https://urkesh.org/MZ/A/A20/D/K/0013.htm

Unit Book A20

A20k13

Processed on 2024-09-10

1. OVERVIEW

Roster Date Author Record
Summary 2008-09-12 lR In k13 we found a large thick mudbrick wall running west to east along the north baulk with another wall f105 immediately to the south of the first wall. It remains unknown whether both these walls are contemporary with each other as they were found at similar elevations but clearly do not bond with each other. This type of wall construction was found in A18, with the inside walls of a structure supported by another wall on the outside, presumably to help support the inner wall which was vaulted. In k13, either this is the same situation with the southern wall under a3 drain, or that f41 is the inner wall with the room located to the north under the north baulk. To the south of these two walls, a drainage channel was found. The orientation or where the water would have drained into remains unclear with two channels, one to the north constructed of clay (f83) and is oriented southwest to northeast, and the other to the southeast constructed of stones leading into the street with pavements f112 f122. The features found in the area support the idea that this space was a production area, outdoor with multiple areas of firing with the drainage channel used in conjunction with these production activities. The deepest feature we have in k13 is the stone installation found in the last week of excavations that is under and earlier than the drainage channel. The stones are clustered together in an irregular pattern suggesting more of a tomb or grave rather than a pavement. [Input: S912LR.j]
Best image 2024-09-06 lC [Input: ZI906.j]

2. IDENTIFICATION

Designation

Roster Date Author Record
Description (summary) 2008-08-13 yM N of k3,E of k12 [Input: S813YM2.j]

3. STRATIGRAPHY

Recovery/Assignment

Roster Date Author Record
Daily notes about recovery of elements 2008-07-13 lR Opened this locus today and started by removing the topsoil level. Approximately 15 centimeters was removed by the end of the day with a hard compact surface emerging in the southwest corner. Tomorrow we will follow this level to define the boundaries. [Input: S713LR.j]
2008-07-14 lR Yesterday at the end of the day f7 emerged in the southwest corner. Today we continued to follow this surface and found that it throughout the entire locus. We therefore completely removed the topsoil layer leaving the bricky compact surface, f7, exposed. [Input: S714LR.j]
2008-07-15 lR this locus was not excavated today since we are trying to get down to the same compact surface in all four loci. [Input: S715LR.j]
2008-07-19 lR east section drawn and photographed. Removed half of the section today to link the brickmelt in k13 to k14. [Input: S719LR.j]
2008-07-21 lR A 2x4 meter trench was cut next to the north section running west to east to provide a sectional view of the brick melt and the material below. The first pick run cracked and removed the hard brick melt, measured 5-10 cms in thickness with softer soil found under f27. The area was scraped, patches of broken bricks within a soft fill was present however in some areas the compact brick melt was still visible. Another pick run removed 8 cms, finding the same broken bricks with soft fill throughout the entire trench. The feature was then changed to f30, brickfall and another 8 cms was removed starting from the eastern end of the trench. Midway through the prick run a small jar, i9 was found sitting up next to brick fragments. No pit cut or floor was noted. The jar was then photographed, relayed, and removed. [Input: S721LR2.j]
2008-07-22 lR After removing f27 from the north trench in k13, the soil shifted from compact to soft fill mixed with bricks. This morning the western half of the trench was excavated to the level of the eastern half that was left after i9 was found. In this area f30 turned more compact with larger components of bricks visible yet no clear definition suggesting a wall so it was removed. The entire trench was then carefully leveled, scraped, and brushed. Orange bricks surfaced in the northwest corner with clear gray mortar lines visible both in plan and profile view. To the south of the bricks a small area with over fired clay emerged, unclear if this is a brick that was used as a heating surface. The clay here is light yellow and powdery. [Input: S722LR.j]
2008-07-24 lR Began the day by removing f27 in the southern half of the locus. f27 had a hard crust, flaking off in large pieces with the top more compact. Approximately 10 cms down, the matrix became very soft mixed with some hard clay patches which were easily removed using a trowel. Small stones were found immediately in the south, the extension of f43 in k3 and assigned f50 but only extending 150cms to the north. The stones form a crude pavement that slopes up higher in k13 and appears to sit on soft ash. The presence of this pavement at a higher elevation than we anticipated finding Mittani occupation suggests a later phase, an outdoor area given the pavements found that build over the earlier Mittani level, in this case the ash visible in north section of A18. The lack of brick structures at the elevation of the pavement f50 in all the loci excavated thus far brings up the question as to the origin of the brick melt f27. With the amount and extension of f27 brick melt in 5 loci, one would expect to find bricks structures in the area. gB suggested this outdoor area must be associated with structures that are outside the excavation unit. Bricks have surfaced in the northwest corner of k13, perhaps the structures are to the north. [Input: S725LR.j]
2008-07-28 lR Removed 10 cm, starting from the east towards the west following an ash layer that was found below the brickfall f30. The ash proved to be only localized within a small area yet we continued to remove 10cms from the area to see if better defined bricks were below. At the end of the day, bricks were found in the west, and lines present in the east but still very unclear and confusing. f41 is now starting to form a either a thick wall of 5 bricks wide or a pavement. One argument for defining f41 as a pavement rests on the burned area sitting on one of the bricks of f41, similar to a hearth of some sort. This could be also a reuse of the original wall, setting a hearth, f59, over the wall after abandonment and build-up of the area. [Input: S728LR.j]
2008-07-29 lR Yesterday more bricks were found in the northwest corner extending to the east however the eastern boundary remained unclear. Today we focused on excavating the eastern half of the locus, removing humps of soil and making everything level. Two pick runs were done, one as f30, as the area was still bricky and hard but after we noticed the feature changing. A new feature was assigned, f60 accumulation bounded or associated with wall f41. The soil turned ashy, softer, with large amounts of animal bones and sherds present. In the northeast in line with f41 more bricks surfaced indicating that the wall runs into the east, under the baulk. Bricks are also present in k14 east; if this is the same wall then this is either a very large structure or else a wall delineating an area serving as a fence. [Input: S729LR.j]
2008-08-02 lR removed the east section today [Input: S802LR.j]
2008-08-05 lC Today, in the second half of the morning we removed the pebble floor f50 and we found a layer f80 with other small pebbles and sherds that could be another pavement or a sort of preparation for the pebble floor above. Below the pebble floor f50 there was also a soft accumulation f81. Tomorrow we will clarify the relationship between f80, f81 and the brick fall f30 just to the north of them. [Input: S805LC.j]
2008-08-06 lR removed the cobblestone pavement f50 finding another pavement f80 below and possible drain f83. [Input: S806LR.j]
2008-08-07 lR In k13 and k14, we removed f60 and f62, two similar accumulations gray in color and full of animal bones and pottery. [Input: S809LR.j]
2008-08-09 lR In k13, f60 was excavated and fully removed this morning. Underneath f60 the soil shifted from ashy and full of animal bones to light gray, compact, with several brick lines, very similar to what was found at the same elevation in k14, f87. Another 10 cm was removed from this feature, f89, with several bricks found in the north next to f60. [Input: S809LR.j]
2008-08-18 lR In k13, we excavated f89, removing 5 cm, coming down on a large stone. [Input: S818lR.j]
2008-08-23 lC After the removal of the east baulk of k13 and with the discovery of the wall f143, today we continued to remove f89 in k13 to clarify the wall f143 and the possible continuation of the stone pavement f93, also in k13. After the removing a portion of f89, we uncovered two red mud bricks in the south eastern corner of k13, possibly pertinent to the wall f97. To have a better understanding of the link between these two bricks, the big stone in k13, the wall f97 and the wall f143, we changed features and we removed the last 10 cms of accumulation f140, uncovering a series of stones labeled as a stone installation, f141. [Input: S823LC.j]
2008-08-25 lC Today we removed the small portion of vertical bricks interpreted at the beginning as a wall parallel to the wall f92, constructed in the same technique. Below these bricks and the accumulation f140 we found more stones, but there isn't a clear link between the pavement f93 in k14 and the stone installation f141 in k13. It seems rather a quite irregular and non homogeneous structure. Between these new stones there is also a door socket, perhaps in situ, linked to a doorway, or in a secondary use inside the pavement. Then we remove part of f30 still covering the wall f41, looking for more bricks. [Input: S825LC.j]
2008-08-26 lC Today we removed part of f60 just south of the big wall f41, uncovering a sloping hard compact layer, that could be interpreted as a kind of floor. [Input: S826LC.j]

Volumetric Localization

Roster Date Author Record
Elements within locus 2008-07-13 sE f4 (topsoil) [Input: S727LR5.j]
2008-07-14 lR f7 (layer) [Input: S727LR5.j]
2008-07-21 yM f30 (brickfall) [Input: S727LR5.j]
2008-07-23 lR f41 (wall) [Input: S727LR5.j]
2008-07-25 lC f50 (pavement, type c) [Input: S727LR5.j]
2008-07-28 eE f54 (accumulation) [Input: S802LR.j]
2008-07-28 lR f59 (hearth) [Input: S802LR.j]
2008-08-04 yM f77 (wall) [Input: S810LR3.j]
2008-08-06 yM f80 (pavement, type b), f81 (accumulation A), f83 (installation) [Input: S810LR3.j]
2008-08-09 sE f89 (layer) [Input: S810LR3.j]
2008-08-09 lR f96 (installation) [Input: S810LR3.j]
2008-08-10 lC f105 (wall) [Input: S810LR3.j]
2008-08-23 lC f140 (accumulation), f141 (stone installation), f143 (wall) [Input: S831LC.j]
2008-07-14 yM i1 (figurine) [Input: S721LR.j]
2008-07-19 lR i7 (figurine) [Input: S721LR.j]
2008-07-21 yM i9 (goblet) [Input: S721LR.j]
2008-07-29 sE i18 (tool) [Input: S802LC2.j]
2008-08-07 yM i24 (figurine) [Input: S813YM.j]
2008-07-13 sE q2 (bones, items, pottery) [Input: S715SE2.j]
2008-07-14 lR q6 (bones, items, pottery) [Input: S715SE2.j]
2008-07-19 yM q37 (bones, pottery) [Input: S722YM.j]
2008-07-20 yM q39 (pottery) [Input: S722YM.j]
2008-07-21 lC q47 (bones, items, pottery) [Input: S722YM.j]
2008-07-21 yM q50 (bones, items, pottery) [Input: S722YM.j]
2008-07-22 eE q52 (bones, pottery) [Input: S722YM.j]
2008-07-24 lC q76 (bones, pottery) [Input: S727YM2.j]
2008-07-24 yM q79 (pottery), q80 (bones, pottery) [Input: S727YM2.j]
2008-07-26 sE q84 (bones, items, pottery) [Input: S727YM2.j]
2008-07-28 sE q93 (bones, items, pottery), q95 (bones, items, pottery) [Input: S729YM.j]
2008-07-29 yM q102 (items, pottery) [Input: S729YM.j]
2008-07-29 sE q107 (bones, pottery) [Input: S729YM.j]
2008-08-02 yM q130 (bones, items, pottery) [Input: S805YM.j]
2008-08-03 sE q133 (bones, pottery) [Input: S805YM.j]
2008-08-05 yM q155 (bones, pottery) [Input: S805YM.j]
2008-08-06 sE q162 (bones, items, pottery) [Input: S806YM.j]
2008-08-09 yM q177 (bones, pottery) [Input: S810YM.j]
2008-08-09 sE q180 (bones, items, pottery) [Input: S810YM.j]
2008-08-10 eE q188 (bones, items, pottery) [Input: S810YM.j]
2008-08-14 sE q198 (bones, items, pottery) [Input: S817YM.j]
2008-08-16 sE q206 (pottery) [Input: S817YM.j]
2008-08-18 yM q214 (pottery), q217 (bones, pottery) [Input: S818YM2.j]
2008-08-21 sE q228 (bones, pottery), q232 (items, pottery) [Input: S822YM1.j]
2008-08-23 sE q236 (pottery) [Input: S822YM1.j]
2008-08-23 lC q239 (bones, pottery) [Input: S822YM1.j]
2008-08-24 yM q243 (pottery) [Input: S826YM.j]
2008-08-25 lC q245 (bones, pottery) [Input: S826YM.j]
2008-08-25 eE q246 (bones, pottery) [Input: S826YM.j]
2008-08-26 sE q250 (bones, pottery) [Input: S826YM.j]
Extension of locus or q-lot 2008-08-13 yM m4707 [Input: S813YM2.j]
Length of two sides 2008-08-13 yM 400E [Input: S813YM2.j]
2008-08-13 yM 400S [Input: S813YM2.j]

6. REFERENCE

Analogical Record

Roster Date Author Record
View/drawing of locus

v1
2008-07-13 yM [Input: S725LC.j]

v7
2008-07-19 yM [Input: S803LR3.j]

v9
2008-07-19 yM [Input: S803LR3.j]

v11
2008-07-19 yM [Input: S803LR3.j]

v11a
2008-07-19 yM [Input: S803LR3.j]

v12
2008-07-20 yM [Input: S803LR3.j]

v13
2008-07-20 yM [Input: S803LR3.j]

v14
2008-07-20 yM [Input: S803LR3.j]

v22
2008-07-21 sE [Input: S803LR3.j]

v22a
2008-07-21 sE [Input: S803LR3.j]

v19
2008-07-21 yM [Input: S803LR3.j]

v21
2008-07-21 yM [Input: S803LR3.j]

v26
2008-07-23 sE [Input: S803LR3.j]

v26a
2008-07-23 sE [Input: S803LR3.j]

v33
2008-07-28 eE [Input: S802LC.j]

v45
2008-07-30 lR [Input: S811LC.j]

v46
2008-07-30 lR [Input: S811LC.j]

v47
2008-08-02 yM [Input: S811LC.j]

v47a
2008-08-02 yM [Input: S811LC.j]

v53
2008-08-04 sE [Input: S812LC.j]

v54
2008-08-04 sE [Input: S812LC.j]

v55
2008-08-04 sE [Input: S812LC.j]

v56
2008-08-04 sE [Input: S812LC.j]

v58
2008-08-06 yM [Input: S812LC.j]

v64
2008-08-06 yM [Input: S812LC.j]

v64a
2008-08-06 yM [Input: S812LC.j]

v64b
2008-08-06 yM [Input: S812LC.j]

v65
2008-08-06 yM [Input: S812LC.j]

v65a
2008-08-06 yM [Input: S812LC.j]

v67
2008-08-07 sE [Input: S812LC.j]

v67a
2008-08-07 sE [Input: S812LC.j]

v67b
2008-08-07 sE [Input: S812LC.j]

v81
2008-08-14 lC [Input: S820LC.j]

v81a
2008-08-14 lC [Input: S823LC2.j]

v98
2008-08-19 lC [Input: S828LC.j]

v98a
2008-08-19 lC [Input: S828LC.j]

v130
2008-08-27 yM [Input: S909LC.j]

v130a
2008-08-27 yM [Input: S909LC.j]

v140
2008-08-28 lC [Input: S909LC2.j]

v141
2008-08-28 lC [Input: S909LC2.j]

v143
2008-08-28 lC [Input: S909LC2.j]

v144
2008-08-28 lC [Input: S909LC2.j]

v144a
2008-08-28 lC [Input: S909LC2.j]

v145
2008-08-28 lC [Input: S909LC2.j]

v150
2008-09-06 lC [Input: S915LC.j]

v151
2008-09-06 lC [Input: S915LC.j]

v152
2008-09-06 lC [Input: S916LC.j]

v153
2008-09-06 lC [Input: S916LC.j]

v154
2008-09-06 lC [Input: S916LC.j]

w1
2008-09-11 lC [Input: S911LC.J]

w8
2008-09-11 lC [Input: S911LC.J]

w10
2008-09-11 lC [Input: S911LC.J]

w15
2008-09-11 lC [Input: S911LC.J]

w19
2008-09-13 lC [Input: S913LC.J]

w23
2008-09-13 lC [Input: S913LC.J]

w28
2008-09-13 lC [Input: S913LC.J]

w36
2008-09-13 lC [Input: S913LC.J]

w37
2008-09-13 lC [Input: S913LC.J]

w38
2008-09-13 lC [Input: S913LC.J]

v161
2008-09-15 lC [Input: S917LC4.j]

v161a
2008-09-15 lC [Input: S917LC4.j]
v163
2008-09-15 lC [Input: S917LC4.j]