| Roster |
Date |
Author |
Record |
| Daily notes about recovery of elements |
2006-08-16 |
sC |
We opened this locus today. k74 is of 500mx500m and is delimited by the following markers: m4294 (NE), m3833 (SE), m3841 (SW) and m4293 (NW). We started by removing firstly the little bushes and then the topsoil f24 (q34) in all the area. The topsoil in this square turned to be particulary thick (15 cm in depth) and very rich in roots, which gave to the surface a dark brown colour. Once removed, we assigned f25 to the first 15 cm of accumulation under the topsoil (which seemes to be a natural accumulation, as we have removed during the previous days in k72 and k73). f25 presents a blocky and very compact consistence, which seemed a bit difficult to remove, it is characterized by a fine texture and by the presence of rooths; it is a bit dusty when removed. We assigned another feature number to the accumulation under f25 although there was no change in the soil matrix (in order to better keep track of the pottery that comes from this unit). [Input: Q816SC.j] |
| 2006-08-20 |
sC |
Today we started digging f36 with the big pick in all the unit (q58). f36 is medium soft, crumble when picked, fine in texture, a bit clayish (it leaves color on fingers) and dusty when removed. The soil unit is generally soft, and only with few patches are of compact soil. f36 seems to be the same natural accumulation as f37 in k63. We have almost reached the same elevation as in k73 and of the German trench C2 in k71, therefore, by tomorrow morning, before breakfast, I will move the workmen to another unit. Finished the day by cleaning the unit and respective baulks. [Input: Q820SC.j] |
| 2006-08-21 |
sC |
Today we finished to dig f36 with the big pick in all the unit (q71). f36 is still characterized by a soft and very fine texture, it is a bit clayish (it leaves color on fingers) and dusty when removed, and is poor in pottery sherds; f36 is the same of f37 in k63. After one pick run in all the unit we reached the same elevation as in k73 and of the German trench C2 in k71. Therefore we stop digging here (elevation: m3815 +36 -147). I moved the workmen in k82 and k83 in order to "prepare" the E section. After Masood Bijou and his team finished to "prepare"the E section of these units, they start removing the N baulk of k73 (f40, q74). While removing the topsoil and the first accumulation in the N baulk of k73 we recovered a fragment of modern glass as well as an islamic pottery sherd (q74.1). [Input: Q821SC.j] |
| 2006-08-22 |
sC |
Today we continued and finished to remove the N baulk of k73 (f40, q77). We stop digging at the elevation of m4245 +39 -143. I would have liked to move the workmen in k72 in order to remove the N baulk of this unit. However, given that after tomorrow I would like to take a general view of J4 without all the W-E baulk within the various units, I moved half of the team (Masood Bijou, Ahmed Hessu) that was working in k74 to k64 and the other half (Kawa Hassu, Bengin Amin and Salah Sadi) in k61. These unit are still very hight in elevation. The team working in74 is working really very well since the very first day of the excavation. [Input: Q822SC.j] |
| 2006-08-26 |
sC |
Today we start to remove the E baulk (f49, q102). This baulk has been cut and used as a ramp. Tomorrow we are planning to finish to remove the dirt beloning to the portion cut of this baulk. [Input: Q826SC.j] |
| 2006-08-27 |
sC |
Today we start digging again in k74 while bwp put new markers. The new markers are: m4399 (NW corner) and m4400 (NE corner). Since in the last days we have been working removing both the E and N baulk in this as well as in other square, we assigned a new feature number to the natural accumulation in k74 (f56) in order to avoid possible contamination in the pottery. We treated f56 as a topsoil layer: f56 is the same of f36, the accumulation above, thus, after one pick run (q109) we change again feature number (f58) in order to avoid contamination with the pottery belonging to the accumulation below. f58 is the same of f56 (directly above , which is a natural accumulation,) and it is the same of f57 and f59 in k64, and of f55 and f61 in k73. The feature is very fine in texture, is a bit clayish (leaves color on fingers), dusty when removed and it is light brown/reddish brown in colour. f58 is also characterized by the presence of phytolits. These are spread uniformily within all the square; at the elevation of q113 they turn to be more concentrated in the S area, giving to the soil a very compact consistence. Some animal bones have been found at the elevation of m4400 +100 -155 in the S area of the square and on the E baulk of k74. [Input: Q827SC.j] |
| 2006-08-28 |
sC |
Today we stared firstly by removing the animal bones exposed yesterday at the elevation of m4400 +100 -155 and we continued digging f58 (q121, q124) with the big pick in all the unit. At the elevation of m4400 +94 –138 a very compact surface has been exposed. This is characterized by the presence of pottery laying horizontally and by fragments of tannur, which are more concentrated in the E portion of the unit. The presence of the tannur and of these pottery sherds, being a clear indication of human activity, indicates a radical change in the use of this area and therefore in J4. We assigned a new feature number to this surface (f64) and dM took a picture of the whole square (v36, v36a, v36b). We then start to remove some cm of soil on top of f64 in the W portion of the unit (q129, q130). While doing so, a surface characterized by small stones and compact soil has been exposed in the SW corner of the unit. In a first moment I though that we were exposing another surface, aprox only 4-5cm below f64. I thus asked the workmen to clean better the portion already excavated in order to better understand the relationship between with the new surface and f64. Giving the little depth between this surface and f64, I was thinking that these small stones and compact soil could instead belong to f64. Once the workmen start cleaning, it seemed clear that what we are exposing is always f64, and that this feature presents a slope both in the central area and in the S portion of the square (in the central portion of the unit we removed aproximately 10 cm, while in the SW corner were removed only 4 cm of soil). In taging the pottery bag q129, we attributed the pottery recovered to f64, but this pottery probably belongs to the accumulation right above f64 (f58). The same is for q130, although this contains also pottery from the digging of f64 (we note this observation in the q-lot sheet; i.e. that this q-lot contains pottery belonging to both feratures, since the sherds have been recovered in the dirt of what in a first moment we were thinking was f64, but which instead is f58). While the workmen were removing the dirt, I asked Kamiran Hussein and Azat to define better the fragments of tannur located close to the E baulk of the square, since, as suggested by jO, we should take a particular view of this postion of the square. While doing so, Kamiran Hussein expose more pottery sherds, all laying horizontally. Again, this further suggest that in the previous clenaning of the surface we really did not expose f64 in all the square, but we left some cm of soil on top of it. Tomorrow we’ll take a particular view of the tannur and the pottery sherds (and if necessary of other portions of the unit). [Input: Q828sC.j] |
| 2006-08-30 |
sC |
Today after breakfast cC, vN, mNH and aS digged in k74, removing part of f64 (q158, q159). They dug with the little pick only in the E portion of the square (i.e. 400m N and 120m W to m3833) removing aprox 5-10cm of soil around the tannur and the concentration of pottery sherds. They exposed other pottery sherds and another fragment of tannur have been (elevation of m4393 +66 -106). After breakfast I send to mKB q158; she analyses the pottery and all the pottery sherds belong to Mittanian period. [Input: Q830SC.j] |
| 2006-08-31 |
sC |
Today we continued cleaning f64 (q176, q178) in the W area of the square (200m E and 4m N to m 3814). We expose thus the real face of this feature in this portion of k74; here f64 was covered by few cm of dirt/accumulation. Close to the NW baulk we expose the same accumulation that characterized k73, i.e. a very compact surface with bricky material, light brown/greyish in colour. We stop digging here at the elevation of MANCA. Next week we’ll remove the N baulk of the square, in order to show the continuity of this accumulation in both squares. [Input: Q831sC.j] |
| 2006-09-02 |
sC |
Today we started and finished to remove the N baulk in k74. From yesterday excavation was left a small portion, approximately 30cm in height (f40, q181). We cut the E baulk of k74 as a ramp, in order to facilitate the removal of the dirt with the wheelbarrels in this square (f49, q185). [Input: Q902sC2.j] |
| 2006-09-03 |
sC |
Today we did not dig in this locus. However, we decided to remove a floating limestones in the N baulk of k74. We thus assigned a new feature number to the stone, f91 (which is located at 20cm S to the NE corner of the square) and to its pedestal (f92) before their removal. [Input: Q903SC.j] |