.bk J03
.fl Q830vE1.j
.fd Daily journal of J3 East
.fn edited by eI on R815 and jW on R924, W416
.ri vVE
.rd Q830
.ed Q830
.ei vVE

-dy We continued to excavate the Northern half of k1 in front of the revetment wall f569. The boulder f575 and the small boulder 579 next to it were uncovered. Under the natural deposit of f572 there appeared a softer black ashy deposit f576. After having removed these ashes we found again a reddish brown deposit f578. We have removed the pebbles of f521 and the large boulder f519. In k107 we excavated the little deposits f570 that remained on top of the baqaya. After we noticed remains of mud bricks at the Eastern edge of the q-lot we decided to extend the feature further to the East and clean the surface there and remove only a thin layer. In k106 we continued to go down in the northern half until we had cleared the face of the revetment wall. Then we started to excavate also the Southern half of k106. 

k 1
dy We continued to excavate the Northern half of k1 in front of the revetment wall f569. The boulder f575 and the small boulder 579 next to it were uncovered. Under the natural deposit of f572 there appeared a softer black ashy deposit f576.  After having removed these ashes we found again a reddish brown deposit f578. We have removed the pebbles of f521 and the large boulder f519. We relayed the large boulders f525, f527, f528 and f574 which is a very large boulder that had appeared yesterday already in the Southern section. 

f 519
dy f519 had not been removed yet because it protruded from the baulk. It was left standing on a column of soil which had become a nuisance because it blocked the view on the front of the revetment wall and because it prevented a clear view on the Eastern section which has to be drawn. I probed with my trowel how deep the boulder of f519 was embedded in the East baulk. It turned out that only its northern side was embedded and only for approximately 8 cm. We carefully removed the boulder without damaging the section and excavated the column of deposits on which it had rested (q583, f534)

q 584
ds q584 is the column of soil under the boulder f519 that was removed today. It is assigned to f534 because this was the level at which f519 was resting. In fact it is mixed however with the underlying layers, f571 and f566.

f 521
dy f521 was removed today. The sherds that were present between the large pebbles that make up f521 were collected as q582. 
ds f521 consists of a pile of large pebbles and sherds that are randomly placed (both in layering and orientation). It is very hard to intepret such a small feature: it is not man made, it might be a small depression in which these sherds and pebbles accumulated. 

q 582
ds The pottery of q582 are the sherds that were among the pebbles of f521.

f 574
dy Today we relayed the large boulder f574 which had been exposed at the end of the excavations of yesterday. 
ds f574 is a very large boulder that protrudes from the South section of k01 and lies just to the East of f528. Both f528 and f574 seem to be lying on the same level in f572.

f 572
dy We excavated f572 today in the northern half of k01. At the bottom of it appeared two boulders, f575 and f579. 
ds At the bottom of f572 were lying two boulders, f575 and f579. Under f572 appeared the soft and ashy layer of f576
 
f 575
ds Feature, f575, is a small boulder that was found in front of the revetment wall f569.  It was laying at the bottom of f572 and just to the west of the very small boulder f579. 

f 579
ds f579 is a boulder of a size yet to be determined, that was found in front of the revetment wall f569. It was lying at the bottom of f572 and just to the east of the small boulder f575. 

f 576
dy f576 appeared under the natural accumulation f572 that was excavated in the northern half of k1. 
ds Feature, f576, is a soft ashy layer mixed with a lot of brownish and reddish, slightly burnt, clay. It lies against the revetment wall f569 and under f572. Under f576 lies f578.
tc co f578

f 578
dy The top of f578 was excavated in the northern half of k01 in order to clear the face of the top wall of the revetment wall f569.
ds f578 is a slightly compact light brown layer that lies against the revetment wall f569.
tc ab f569 

k 106
dy In k106 we continued to go down in the northern half until we had cleared the face of the top of the revetment wall f569.  Then we started to excavate also the Southern half of k106. 

f 576
dy f576 was opened today because it was softer than the overlying deposit f572. It was excavated in the northern half of k106 in order to clear the face of the top of the revetment wall f569.
ds Feature, f576, is a light brownish clay that is softer than the overlying f552 (of k106) which was quite hard and compact. It lies on top of the ashy deposit of f577 (of k106).
tc co f577 

f 577
dy f577 was excavated today in order to clear the face of the top of the revetment wall f569. 
ds Feature, f577, is a soft and crumbly ashy layer that contains a few large pieces of burnt clay. 

f 552
dy f552 was excavated today in the Southern half of k106 which had not been excavated yet. It is a compact layer of light brownish red clay.

k 107
dy In k107 we excavated the little deposits f570 that remained on top of the baqaya, f581. After we noticed remains of mud bricks at the Eastern edge of the q-lot we decided to extend the feature further to the East and clean the surface there and remove only a thin layer. The exact connection between the baqaya f581 and that mudbrick cover f582 remains unclear. The pits that I yesterday thought cut the baqaya seem to be an animal hole. The mudbricks f583 lie under the second apron f556 and on top of the wash layer f570. The boulder f580 was relayed and will be removed tomorrow because it most likely had rolled down from the second apron f532. 

f 570
dy We continued to remove the little that remained of the greyish deposit f570 in q578 in order to clear the baqaya f581. When we found the remains of several mud bricks f582 at the eastern edge of k107 we decided to extend f570 further to the East (into J2) with q579 in order to clean the surface there in the gap between the revetment wall f569 and the second apron f556 and to find the possible continuation of the mud bricks. 
ds The wash layer of f570 runs under the mud bricks of f583 (and therefore also under f556) and on top of the baqaya and the remains of the mud brick surface f582. It is not clear yet whether or not this deposit lies against the top of the revetment wall or actually runs under the top stone of the revetment wall. 

f 581
dy The top of the baqaya had been uncovered yesterday and the remaining deposits f570 that covered were excavated today. 
ds This baqaya is a hard and compact layer of red clay that has many small inclusions, mainly small pieces of calcite. On most of its surface it is mainly a light reddish deposit with less calcite pieces. It is covered by the natural accumulation (wash layer) f570. The baqaya seems in turn to cover a line of boulders that probably are part of the revetment wall f569. So little of the mud brick cover f582 has been preserved that it is very hard to tell the connection between f581 and f582. It is possible that they abut, but it can also be that the mud bricks also covered the baqaya at a certain time. After studying the baqaya in the better lighting conditions of the early morning it became apparent that the two pits dug into the baqaya actually are one long animal hole.
;edit comment = does the animal hole have a feature number? 

f 582
dy While the surface was being cleaned after the excavation of f570 I noticed the remains of several mud bricks. 
ds f582 consists of the very thin remains of several mud bricks that were lying against each other to probably form a pavement. They were covered by the natural accumulation f570. The mud bricks were preserved in a only in a very small surface and as we searched for more mud brick to the East (into J2) we only found a thin layer of red clay, presumably the molten bricks, that covered a softer grey and ashy deposit. The bad preservation of these mud bricks makes it very hard to identify the nature of the relationship between f582 and the baqaya f581: they might abut or f582 might be on top of f581. The pavement that these fragments of mud bricks must have formed could have extended all the way to the mud brick pavement that had been excavated by the German team from Tuebingen on top of the temple terrace above the primary stairway.

f 583 
dy More mud bricks became visible in the section under the bottom of the second apron and these were assigned the feature number f583 today. 
ds f583 consists of light red mud bricks that are visible in the section created by the deposits that carry the second apron f556. The mud bricks seem to be lying directly under f532 and on top of the natural accumulation f570.
ar There are two options for the function of these mud bricks, I think: Either the mud bricks formed a pavement that adorned/preserved the top of the temple terrace or they were laid out as part of the construction of the secondary apron. It is very hard to argue in favor of one of these options over the other, but I would like to propose that the mud bricks were a preparation for the second apron. First of all because they seem to be directly on top of each other and secondly because the soft ashy deposits of f570 might not have been able to support the stones of the second apron f556, because they would have shifted or eroded away from underneath the structure during the winter rains. 

f 556
ds A layer of mud bricks f583 seems to be lying under the second apron f556. fAB suggested that the second apron was constructed in such a way that it descended and became progressively narrower as the structure extends to west. Viewed over a longer distance it indeed becomes apparent that more steps come together to continue as one than I had originally noted. 

f 580
dy This boulder probably has moved from its original position and was relayed today so that we will be able to remove it tomorrow morning.
ds f580 is a small boulder that lies against the top of the revetment wall 569 and seems to have rolled down from the second apron f556.