.bk J01
.fl T831lC.j
.fd Daily journal
;.fn included T820lc.j,T827lc.j,T829lc.j,T911lc.j (U814lc)
.ed T831
.ei lC
.rd T830
.ri lC

-dy Today we continued to work in k132. Once removed the topsoil f370 in the eastern spur we uncovered the hard compact surface f371, on top of which are resting some stones, f372. It is interesting to note that one of these stones is quite regular in shape and it is lying vertically on top of the surface, as other two similar stones to east. So these three stones have almost the same size and shape and rest on top of this surface, more or less at the same distance (about a meter). It seems strange that they are floating stones and it is likely they belong to some sort of installation or structure. In the western spur we continued to remove the topsoil f370 and we uncovered two big floating stones f373.1 and f373.2 More interesting are some smaller stones that seem forming two small wall portions f374 and f375. If the walls were linked the eventual corner was to the south and probably, if preserved, was excavated in the previous seasons.

k 132
dy Today we continued to work in k132. Once removed the topsoil f370 in the eastern spur we uncovered the hard compact surface f371, on top of which are resting some stones, f372. It is interesting to note that one of these stones is quite regular in shape and it is lying vertically on top of the surface, as other two similar stones to east. So these three stones have almost the same size and shape and rest on top of this surface at more or less at the same distance (about a meter). It seems strange that they are floating stones and it is likely they belong to some sort of installation or structure. In the western spur we continued to remove the topsoil f370 and we uncovered two big floating stones f373.1 and f373.2 More interesting are some smaller stones that seem forming two small wall portions f374 and f375. If the walls were linked the eventual corner was to the south and probably, if preserved, was excavated in the previous seasons.

.rd T831
.ri lC

-dy Today we finished to work in the field. In k132 we removed the southern part of the eastern spur on top of the revetment wall f72. To the west we cut just a small portion of the south western corner of k132 because we can't remove the structures found yesterday, most of all the wall f374. Because of the loss of markers in this area we surveyed the floating stones f373.1 and f373.2 with Adib help, so to remove them in the afternoon. Then we started to clean because tomorrow we want to take the final photos.

k 132
sg Removing the two spurs projecting to the south we found unexpected structures (f374 and f375) below the topsoil, so we changed a little the strategy. Instead of removing the entire portion of k132 planned at the beginning we cut a smaller portion next to the south western corner. This won't compromise the aim of this excavation, because the upper part of the wall is now uncovered and this let the winter waters flow away.

-sg Removing the two spurs projecting to the south we found unexpected structures (f374 and f375) below the topsoil, so we changed a little the strategy. Instead of removing the entire portion of k132 planned at the beginning we cut a smaller portion next to the south western corner. This won't compromise the aim of this excavation, because the upper part of the wall is now uncovered and this let the winter waters flow away.

f 72
pr At the end we used the big pick to remove the accumulation on top of wall f72. There was a hard croust on top of f371, but deeper the soil was quite soft, so it didn't compromise the stability and the security of the revetment wall f72.

.rd T820
.ri lC

f 347
ds Accumulation similar to f329 and to f358. Probably it is an accumulation linked with the use of a8, as f329 and what below. It is dark brown in color with small white gypsum chunks and fragments of orange mud brick.
nl We assigned this feature number to distinguish the pottery coming from north of the stones alignment f349 and from the south, even if in composition and texture it seems exactly the same of f329.

f 348
ds Compact floor found below the ashy accumulation f278. The surface of the floor is probably compacted naturally and it is formed by a gray ashy material with some sandy patches, likely created by wind and water. Some fragments of orange mud bricks are visible. On top of this surface there were some lenses of very fine ash. From these elements we can interpret this feature as the bottom of the ancient erosion or ED III cut. But we don't remove this feature during this season and just further excavation will clarify its nature.

f 349
ds Alignment of big stones (about 20 to 60 cms) running almost East to West, and probably part of the collapse f336. At first we assigned a different number to it because the stones were forming a sort of organized line and, moreover some were lying perfectly flat. But after more excavation we saw that the stones were just few, scattered and slightly inclined to the south. These stones are so likely part of the collapse of wall f288.

f 351
ds Natural floor with a sloping surface to the south, probably formed by natural compaction as the lower f352. It is brown in color, very compact with different layers of something similar to lamination showing the great importance of water in its depositional process.

f 354
ds Thick ashy layer found below f345. This ashy accumulation is irregular in shape, thicker in the middle and really ashy in texture, while to the south and to the north it is more compact and sandy. It is in general compact with fragments of mud bricks and many small charcoals.

f 355
ds Accumulation with an orange surface, likely due to melted orange mud bricks. It is more compact then f350, even if really similar in composition and texture. This could be interpreted as the first accumulation, use or abandonment, linked with wall f288. It has been exposed in the small sounding k130 and, to have a better understanding of it, more excavation is required.

f 356
ds Three small orange mud bricks in line running north to south. It seems that the northern brick is going below the bottom stone of wall f288, so being earlier than the structure a8. Some other broken mud bricks belonging to f357 were uncovered next to it. 
nr The situation is not clear yet because this feature has been uncovered in a small area inside the sounding in k130.

f 357
ds Layer, probably an accumulation or a mud brick collapse. Many fragments of mud brick were uncovered but the surface is too limited to have a good understanding of it. These bricks are different in color, gray, orange and brown. No clear lines of structures are visible, but it can't be excluded some kind of mud brick installation next to f356, or including f356 itself.

f 358
ds Accumulation, probably natural, light brown in color with small pebbles, few sherds and stone flakes. Next to the walls f259 and f288 this accumulation, as the others is very granular and brown. It is due to water seepage along the walls faces. This accumulation is abutting some collapsed stones belonging to f336 and covering others, showing probably two different moments of collapse.

f 359
ds Accumulation with many small pebbles and stone flakes. It doesn't seem a pavement but more likely a natural accumulation with many pebbles coming from the wall f259 or brought from waters. The surface is irregular and the soil is brown with just few sherds, some lying vertically.

f 360
ds This feature was assigned to the soil below the stones f361.1 and f361.2 and excavated as one feature even if including f340, f345, f354 and f358.

f 361
ds Two big floating stones next to wall f259. They can be just floating stones or showing a really late collapse episode. In particular f361.1 is sharply inclined to the east and probably it is coming from wall f259.

f 362
ds Natural accumulation found below the collapsed stones f336, made of dark brown soil with orange mud bricks fragments and small ashy lenses. It is really similar to f347 in composition, color and texture. Also the elevation shows that probably are the same. It is clearly in relationship with a8.

f 363
ds Thin accumulation orange to light brown in color found below the ash f341. This accumulation shows fragment of mud bricks and it is quite compact. This accumulation was covering the pebbles line running to the north f343, and probably belongs to the fill of esc1 or to a moment in between the erosion f344 of the wall and the construction of esc1.

f 364
ds Natural compacted floor found below floor f352. It is one of the numerous floors sloping to the south, and created by washed materials coming from west and north. This feature is not excavated this season.

f 365
ds Accumulation found below f363. It is almost the same of f363, but more brown in color and softer, it is clearly natural and probably formed by water flowing.

f 366
ds Soft natural accumulation brown in color. This feature abuts the sloping floor f352 and the accumulation f367. This accumulation is a sort of fill of the hollow/damage f344 excavated from the water, both in the stone wall f259 and in the floor and accumulations (as f351 and f352) to the f259's west.

f 367
ds Natural accumulation dark brown in color and granular in texture. It is made of clayish soil, because of the water seepage. In fact below this narrow strip of soil more small stones belonging to wall f259 were uncovered, and this shows why the water created this effect, just in this strips. Probably it was continuing to the east, but it was removed as part of f340.

.rd T827
.ri lC

-sg Today we resumed the excavation after a week of UGR working, in order to check few things before the end of the season. The first aim was to expose the top part of wall f288 so it is clearly visible in the next kite pictures. Second we wanted to check if the wall f288, running east to west could continue to the west and join the wall found in J5 at the bottom of revetment wall f72. This last J5 structure could be also a sort of step foundation for the revetment wall, and only further excavation will clarify the situation. Our wall seems stopping in the corner with wall f259 and it is not continuing toward west.

-dy Today we resumed the excavation after a week of UGR working, in order to check few things before the end of the season. The excavation was really small, with just two workmen. We straightened the section of the early escarpment and cut it back a little, in order to expose the upper face of wall f259. We removed the thin ashy layer f341 and then an orange compact accumulation f369, that seems to me in all similar to f363. Removing the big last stone of f339 left from the previous days we uncovered also three more pebbles belonging to f343 that is continuing to the north. Continuing to go down we uncovered and removed baqaya f353, that, as to the south, has an irregular surface. The baqaya was right above a surface sloping to the south that we cut a little removing f353. This sloping surface is clearly visible in section and could be the same of the surface f352, found to the south in k131. Cleaning the wall f288 from the soil, we uncovered another stone forming the corner of structure a8.

k 129
dy Today we resumed the excavation, even if in a small scale, to check the last question before the end of the season. We cut back few cms the early escarpment in order to expose the surface of wall f288. For the same aim we removed the ashy layer f341. Then we excavated to the west of the wall to look for an its eventual continuation to the west. We recovered the continuation to the north both of the pebbles alignment f343 and the baqaya f353, that here was clearly abutting the wall. We stopped after the removal of the baqaya on top of harder gray sloping surface that could also be the same of f352 to the south, but cut by the erosion f344 because of water flowing.

f 341
dy today we removed this thin layer of ash and just few body sherds were recovered. It was in part on top of the stones belonging to wall f288, and in part on top of a sloping accumulation f369.
ar It seems clear now looking at the section that the ash layer f341 on top of the wall f288 is the same as the ash to the west visible in section and sloping south under the fill of the early escarpment. It is itself likely part of this filling, linked with the stones f339.

f 369
ds Accumulation uncovered below the ashy layer f341. It is sloping both toward east and slightly to the south. It is likely part of the filling of the early escarpment as f363 that to me are the same. It is compact, sandy in texture with some clayish patches.

.rd T829
.ri lC

-dy Today we started to remove the accumulation on top of the revetment wall f72 in k132. This operation was required because during the winter the water was making it instable ad there was the risk it could fall down inside J1 excavation area. Moreover it was difficult to walk on top of the wall for eventual conservation works because of these two kind of spurs projecting to the south. These were left from previous excavation as baulks of old loci. We started to remove about half a meter of accumulation that we consider as topsoil f370 because it was really damaged by the long exposure to water flowing. At the end of the day we uncovered two big floating stones, that tomorrow we will remove hoping to reach the level of the harder soil clearly visible in section.

k 132
dy Today we started to remove the accumulation on top of the revetment wall f72 in k132. This operation was required because during the winter the water was making it instable ad there was the risk it could fall down inside J1 excavation area. Moreover it was difficult to walk on top of the wall for eventual conservation works because of these two kind of spurs projecting to the south. These were left from previous excavation as baulks of old loci. We started to remove about half a meter of accumulation that we consider as topsoil f370 because it was really damaged by the long exposure to water flowing. At the end of the day we uncovered two big floating stones, that tomorrow we will remove hoping to reach the level of the harder soil clearly visible in section.

-sg Today we started to remove two dangerous spurs of soil left from previous year excavations on top of the revetment wall f72. One seems the baulk between k9 and k11 and the other is a small triangle to the north of old k9, and to the east of k32. We created a new locus k132 including both these portions. The two soil spurs are projecting to the south and it was difficult to walk on top of the revetment wall for eventual conservation works. Moreover their section was very damaged by the water flowing and there was the risk they could fall down inside the lower J1 excavation area.

f 72
pr Today we started to excavate the topsoil f370 with the big pick, but probably next days, continuing to remove these accumulations almost on top of the revetment wall f72, we will decide if it is safer for the wall to use the small pick. gB is afraid that the vibrations caused by they big pick can damage the stability of the wall. We don't know because we didn't excavate on top of the wall exposed in all its height. So we want to be very careful to avoid any kind of possible stress for the revetment wall f72.

.rd T911
.ri lC

a 8
ar At the end of the excavation period we were able to check that the northern stone wall f288 is not continuing to the west. Instead is continuing to the north and we can't exclude that the wall f259 is continuing to the south. With the information gained so far it seems plausible a function for this structure similar to the ED III revetment wall, in a general organization of a such big area with sacral function. Moreover in the small sounding k130 we reached the bottom of the wall f288 and we didn't find anything similar to floors or pavements, indicating perhaps that we are in a open air area, even if it can't be excluded that some sort of pavement could be little deeper and sloping toward south. Even if it was an outer space we expect to find some sort of surface linked with this structure.

f 288
sm Big stone wall running West to East and bonded with wall f259 forming a big structure, likely linked with a Late Chalcolithic mound and plaza. The wall is built with irregular big sized stones and smaller stones to regularize the face. The lower courses are made of bigger stones, better set out in the ground. The wall is slightly inclined to the north and it is built of a single row of stones, probably as a retaining wall. It is about two meters in height, but we don't know how its original height was because likely it was originally higher, as it seems shown by the many collapsed stones belonging to f336. The wall is poorly preserved to the west, in part probably for ancient collapse, in part for later ED III cuts that removed some of its stones.

f 259
ds Stone wall running north to south bonded with wall f288, forming a big L shaped structure. The wall is built with irregular big sized stones and smaller stones and pebbles to regularize the face. As wall f288 the lower courses are made of bigger stones, better set out in the ground. Also as wall f288 this wall is slightly inclined to the west. Probably its function was like a coating-retaining wall linked with the accumulation coming from the west, brought from the strong water flowing. Its western face, next to the corner with wall f288, is filled with small pebbles, but to the south all the natural accumulations and floors are abutting it. This seems to me due to the water flowing, that before removed the earlier accumulation against which it was built and the pebbles and then it brought new accumulations as f346, f351 and f352. Probably this wall forms the western boundary for the Late Chalcolithic plaza. But more excavation is required.

f 296
ar Last year this feature was uncovered and interpreted perhaps as the bottom of the early escarpment, because of the many mud brick fragments. This season it turned to be still part of the fill of the second escarpment. The pottery, as mKB shows, is exactly the same of the features above, moreover in section is still clearly visible the ancient ED III cut f321 with the following fill. The only difference with f294 is the different direction from which the material was brought. As shown from v394 the fill f294 was brought from the south, while the fill f296 was very likely throw from the top of the revetment wall f72.

f 301
df pit-c
ds Cut of the small pit filled by the ashy fill f287 found in the small sounding k128. Just a small part of the pit was excavated in the small sounding. It is clearly earlier than ED III because it is covered by the material of the early escarpment.

f 303
ar At the beginning it was unclear if this ash in the eastern portion of k127 was the same as f278 in the western portion or not. Then we saw clearly that this ash is part of the filling material of the second escarpment, and so it is later than the ashy accumulation f278, that instead is in between the two escarpments, covering the sloping surface of f196.

f 306
el 8637 @bottom

f 318
sm Upper row of flat stones belonging to the stone escarpment found in J5. This stone escarpment is preserved in J1, just with this northern row of flat big stones, embedded in the material belonging to the first escarpment as v401 and v419 show.

f 320
ar During its removal it turned out don't be exactly a lens, but more likely a thicker ashy accumulation, overlaying in part the sloping floor f317 and in part the accumulation f327. It seems belonging to the accumulations in between the two escarpments and filling the erosion cut, more than to the fill of the second escarpment as shown by v394.

f 329
sm One of the first accumulation below the filling of the second escarpment. This accumulation seems going under f309 to the north, so it is clearly earlier than the first escarpment. The pottery still shows a mix between ED III and LC sherds. Probably this let us interpret this feature as belonging to the period immediately before the construction of the early escarpment, when the ED III people cut and moved the earlier accumulations and levels in order to prepare for the construction of the temple terrace, with the escarpment and the revetment wall.

f 337
nv This accumulation is just few cms thick. The elevations show a big difference because the feature is sloping.

f 338
nv This floor is just few cms thick. The elevations show a big difference because the feature is sloping.

f 341
P1 T827
el 8673 @bottom
;tc ov f288
tc co f369

f 369
tc ov f288
tc ov f353
tc ab f363

f 353
tc ab f259

f 345
tc ab f361

f 340
tc ab f361

f 196
tc co f361