.bk J02
.fl P824sC.j
.fd features descriptions 226-231

.rd P824
.ri sC

f 226
;df ad
ds f226 has been assigned to the accumulation between the stones of wall f144 in k4. f226 present a loose and crumble texture, very easy to remove. 

f 227
df lb
ds f227 has assigned to a small layer of pottery sherds (lying horizontally) and pebbles in the north-east corner of k13. f227 abuts f229. The feature extents 50 cm W from r713 and 60 cm S from r713. 

f 228
;df ad
ds f228 has assigned to a natural accomulation in k101, which is the pottery column (r708, r709, r710, r711). f228 is very fine in texture (clayish), soft in consistence and is light gray in colour. f228 is the same of f229 in k13 and of f182, above it (f182 is the same of f174, in k101) and covers f234. The top 5-10 cm of this feature are contaminated by the excavation occurred in this area in the previous days.
c# 10 YR 7/2, 10 YR 7/1
co light gray 

f 229
ad ad
ds f229 has assigned to the accumulation extending in k13 (but does not extend to the NE corner of k13 where f227 is located (a layer of pottery sherds). The soil is very fine in texture (clayish), soft in consistence and is light gray in colour. f229 is the same of f183, above it (f183 is the same of f171 in k13), and of f228 in k101; f229 abuts f227 and overlays f231 (k103). The top 5-10 cm of this feature are contaminated by the excavation occurred in this area in the previous days. 
c# 10 YR 7/2
co light gray 

f 230
ds f230 has been assigned to the accumulation under the wall f144 in k14. It is characterized by a bricky melted nature: it has a very fine texture (plastic) and it has a very compact consistence; it is light gray in colour. 
;c# 10 YR 7/2
;co light gray 
nr A big fragment of kiln waste have been collected on the surface of this feature (q-item 583.1).

f 231
;df fb
ds f231 (v102, v102a) is a floor surface in k103 that covers almost all the unit (excluding the NE corner of the square where a layer of pottery sherds have been found, which we defined as f227). It is characterized by a very compact surface with a very fine and soft texture, and by the presence of ash lenses and thiny stone fragments (calcar or limestone) which are spread all over the surface. It is light gray in colour. f231 slopes toward the south area of the square. 
c# 10 YR 7/2, 10 YR 7/1
co light gray 
ar because f231 slopes toward the south area of k103, there is a difference between the top elevation took in the N and the S area of k103 of aproximately 10 cm. The ash lenses appeared at the elevation of m3953 +20 -163 

.rd P824
.fd daily journal
.ri sC

-sf vvE worked at home (on templates). mH stayed at home because she was ill.

-mk bP put 4 new markers: 4172 (NW corner of k15), 4171 (NW baulk corner of k15), 4170 (NW corner of k14) and 4169 (NW baulk corner of k14). 

dy In the morning we clean k14 (f200), k13 (f171), k101 (f174) and k4 (f150, f216, f218 and f219 with the wall f144) in order to take a general view of all these squares at the same elevation (gv100 and gv100a). 

k 23
dy We continued to dig f203 in k23. I have the sensation that the work does not proceed very fast in this square. One reason is that the workmen are a bit uncertain and even if I told them to dig with the big pick they prefer to dig with the little pick. Another reason is that the soil is characterized by a compact and hard surfaces (the same we had in k14, f162) and therefore is very difficult to remove. Another lines of limestones (belonging to f128) have been exposed. They seems to be more regular in their allignment and in better condition of preservation respect to the ones that are exposed in k3-k2.

k 5
dy 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.

k 101
dy Today we string the square for the pottery column (k101) in the north-west area of k13 (it has been defined with r709, r710, r712, r713). I checked the area and assigned a new feature number (f228) to the whole square: the top 5-10 cm of this feature are contaminated by the excavation occurred in this area in the previous days (the pottery sherds belonging to the first 5-10cm  have been collceted in the qlot581). f228 is the same of f174 and f182. Masom started to dig with the big pick f228. Under only 5 cm form the top of f228 we find a very compact and well defined surface (f234), that continues also in k13 (f231). We took a picture of k101 and k13 (gv102, gv102a) and then we started to remove f234.

k 13
dy After having string and took the relay for define k101 (the pottery column) and therefore k13, Kamiran start to dig in k13. I checked the area and assigned two features numbers: f227 to the layer of pottery sherds lying in a horizontal way in the north-east corner of k13 (aproximately 40cm W from r713 and 35cm S from r713, at the absolute elevation of 88.45) and f229, that interests the remaining portion of the area. The q580, that contains pottery collected from the first 10 cm from the excavation of this feature (f229), could have been contaminated by the excavation in k14 from the previous days. f229 present the same characteristics of f228 (in k101): the soil has a very fine and soft texture; one little area with ashes interests the central area of k13. After a pickrun of aproximately 5-10cm of f229 a very compact and well defined surface have been exposed, which have been labeled f231. f231 is probably a floor surface characterized by a very compact surface with a fine texture and slopes a bit toward the southern part of k13; once excavated, is very soft and friable in consistence. In same part of the area we noticed also some ash lenses. Two animal holes (f250 and f251) intrude f231, on the south and central area of k13. Both have a diameter of 9-11cm and one of the them was fill with a very soft soil texture. fAB helped me to explain to the workmen that they must keep trace of these two animal holes while excavating (boths continue under feature f231) and therefore remove firstly the soil contained in these holes in order to avoid any contamination in the lower features. With the excavation of f229, f227 (the pottery layer) is cleary localized only in the the north-eastern corner of k13; f227 abuts f231, and f231 is the same of f234 in k101. From the excavation of this feature (f227) it has been collected a large amount of pottery (qlot588, qlot591). After having took a picture (gv102, gv102a) we started to remove f231.  
-st fAB helped me with the pottery tag (from 1220am) and suggest to create a new locus for the area that up to date we have defined as k13: therefore from tomorrow we will always refer to the NE corner of k13 as k103 defined by relays r709, r710, r712, r713) instead of k13. From tomorrow fAB suggests that we can ask to Abdelhamed to help us with the tag and with the record of the q-items in the field.

k 4
dy Today we continued to dig in the southern area of k4 and to the north baulk of k5 where feature f218 and f216 were still present. We first finished to remove f218 (that we started excavating yesterday), then we remove f216, while bP took the relay of the wall f144. From the excavation of f216 we recovered only one pottery sherd (qlot579).
ar f216 seems to be the same accomulation under the wall f232 (the wall under wall f144): it is very compact and it is bricky melted in texture and consistence. We took a picture of the section of wall f144 (gv99, gv99a, gv99b) and we remove wall f144. I assigned f226 to the soil contained between the stones of f144 (the soil between the top and the bottom elevation of the stones of the wall): f226 present a loose texture, very easy to remove. Under f144 another wall have been exposed, separated to f144 by an accumulation thick aproximately 15-30cm. I assigned a new feature number to this accumulation (f230). f230 it is similar to f226 in texture (very fine, and clayish) but very different in consistence (f226 is very easy to remove while f230 is more compact). Once excavated f230, another lines of 7 big stones (f232) have been exposed.
ar I decided to characterize and assigne a different feature number for the accumulation between the stones (f226) and for the accumulation under the stones (f230) of wall f144 because of their different consistence. I tought it could have been useful in the case the analisys of the pottery would have given a intresting datation. A layer of ash was in fact noticed in the pedestal of f144, and mH and I thought that it could have been a  marker/indicator of a possible different phases in the accumulation under f144. 
sg yesterday mH, fAB, jO and I talked in the field about the nature of f144. We were thinking that f144 was a wall on the top of an accumulation. We were not expecting that this accumulation would have hidden another wall. The plan for today was to remove f144 (looking for a possinle different phase in the accumulation under f144) and then start digging in f150, close to the Apron (f131) in order to expose more steps. Therefore, after a discussion in the field with fAB and jO, we decided to change strategy: we will leave for today f232 in place, and tomorrow we will take a picture of all the area; then we will remove the wall f232. At the end of the morning, FAB, gB and jO came in J2: we discuss, togheter with aL, about the strategy for tomorrow, especially about how to make the section in k14. We agree that we need more workmen, that should arrive tomorrow, in order to oper k24 while go down in k15 and k14.