.bk J05
.fl S725jW2.j
.fd Major strategy change
.ei jW
.ed S725
.rd S725
.ri jW

f 21
ar After locus k24 was excavated to the level of the soil, f52, which surrounded stone installations f14 and f21, we saw better the relationship between them.  It seemed as if the line of irregularly cut stones which formed f14 was a northern border of part of a more substantial structure formed of dressed large stones, f21.  When we probed to the west of the line of stones which formed f21 with a sheesh, we found a second line of stones about 20cm below it.  After removing the accumulation atop this row, we probed and found a third row about 20cm below the second.  This row was against the east side of the east baulk of k34.  From this evidence we hypothesize that f21 is a staircase, descending to the west, of unknown length and depth.

-sg Based on the assumption that we need to excavate the staircase in the least destructive way possible, jW, the J5 archaeologists, gB, mKB, and fAB met on site to determine how.  We decided to excavate locus k33 to understand what may be the southern boundary of the staircase.  We will excavate the south half of locus k34, which has throughout, a hard, naturally compacted floor, f45.  By doing so, we expect to find lower steps of the staircase.  We will keep f45 as a stratigraphic reference because it in all likelihood is the transition layer between Mittani and Middle Assyrian phases.