J2 topic
Division of Brickfall Strata
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History of Brickfall Excavation in J2
The Two Brickfalls
History of Brickfall Excavation in J2
Initially, the brickfall was recognized by the excavators as bricky material as they were coming down from the top. We now know from nearby excavations in J7 that there is substantial brickmelt in the upper layers of the brickfall that have few, if any, identifiable bricks. This makes it very difficult to identify during excavation as the features are exposed from the top. Furthermore, the slope of the deposits, sloping down from the east towards the west across J2, made it difficult to identify exact moments during the brickfall that were contemporaneous. The brickfall material, however, is very homogeneous - composed of red and gray bricks and mixed with many sherds and other anthropogenic material.
The Two Brickfalls
While reviewing the 2004/2005 excavations for the purposes of publishing the J2 book, I began to have some questions about the brickfall in J2. In previous seasons (2008/2009), pC had identified two different phases of brickfall in neighboring J6. Her identification spurred a reexamination of the J2 brickfall. While reviewing the photographs and field notes it became clear to me that there are two distinct moments in the brickfall history, although the brickfall should be thought of as relatively continuous emanating from the same direction and composed of the same materials. The separating factor was the small curtain walls found inside the brickfall. To me, these features suggest that the area was reused, probably fleetingly, between the two moments of the brickfall. The purpose of the walls is unknown but it is clear that they are located both above and under brickfall layers. Thus, I have divided the brickfall features into two strata, s160-J2B, which is the first moment, and s158-J2B - the second moment - which covered the small curtain walls.