their spaces and exposing the plastered walls (Space 345: 15172; Space 447: 15163, Space 448: 15166). Checking again the easternmost exposed part of Space 447, it now seems that wall F.3323 does continue to meet buttress F.3319, contrary to what I wrote yesterday. The corner formed by these two features is nearly invisible because only just still inside the trench (2-3cm).
EMM finished exposing and documenting cluster U.15160, and started taking out the artefacts. By now it seems rather clear that this is a cluster disposed in between wall F.3324 and buttresses F.3326 and 5057 (Space 449), respecting the outlines of these features, but coming very close to their plaster coating.
XHB, BOD and JFB made great progress clarifying structures in the northeastern corner of the trench. They levelled the whole area (15175), also taking off 5-10cm from the top of F.3321 and 3324. After scraping, the whole of wall F.3324 is now visible. It seems very probable that 3324 is connected with F.3321 and F.3322, but this still has be verified, as the corners seem a bit blurred still. In the potential corner between 3321 and 3324, dark grey brick-like (roughly rectangular) pieces of clay became visible, which are not in line with any of the features, but lying diagonally to them. The corners between buttress F.3326 and 3324 are also blurred, most probably due to rodents, as those have eaten away every single corner between walls we had so far in Trench 5. Interesting features of F.3324 are two spots where two parallel plaster/mortar (pale yellow) line runs EW through the wall with a 7-10cm gap in between them. So far we have no idea what this might mean, hopefully our future excavation will bring some clarification.
The area between the four buttresses F.5053/5054, 5052, 5057 and 3326 is now forming a somewhat closed space connected with Space 446 by the doorway (?) between F.3320 and 3321. We attributed a space number to the area between buttresses F.5057 and 3326 (Space 449, which contained cluster U.15160), but not yet to the area between F.3326 and 3320/ 3321, as there are still some dark patches here which need clarification (mudbrick or not??). Thus, Spaces 340, 341 and 449 represent the corners between the buttresses. Whether or not we should attribute a separate space number to the space in between the buttresses, in the centre of the supposed building, was discussed and we decided that it deserves a separate number (Space 450) as the impression of people moving withing the building through the narrow gaps between the corners of the buttresses would probably have been that of entering a separate room.
Several suspicious dark patches (mud brick?) around F.3326 and in the corners between F.3326-3321 and F.5052-3320 will be interpreted when starting taking out fill in Space 450 tomorrow. In the trench we were discussing whether these dark patches already represent older structures underneath the ones we defined in the last days (F.5052, 3320, 3321, 3326, 3324). This older phase could go along with F.3320-3322, as those do not fit in the expected building plan: a rectangular basement with four buttresses. I personally am not convinced that 3320-3321 will turn out to belong to another phase than F.5052, 5053/5054, 5057, 3326, 3324, 5056, 2413/5055, 2428, as 3324 seems to e connected to 3321 and 3322. If it were another phase, and the suspicious dark patches as well, we would have three building phases in that part of the trench.
XHB and JFB also spent some time with F.3322 trying to identify ist shape. At the moment, the northern half appears to form a rectangular mudbrick lining around a depression that might be filled/ paved with plaster. Maybe some kind of installation? The southern half is very disturbed. We will carefully try to define the feature and ist connection to F.3321 and 3324.
As F.3324 is now sufficiently visible, we attributed a space number (Space 448) to the area east of it, where LKH has been working so far. The nothern limit of Space 448 is not yet visible and will be clarified by taking out room fill, extending LKH's unit (15166).
I started taking out the upper layer of room fill in the southern part of Space 310 (15165). While working in that room this year, the section between buttresses F.3302 and 3301 will be extremely helpful to define layers of room fill. 15165 represents the upper, disturbed part of fill, greyish with a reddish shade. Larger stones and a tile found in 15165 prove that ist disturbed. Nevertheless, larger amount of large pot sherds and articulated animal bones already start appearing, the typical fill of Space 310 as excavated last year in the lower layers. I spent some time with the plaster of F.5058, 3301and 3302, which was confusing me yesterday. Now it turns out that the plaster on the upper parts of those features seems to have eroded or been washed down, so that many confusing lumps of it are found very close to the features. After taking them away, a nice straight, plaster coated wall face appears. Several x-finds and large sherds were found within this washed down plaster/ soil mixture. |
