| Entry: | The major event of today was the conservators rig being erected. Some very heavy pieces were lifted into place by the workmen,really quite awful to watch but it was done successfully. Work is progressing nicely, Anwen began excavating the large cut in space 107, sealed by (1532), the fill (1544) was excavated as one deposit from the N half but will be split into more units to the S, the function of this pit is unclear and the S side is uncertain too, it appears to respect an earlier wall. Is the pit some kind of consolidation? Ali took the rest of wall (1518) out, it does appear to be in a very shallow cut, this should be resolved tomorrow. I took out the basin structure, feature 12, from the NW corner of the space. The superstructure (1581) was constructed over make-up (1532), formed by a mud rim abutting walls to N and W so that two of its sides were wall. The wall was plastered prior to the basin construction. A second skin of mud superstructure was added probably for additional support but definately at this construction phase. It was then plastered and replastered through its lifespan and probably in use through the two phses of this building, ie. post and pre-blocking. But did its replastering coincide with wall and floor plaster? The use of this feature isn't quite clear, the latter fills contained some ash and clay mud lenses but nothing significant to suggest its primary use. Jon has been taking out the ashy rubbish layers in space 106, which tip from east to west and as he progresses west it appears that the occupation debris overlies building debirs, does this mean we're soon to hit buildings as Roddy is excavating now? Poor Mary is still battling with wall 58, it proves to be just as complicated at the base as the top. There may be a large cut to the S where the wall has always been elusive. Roddy and Atakhan are making great progress articulating a lower building in spce 105. It is slow and difficult to disentangle collapse whether deliberate fill or not. At this stage there is not much in situ plaster showing up on the wall faces but this doesn't mean there won't be any further down the lack of it now could be due to collapse and erosion.Entered By: Shahina Farid |
