.bk J05
.fl S802jW.j
.fd Daily journal for S802 and feature descriptions
.fn  f21, f77, f78, f92 to f94
.ei jW
.ed S802
.rd S802
.ri jW

-wk Two new workmen (Sherwan and M'hd Fareed) assigned bringing the total to twenty.  The work crews are distributed as follows: Crew 1 - Ali Halal and Majid pick, Abdi and Sherhad shovel, and Kaghraman removal; Crew 2 - Hussein and Masaud pick, Mahmood, Osmat and Muhammad Fareed shovel, and Ali Halal removal; Crew 3 - Kamiran and Amer pick, Sherwan, Ahmed Muhammad, and Ahmed shovel, and Daoud, Imrahim Juma and Ibrahim Heshu removal.  Majid ill and excused to return home by fAB at 0700.  Ibrahim Juma will go to Hassake tomorrow to prepare for study at university.

f 92
ds Natural accumulation found in a trapezoid between the west edge of the N-S stones of f91 and to the east of the pedestal for the line of stones, f71 in the middle of k33.

f 93
ds Natural accumulation between the east face of stone installation, f91, and the east baulk of k33, being excavated with the big pick.

f 94
ds Natural accumulation under natural accumulation, f59, in locus k33.  Although the color is similar between the two, the texture is not.  This feature, f94, has a soft surface and changes into dust when picked with the big pick.  Accumulaiton, f59 had a hard surface, filled with soft pockets, probably formed by the action of water on wind-blown soil.  It broke into large chunks when picked.  Many large roots of surface plants have penetrated both features.

f 77
ds This feature, excavated by both the large and small pick, was characterized by a hard crust over laminated layers of aeolian soil.  There was an abrupt transition from silt to pebbles at the intersection of this and feature 78 below.  Comparing elevations, this feature should be equivalent to the natural floor, f39 found directly to the north in k23.  This accumlation was horizontal and extended from the south face of the north baulk of k22 northward into k23 until it met the large stones of f37.  As stated before, it was bounded on the east by the west face of revetment wall, f3.

f 78
ds This feature was excavated using both the large and the small pick.  It was characterized by large areas of mixed laminated pebbles, sand, and silt, interspersed with areas of laminated silt, which was easily removed with the trowel.  This accumlation was horizontal and extended from the south face of the north baulk of k22 northward into k23 until it met the large stones of f37.  As stated before, it was bounded on the east by the west face of revetment wall, f3.  The associated q-lot, q129-p, contained at least one painted rim sherd, which according to mKB could be either late Khabur or early Mittani.

f 21
ds We sank a sheesh between the stones of the bottom step of staircase, f21.  It hit a stone below.  As similar actions to the east of the lowest stone did not hit stones below, the lowest step either marks:  1. the top of a wall or 2. A large transitional step between building phases (similar to the large bottom step of the staircase in J2, which marks a transition between Akkadian and Early Dynastic construction.

-sg gB, fAB and jW met on site to discuss the apparent conflict between the layers of Middle Assyrian pottery found in this locus, (and in k23, and in k44) and the strong Mittani identity with nearby features such as the houses in A19 and A20.  gB suggested that it would be useful to our overall understanding of unit J05 to first remove the east baulks of k34 and k44 to evaluate the relalationship between the rows of stones in k44 and k43 and the staircase, f21, to the east.  However, we must still remove, at a later date, the north baulk of k43 to understand the relationships among the stone structures in k43 and k44.

f 3
ar As we exposed the top and west face of the revetment wall, f3 in the north baulk of k22 and into the southwestern quarter of k23, we noticed that the stones here are more organized and more carefully dressed than those directly to the south (which were excavated in previous seasons as a part of J1).  To the south, the top stones are large boulders, laid atop a mud mortar base.  As the wall approaches the stones of f37, two characteristics emerge: 1. There is a spur of well-dressed stones which emerge from the base of f3;  2. The stones of f3 themselves become better dressed and more carefully laid.  As we excavate more extensively in k22 and k23, the situation and meaning should clarify.

k 34
sg Score, draw and photograph the west section of locus k34 in lieu of the east section of k44, which is obstructed by several lines of stones.  Then, remove it to better understand the relationship among the stone installations of k44, the staircase, f21, and the accumulations between them, f42, f45, f63, and f70