A20-summary

Processed on 2024-11-15

Date	Author	Record
2008-07-19	lR	last week A20 opened six loci, removed the topsoil in all the squares with the exception of k15 which was opened on S717. In all the loci, the same compact bricky layer was found, interpreted as eroded bricks melted together. Thus f18, f16, f7, f20, f17 are all contemporary with each other, forming the same brick melt, presumably sealing the Mittani occupation levels below. In k12 and k2, in the western half of the locus the brick melt does not continue and instead soft ash emerged however today brick melt was found scattered in the western side. The north section of A18 confirms our observations, with the boundaries of the brick melt becoming blurred south of k2. [Input: S719LR.j]
2008-07-28	lR	With the brickmelt f27 exposed in 5 loci we then proceeded to remove the sections between the loci where the brick melt continued into the next square. Photographs were taken of this continuous layer then began to remove the brickmelt which was only 10cm in thickness. By the end of the week, brick faces began to emerge, suggesting an occupation phase below. [Input: S812LR7.j]
2008-08-01	lR	Spent the week defining the occupation phase below the brickmelt finding several strata. A stone pavement was found in k15, possibly the earliest level in A20 that parallels to the pavement found in A18 while several pebble, sherd, and cobblestone pavements were found scattered in the area. We are interpreting these as later strata that reused the built up space. The large section of A18 was also removed last week, making it easier to visualize the horizontal continuity between these two areas. [Input: S812LR7.j]
2008-08-06	lR	The latest phase appears completely exposed, finding small pavements constructed of pebble and sherds, a tannur, cobblestones, a drainage channel, and medium sized stones. These are scattered in the area and ephemeral in many aspects as they don't seem to be linked with any walls or structures but may have reused an earlier wall. A large wall surfaced to the north, running E-W through four loci that if this wall sits on a stone pavement similar to what we see in A18 and A19 (both at elevation 9185) then this wall is deep with the scattered installations reusing the top of the large wall. [Input: S812LR7.j]
2008-08-13	lR	Spent several days in the house working on documentation. Our goals this week are to work on the Harris Matrix to facilitate with the strata assignment which we are waiting to finish until some features are excavated further to pull everything together. We have less than two weeks left in the excavation season and will concentrate on removing some of the later strata to articulate the early walls and presumed pavements below. [Input: S812LR7.j]
2008-08-16	lR	Met with gB and fAB this morning for a strategy review; in summary we have decided on scaling back excavations in A20. Our earlier strategy was to remove the later installations such as the drain a3, brick pile f68, and pavement f112 to come down to the earlier Mittani strata but with only 10 days left in the season, it was suggested to concentrate only in few small areas to clarify some stratigraphic questions. [Input: S816LR.j]
2010-09-18	lC	The first week of excavation let us to uncover some installations like stone pavement f164, stone walls f168 and f171, floors f169 and f179 and pebble and sherd pavement as f162 and f165, showing a very late (probably still Mitanni, more than Middle Assyrian) occupation in the site of tell Mozan. We expected this kind of installation because they have been found already in 2008, but these seem showing an intense frequentation rather than an emepheral occupation. They seem set out on top of a very soft ashy material, probably windborne and naturally formed, found in k23 (f173), k24 (f163) and k25 (f177). This material seems covering the upper part of the lower mudbrick structures belonging to the building we are looking for. [Input: U918LC.j]