| Entry: | Re-assessment today. DGN and SLS were back, rested, from their long weekend. We proceeded to take out the last bits of fill today. DGN continued with 7921, SLS with 7938; I took out the rest of the baulk and plaster bits near the east wall (7946). SLS also took off some fill right above the packing of the "south-central" oven (7948 above 7951), revealing a hearth detached from the wall, contained on all four sides by a plaster rim, roughly square in plan with rounded edges (no feature number yet). We prioritized 7948 to see how it would relate to other fills found on top of fire installations. We also plan to prioritize 7949 and 7951, which correspond to the fill in our ovens. The fine white layers we had located yesterday under 7931, concentrated in the corner near the north platform, were examined by the botany team. Emma took a sample (7931 S4) to see what the material might be. We also found some tiny white plant remains in 7951, hopefully the botany team can take a look again tomorrow. Most of the time today was spent cleaning. We brushed out the whole space for some photos and then were told by Shahina to trowel it properly, so the color changes would show up in the photographs. This procedure took almost until quitting time and was only a limited success, but with the help of MA we managed to get several overview photos and details of the hearth (7948, 7951), the plaster lump near the south wall whose identification still eludes us (under 7942), the phytolith sample (7931 S4), and the east face of the internal "dividing wall". After we were done taking pictures, we determined out strategy for tomorrow: to take out what we think are the latest features first and then work our way back until we think we can get the building in one phase. Speaking of phases - Nurçan alerted me that one of the bits of pottery she looked at from our space seems to belong to level 6. I hope to look at that piece and some more tonight.Entered By: UK |
