J2k5

File: /MZ/A/J02/D/K/0005.HTM
Processed on 06-09-2016
The home for this page is J02


Labeling/Designation
Best image
Best Image 2014-10-24cjc
L_W18d0853 J02w0053 T327 pC.jpg
A98.NLabeling 2005-8-15mH Whereas most of k5 will remain at the 90 m level, the northern baulk will be excavated until the 88 m level thus it will first be brought level with the southern part of k4 and then we will continued together in these two areas. The joint area will be labeled under k4.
2005-8-16mH We started labeling the northern baulk of k5 below the 90 m level as k4 since it is excavated together with the southern part of k4.

Description/Count
Description 2004-6-27mH west of k100, south of k4
2008-3-7pC k5 is a regular 5x5 meters locus. It was opened to have a better view of the apron f131 from the south; is defined by the markers m3587, m3586, m3614, m3605, m3594, m3604, m3595
2009-8-22cJC In MZ22 this locus was only partially excavated. The southern part consists of a raised baulk while the northern half was excavated. The northern points are m6152 in the NW and m6150 in the NE. The southern corners of the locus are m6157 in the SW and r1077 in the SE. The east baulk is defined by only one point, m6151.

Recovery/Assignment and the Record
Daily 2004-6-28mH Yesterday we reached a level below topsoil the bottom boundary of which I considered to be a dark organic band also visible in k4. We spend a fair amount of time making sure we were level after which we continued down with big picks. f4 in k5 is similar to f5 in k4. It is mostly hard and compact with patches of softer soil where there is or was organic matter. We unearthed some pottery but very few other kinds of objects.
2004-6-29mH We continued with f4 in this unit for most of the day. Compared with yesterday, however, the pebbles seem to have become larger. Half way through the day we located a large stone close to the middle of the northern baulk. We did not reach the bottom of it today. This stone seems to be there alone and probably has eroded down from the temple terrace to the north. It is definitely located much higher than we wound expect if it were an in situ part of the apron. Towards the end of the day I changed the feature in the whole locus into f8 although there was no change in the soil matrix. fAB suggested I do this in order to keep track of the pottery that comes from this unit better. Close to the southwestern corner of the unit we located a bird's nest with three dead birds in it. The nest seems to be quite big and thus has created significant disturbance to this area of the unit. The nest influences q15 and q19 excavated today and will continue to affect the first q-lot excavated in this unit tomorrow.
2004-6-30mH In k5 we continued clearing the whole unit one big pick full at a time. The feature continued as f8, which means that the soil was a mixture of harder and softer patches. It is clearly natural accumulation. Towards the end of the day we run into a line of stones running south from the large stone close to the middle of the northern baulk ( f14). These stones are quite small but since they are clearly in a line they must be the result of human activity. To the east of this line two such stones are slightly visible on the surface. More of these stones are located to the west of the line. In case these stones delineate a working area or the like, I made the area 300 cm east and 400 cm south of m3604 into f16, which I termed a (accumulation). This area includes also the two stones visible to the east of the stone line. I had the workmen pick with a small pick to the west of the stone line ( q31). As of now there does not seem to be any associated floor surface, but this will be determined tomorrow. Interestingly, it now seems that the large stone ( f14) in the north is resting on another large stone. If this is indeed the case, it would seem that this stone is not an isolated stone but perhaps a part of a feature.
2004-7-1mH We excavated more around the stoneline in f16. To the east of f16 I kept the feature as f8 with the provision that if stones would be revealed under q36, I would include this area into f16. We did not, however, find more stones in that area and thus I kept q36 within f8. After we had excavated q36 the unit floor was level. The stoneline discovered extends now from the big stone in the north to the middle of the unit. To the west and to the south of it there are scattered stones. I expect that the line extends further south although it does not do so now. The stone placements are clearly man made but since we have thus far been unable to locate any floor surfaces associated with the stones, it seems that this construction was only used temporarily.
2004-7-4mH We did not excavate in this unit today, but relayed the stones found here. I assigned them as f27 and defined that as lens type c.
2004-7-5mH We took two photos of the unit with the stone feature f24 as the target. I also sketches them in on the plots I ran yesterday. We did not excavated here today.
2004-7-6mH I drew the northern baulk.
2004-7-8aP we started to remove the eastern part of the baulk between k4 and k5 ( f44, q95) to be able to draw the section already on Sunday morning also if the baulk will not completely removed.
2004-7-11aP re finished to remove the eastern part of the northern baulk of k5 ( f44, q104).
2004-7-12aP bM and eA, which joined us on the excavations yesterday, draw the long eastern section in k4 and k5.
2004-7-20aP during the afternoon we started to remove the western part of the big German trench in k4 and k5. The feature is f79. We didn't collect pottery but the workmen just collapsed the wall in the trench.
2004-7-27aP we are not digging in this unit (as well as in k15) but since we use the square as passage for the wheelbarrows we missed the top of the northern section in the central part of the baulk.
2005-8-8mH We left a 40 cm wide ledge on the southern edge of the unit abutting the baulk in preparation for the stepped sectioning we will do later when we reach lower depths.
2005-8-8sC Today we start digging k5. We delineated the area where to dig with a relay ( r483) and we started to dig 350mEWx390NS. We assigned two feature numbers: f157 to the top 10 cm of k5 and f158 to the accumulation below this: the square has been contaminated by the dirt moved here during the past days (due to the presence of the elevator). f157 is characterized by a very soft and dusty texture and gray colour. One qlot was collected during the excavation of f157 ( q408) and one during the excavation of f158 ( q409) .
2005-8-9mH We started by removing soil only on the eastern half of the unit, which was left higher at the end of the day yesterday. We then continued down (both included in q410). The soil here was a combination of extremely hard patches alternating with significantly softer areas. This resembles the situatiuon at the same elevation in all units. After breakfast bP came to define the baulks and edges of the unit and thus the work here was stopped for a while. Since we started work here without the baulk lines, I had defined an area for excavation that was located securely within the unit. After bP had redefined the unit, we had about 30 cm wide area unexcavated in the east, 15 cm in the north and 30 in the west. We started removing them from the west ( q416), continued in the north ( q417), in the east ( q418). In the east we were able to remove only an area 1 m long north-south before it was time to call it a day. sC and I returned to the field in the afternoon and draw the northern section.
2005-8-10mH sC and I drew the norther baulk of k5 yesterday afternoon. This morning we removed it ( q421). The baulk was not particularly high, but its edges were very soft and thus they were a safety hazard. Before bP had put the baulk markers in we had excavated well with the limits of the unit in order to make sure that we would not accidentally excavate into our baulks. Yesterday bP but the markers in and we started to excavate the areas in between the real baulk and our excavated area. Yesterday we were able to do most of it and today we finished this work on the east ( q422). After that we continued going down the whole unit ( q424, q426).
2005-8-11mH We started the morning by excavating the southern half of the unit ( q429), which was left higher up at the end of the day yesterday. When we removed the northern baulk on Thursday, we had removed the northwest baulk corner stake ( m4037) and the northeast baulk corner stake ( m4038). Today bP gave us new markers for these corners (NE baulk corner is m4050 and the NW corner is m4051). When that was done, we could straighten the section ( q430). At the start of excavations here in k5 we had left a 40 cm legde along the southern edge of the unit in preparation for the stepped section. Because we decided yesterday that we would place the steps on fixed elevations, we did not need this ledge here anymore and thus we removed it ( f163 q431). We gave it a new feature number ( f163) but in actuality it consists of both f157 at the top and f158 below it. Afterwards we continued excavations in the whole unit ( q434).
2005-8-13mH We started excavating in the eastern half of the unit ( q436), which had been left higher on Thursday. We continued by going down in the whole unit ( q437, and q444) until we reached the 90 m elevation the ledge of which this unit is. While excavating q444, we found a metal item ( i8). At the end of the day we moved the elevator from k15 into this unit since we stop the excavation in this unit at this 90 m level.
2005-8-14mH We started the day by removing the remaining part of northern baulk, which was still above the 90 m elevation level ( f160 q451 and q465). We changed the feature into f177 once we started excavating the baulk below the 90 m level. We excavated q-lot q469 with this feature number today.
2005-8-15mH We removed the norther baulk of the unit ( q479) and brought it level with the southern part of k4 left higher during last year's excavations. We also worked just east of the NE corner of the whole locus ( f178 q488) in order to make our excavation area visually nicer. We also removed the corner formed by the northern and eastern baulks of k5 ( f180 q493).
2005-8-23sC Today we started to remove the E baulk of k5. On in the top of the baulk a floating limestone ( f222, r678, r679) has been removed.
2005-8-24sC Today one team of workmen (Omar, Abdrhim, Adel, Abdrhman and Ahmed) continued to remove the E baulk of k5 ( f220). The elevator was not working propely almost all the day, therefore some of the workmen took some time from the work in order to help to move the elevator outside of the excavation area before breakfast. f220 is characterized by a medium loose soil on the top surface mixed with layers with more compact texture. It is grayish and light brown in colour. It is poor in pottery sherd and bones. Today we dig aproximately 400N and 80cm E, and a large area still need to be removed: part of the E baulk, in fact, is bound with a ledge of soil that extends toward E for about 1,30m. Due to the breake of the elevator the workmen needed to move the sirty from the the square by passing the baskets, and this made the work slower.
2005-8-25sC Today Omar, Abdrhim, Adel, Abdrhman and Ahmed continued to remove the 1,3m ledge of soil extending toward E in the E baulk of k5 ( f220); this feature is rich in pottery sherds and in q-items (qlo t597, qlo t603 and qlo t605). It is still characterized by a medium loose soil mixed with layers with different texture, more compact. It is grayish and light brown in colour.
2005-8-27mH We finished removing the remainder of the east baulk ( f220 q612). Since the plan in k4 and k5 was to go as deep as the apron ( f131) steps take us, it was no longer possible to leave the whole of k5 onto the 90 m elevation. We need to excavate this locus so that it will eventually contain the 86 m ledge, slope between the 86 m and 88 m ledge, the 88 m legde, the slope between 88 m and 90 m, and the 90 m ledge. The 90 m ledge will be located along the southern edge of the locus. I measure 2 meters in from the northern edge of the ledge-to-be and instructed the men to dig within this 2 m stretch. We could not excavated all the way to the northern edge of the locus today, since the northern face still needs to be drawn. We continued with the feature we finished with a while back and excavated three q-lots ( q619, q622, and q628). These were all located to the east of the elevator, which occupies roughly the center of the locus.
2005-8-28mH We continued going down in f164 on the eastern side of the elevator for one q-lot ( q164) after which we moved to the western side of elevator. There we excavated one q-lot ( q645) in which we found a glazed pottery piece ( i20).
2005-8-29mH We went down in three different locations defined by the presence of the elevator approximately in the middle of the unit and the fact that we had had to save the edge for drawing, which we finished yesterday. We excavated to the west of the elevator ( f164 q662 and q665), next to the edge both west ( f164 q664) and east of the elevator ( f164 q656, q670, and q672). These q-lots procuded several lithic artifacts and q670 even contained a piece of a tannur.
2005-8-31mH We continued removing f164 in various areas of k5. We started in the northeast corner of the excavation area. This is not the real northeast corner of the locus, but approximately 2 m to the east. The northeast corner of this qlot ( q678) is r942. We then excavated due north of the elevator located approximately in the middle of the unit ( q685) and in the northwest corner of the locus ( q686).
2005-9-4sC Today we continued to dig f277 in k5. Firstly we start by removing soil only in the western area of k5, which was left higer since yesterday ( q730, q735), then we continuing down in the whole unit. After breakfast Omar was picking in the eastern area of k5 ( q738, and E to the elevator) while Mamu and Shallal in the western part of the unit ( q743, W to the elevator). In the afernoon we continued excavating here. First we define the limits in k5 of (for the sections) in the S and in the E the area of k5, leaving 40cm along the southern and westsern section of k5, then we start by removing the soil only in the southern part of the unit, which was left higer from the morning excavation ( q749), and we dig W to the elevator ( q753) for just one pickrun; we stop digging in k5 because we move Shallal in k
2005-9-5sC After breakfast we continued to dig f164 in k5 in the northern area of the unit, where we dug a ledge that was higer ( q697) and that abut the E baulk of k15. We removed also a "pseudo baulk" in the E baulk of k5 (aproximately 3m S and 1mW from r942) to which we assigned another feature number, f261 ( q675, q678).
2005-9-5sC Today we continued to dig f164 in k5 by removing it firstly in the NW corner the unit ( q705, q708 and q711). Then we change feature number, and we labeled all the area as f277. We then start to dig f277 (that is the same of f164: we change because we were digging f164 since a lot of days) by removing it firstly in the area of k5, W to the elevator (the pottery recovered has been collected in the following qlots: q719, q724; q724 contains the pottery recovered in the excavation of a little area E to the elevator -0,10cm E and 0,10cm S from r961- that was left has been better defined).
2009-8-5cJC Today we only worked in k5. We went down only about 20 centimeters because we are working with the small pick. We have 2 pickmen working in the square. We had only 2 features and 2 q-lots.
2009-8-13cJC We are finished excavating in this locus. It will be backfilled at the end of the season.
Strategy 2004-6-29mH Tomorrow we will continue with the big pick since there does not seem to be anything going on in this unit. We will leave the stone pedestalled once we reach its bottom.
2004-6-30mH We will carefully clean the area excavated last today ( q31) and excavate the rest of the unit with small pick looking for a floor or the like. Outside f16 I will still use f8 until it becomes necessary to change it. The stones are quite small and after we have excavated the rest of the unit, they are on the surface of the unit. At this point we will take a picture of the situation and if no clear floor level has emerged we will remove the stones and continue down with a different feature number in the whole unit.
2004-7-1mH We stopped the excavations here temporarily so that other units can reach this level. Once we have done so, we will resume excavations here.
2004-7-6mH We will take down the northern baulk tomorrow.
2005-8-9mH On further consideration I came to the conclusion that we should not have left the 40 cm legde at the southern edge of k5. Instead we should continued 2 m down from the southern edge of the J2 (which is simultaneously the southern egde of k5), move south 90 cm, continue down 2 m, and then cut a slope so that only 50 cm remains of the 90 cm ledge we left. Repeating this procedure we should be able to make the stepped section we are planning.
2005-8-14mH Our goal here was to reach the 90 m elevation level and stop everywhere else except the baulk, which we will include into the 88 m level ledge, and 40 cm area just south of the baulk. This 40 cm area will be used for the 2m slope.
2005-8-15mH Whereas most of k5 will remain at the 90 m level, the northern baulk will be excavated until the 88 m level thus it will first be brought level with the southern part of k4 and then we will continued together in these two areas. The joint area will be labeled under k4.
Argument 2005-8-23sC in order to define the localization of f222 we took only two relays because of the lack of markers point in this moment in and close to this area.
Formal inconsistencies 2009-8-26cJC After plotting the J2 loci from MZ22 it became apparent that they do not exactly match the squares of the previous years. This is not totally unexpected as we had many problems at the beginning of the season trying to reestablish the squares due to the small number remaining markers in J2 as well as the depth of J2 compared to the remaining markers. The differences are not substantial but should be noted.

Volumetric localization
Relays 2005-9-1sC 957 (39044 50254 - 9022 / Relay location: top)
2009-8-1cJC 1083 (38794 50674 - 8775 / Relay location: SW corner eastbaulk )
Elevation 2005-9-12mH 8893
2005-9-12mH 8908
Space definition 2004-6-27mH m3594
Size of sides 2004-6-27mH 400 cms East, 400 cms North

Descriptive
Notes on typology 2009-9-18mKB none of the wares in J2 Phase 4c are as fine as many of the contemporary ceramics found inside Temple BA; this may be due to the differential functional uses of both areas. In assessing the shape typology of both areas there are more small bowl and cup types in the temple and its immediate surroundings than in the access way.

Analogical record
Photo of view

v5

v5a

v7

v7a
Photo of view

v15

v16

v17

v19
Photo of view

v20

v26a

v35

v46
Photo of view

v56

v64

v65

v65a
Photo of view

v71

v71a

v77

v77a
Photo of view

v77b

v77c

v77d

v77e
Photo of view

v80

v91

v115

v123
Photo of view

v154

v154a

v154b

v155
Photo of view

v158

v166

v166a

v167
Photo of view

v167a

v167b

v167c

v168
Photo of view

v168a

v168b

v168c

v169
Photo of view

v169a

v170

v170a

v170b
Photo of view

v170c

v171

v171a

v172
Photo of view

v172a

v172b

v172c

v173
Photo of view

v173a

v173b

v173c

v176a
Photo of view

v178

v178a

v178b

v179
Photo of view

v179a

v179b

v180

v181
Photo of view

v181a

v181b

v183

v184
Photo of view

v184a

v186

v186a

v187
Photo of view

v187a

v187b

v187c

v189
Photo of view

v206

v206a

v206b

v207
Photo of view

v207a

v207b

v208

v208a
Photo of view

v210

v211

v211a

v220
Photo of view

v220a

v220b

v513

v514

v516

v519

v520
Drawing of view

w5

w9

w20

w23
Drawing of view

w24

w25

w200

w202
Drawing of view

w206

w207

w209

w53
Reference to Plot 2009-3-30pC p0008
2009-3-30pC p0021
2009-3-30pC p0025
2009-3-30pC p0026