| Entry: | first dairy entry of the 2004 season
Richard had already started the exavation when I arrived. The area seemed very clean although much disturbed by later activityç the greek team had already removed the upper sequences within structure 10 this in 1996/97 and jamie and his team had tried to get to grips with what they had done last year. Considering the Greek team had apparently taken out floors I was a wee bit suprised at the bitty nature of some of the arcaeology that would have been sealed. Some of this may be accounted for by the ellapse of nearly 7 years between the two excavtion periods and subsequent erosion. As with the team last year we have mainly been concentrating on removing the last vestiges of 'loose' depositsç that is material that probably belogned to later phases of the building. Our aim is to get down to a consistent Phase level over the whole area and this should happen over the next few days barring unexpected complications. Its good not to have to do the full smpleing stratagy as we are going through floors and their are loads. Also as few finds are returned from floor layers and the houses are generally clean with limited enviromental potentiial then this is perhaps a good thing. As to the archaeology weve mainly ben removing patches of eroded floors and their make ups (8076) -(8091) and (8093) although Richard has also removed some burnt materialç or rather scorched that may suggest a hearth position in the middle of the house (8091) (8092). Alex had his first day today and spent it removing a supposed bench (8092) this however looks more like a leveling deposit or make up and was not particularly convincing as a bench. He also removed the fill of a post hole (8097) whos function can only remain a guess. However as the post hole is next to a moulded pillaster it may be that it was added to support soom roof type structureç as presumably the pillaster did. Tommorrow he will lift a horncore (antler). Richard is currently removing the remains of a platform extension F. 1317 (8095) (10601)which was partially excavated last year. On to me I started to muck about with platform F 1314 and removed a floor make up (10600) this was also done in order to get a feel for this badly truncated and slumped area. Once this was done we decided to leave it at this level until richard had freed up the southern edge of the platform so we could get a photo of the building a t this phase. This also meant that oven up against the southern wall of the building had to be looked at. It was noted last year that tis partillay cut into the wall however it actually runs under a blocking wall repair? which was put in presumably as a rebuilding of oven F.111 which the greeks exposed. Anyway it will all resolve itself soon.Entered By: Roddy Regan |
