.bk J04
.fl Q828sC.j
.fd daily journal Q828
.ei sC
.ed Q828

.rd Q828
.ri sC

-mk bwp put new markers in k73 m4449 (in NE corner), m4305 (NW corner k62), m4306 (NE corner k62), m4302 (NW corner k63) and m4303 (NE corner k62)
-wk Today Akmet Mammut and Madeni did not come to work. 

k 74
dy 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).
-nr By digging q121 some Khabur pottery sherds have been collected.

k 73
dy Today we continued digging f61 in k73 (q119, q126). f61 is still characterized by the presence of phytolits, which are spread uniformily within all the unit; again a small fragment of plastic has been recovered while digging the NW area of k73, where the unit is cut by the German trench; this came from the W baulk (here other fragments of plastic are still visible). f61 is characterized by patches of compact and soft soil and the feature is very fine in texture, a bit clayish (leaves color on fingers) and dusty when removed. At the end of the day, after the last pick run, some fragment of bricks have been exposed in the central portion of the square, at the elevation of m4392 +93 –143. Tomorrow we will start by cleaning the whole square, and we will try to undestand the nature of this bricky material. It could be that these are bricks rollen here from a mudbrick structure located N to k82 (where k81 is?). However, they could belong also to a structure located here; hypotesis suggested by the presence of some bricks in the E section of k84; these are located under a layer of ashes, thick approximately 30cm.

k 72
dy Today we continued digging f60 in k72 (q118, q122, q123, q125). f60 is characterized by the presence of phytolits spread in all the square; these give a very compact consistence the soil. We have noticed that at the elevation of m4392 +130 –144, the feature it characterized in the NW corner by a very compact soil, rich in phytolits and a reddish in colour; in the NE corner (E to stone f12) by the presence of small stones and pebbles (the latter in a random position). The NE portion of k72, characterized by the presence of small stones, is 130W and 80m S to m4252. It is likely that the stone f12 separated and influenced the deposition witin the N portion of the square. The phytolits in the NW corner of the unit seems to be laminations (these layers of compact soil can be easily separated by using the small pick). At the same elevation, a compact surface characterized by the presence of small stone and pebbles, and small pottery sherds (i.e. not lying horizontally) has been exposed also in the central area of the square. We decided to assigne a new feature number to this surface, f63. As for f60, also f63 is characterized a small slope from N to S (the difference is only few cms in elevation). dM took a general view of k72 (v35, v35a), and we start digging f63 with the big pick in all the unit (q127, q131, q132). When removed, f63 had a platy structure, probably due to the presence of the phytolits. At the end of the day, at the elevation of m4401 +110 -162 the feature is characterized by a reddish colour, especially in the NW corner of the unit. Here, the soil is very fine in texture, a bit clayish and very compact. The S area of the square, instead, is characterized by a light brown colour, it is very fine in texture (a bit clayish); the soil is compact and soft in consistence. 

k 64
dy Today we continued digging f59 in k64 (q120, f128). f59 is still characterized by the presence of phytolits, and it looks the same natural accumulation we have been digging in the last days. The soil is characterized by patches of compact and soft soil, is very fine in texture, it is a bit clayish (leaves color on fingers) and dusty when removed. Differently from k74, no compact surfaces have been found here. A large stone has been exposed from today excavation. We assigned it a new feature number, f62 (r29, r30, r31, r32, r33).