| Roster |
Date |
Author |
Record |
| Daily notes about recovery of elements |
2001-07-02 |
tR |
gB stopped by to check on our progress and give us some suggestions as to how we should proceed in our excavation of the box structure which is aggregate a6, subsuming f72, f73, f74, and f75. [Input: L630TR.j] |
| 2001-07-04 |
fAB |
k2 and k3 have a very puzzling structure, a6. This, which we call the 'box' for lack of a clearer understanding of the nature of this structure, seems to be vaulted, as a tomb might be, but with plaster at the base. More excavation will tell what this structure is and what its link to the surrounding area might be. [Input: L704FAB.j] |
| 2001-07-08 |
lR |
In a6, the box structure, 80cms has been excavated inside. The fill of the box contains broken bricks, pottery, and animal bones. The northern face shows clear brick faces with a mud plaster coating. The faces suggest a vaulted shape inside the structure. The brickfall to the west of the structure was also excavated which exposed a clearer view of the platform at the base of the box structure that protrudes one brick and a half west of the box. [Input: L708LR.j] |
| 2001-07-16 |
lR |
We resumed excavations in the box structure (a6) today since the burial found in a9 was found 93 cm below the beginning of the bricks. This depth suggests that perhaps we have not dug deep enough to encounter the burial of a6. We initially stopped digging in a6 since we were already at 80cm and found no signs of its use nor human remains. The workman Ahkmed is working in this area and has come down on the remains of several scattered animal bones lying close to the tomb walls. The walls of the structure are still going down and we will continue to excavate until we reach the bottom of the walls f72, and f73. [Input: L818LR.j] |
| 2001-07-16 |
lR |
We temporarily halted excavations inside the "box structure" since we are 80cm deep with no indication of function. We had anticipated coming down on a burial, but to date we have not encountered any material to classify this structure as a tomb. However, since the recent discovery of tomb a9 which yielded a burial at 93cm (below the top of the tomb walls) and we presume that the box structure and a9 are contemporary, than there is still a possibility that we are simply not deep enough. We have thus reopened the "box structure" today with Ahkmed currently working in this area who has come down on several scattered animal bones lying close to the tomb walls (we took several nice photographs of these bones). The bones appear to be grave offerings, but no human remains yet. The walls of the structure are still going down and we will continue excavating until we reach the bottom of the walls f72, and f73. [Input: L818LR.j] |
| Strategy (projected or implemented) |
2001-07-02 |
tR |
We intend to approach the box structure from the West and from the South to try and understand better its construction and also to see more clearly its relationship to f77 which is an ash layer that can be seen in the N section of k6 and has also been reached in k2. We are still uncertain of the box structures function. fAB at first thought it was a grave; after some excavation I thought it may be a cistern of some sort connected to the drainage system in k4. At this point it is still unclear. [Input: L630TR.j] |
| 2001-07-08 |
lR |
For the box structure a6 we plan to excavate the triangular area f160 between f73 and the North baulk to see if we can find the Northern face of the structure. [Input: L708LR.j] |
| Notes on recovery |
2001-07-02 |
tR |
This morning while cleaning fAB discovered a layer of plaster covering which would seem to indicate that it was a freestanding structure and would argue against it being a cistern or a drainage system. It may be that we are looking at 3 phases of construction: phase I being a wall with plaster covering and possibly a bench, phase II a wall that has collapsed or been disturbed by the construction of phase III which would be a cistern or burial; or it is all one construction and makes no sense as of now. If we do indeed have 3 phases of construction we would divide the phases into seperate aggregates. Either way only further excavation will answer our questions. [Input: L630TR.j] |
