| Entry: | In the 2012 season a new excavation area designated as TPC (TP connection) was opened up in order to investigate the stratigraphic relationships between structures revealed in the TP area and Building 10 located in South Area, tentatively assigned by Mellaart to L. V (now: South T). The best opportunity for doing that was by exposing the 3 horizontal levels distinguished by Mellaart- Levels I-III, in the narrow strip between the TP & South Area.
In the first place, the structures excavated by Mellaart and designated by him as Buildings 4 and 5 (Level III) were exposed (03/07/2012). The goal was to reach the level not touched by Mellaart. After removing the redeposited layer that was filling up the buildings, in situ deposits have been reached. Some of them have been marked on Mellaart’s plans including walls, an oven that was sitting between two walls and a Hellenistic pit that truncated the Neolithic deposits in NW corner of the Building. After the cleaning it turned out that it is much larger than on the existing plans. The plan for the forthcoming days is to excavate the pit in order to make an attempt to observe the sequence of Neolithic layers visible in its profile.
Besides, we noticed remains of a whitish surface that on the beginning was thought to be a floor, but it is probably a trace of thick wall running EW, that was marked on the Mellaart’s plans but lifted up by him.
A late (Islamic) burial was found in the SE corner of the trench. The skeleton was lying on its side with head oriented towards the West (skeleton 20103, infill 20101, cut 20102). It was partially located outside the trench. The decision has been made to excavate it completely by extending East. The bones were quite well preserved except for the skull that was eroded as it was located pretty close to the surface.
The next step was to extend the trench toward the South to be able to find a wall of the Building 5 that we thought should be ca. 1 m out of the edge of Mellaart’s trench. A new area measuring 6 x 5 m. was established. It was given a working name of Trench 2 (in contrast to the Trench 1 – area exposed by Mellaart).
In the very beginning, the first layer of a mixed deposits has been removed by the workmens revealing the outlines of three late burials together with the accompanying mudbrick superstructures, all oriented along the EW axis. They are cut the Neolithic deposits, relatively close to the surface. The cuts and the marking bricks are very clearly visible. A pit recorded as unit 20108 was clearly defined on basis on colour and shape in W part of the trench. As it was very shallow, it was totally excavated. |
