.bk J05
.fl S731jW.j
.fd Daily journal for S731 and feature descriptions
.fn f79 to f91
.ei jW
.ed S731
.rd S731
.ri jW

-wk Eighteen assigned workmen reported.  In addition, pickman Ahmer was assigned, bringing the total to six.

k 22
dy We drew and photographed the section of the north baulk which was approximately bisected by revetment wall, f3, which continued to the north into k23.  Because we could not verify that the soil features we see in the baulk had been properly identified and documented, we assigned them new J5 numbers and described all of them.  Features f77 to f85 are located to the west of f3 and are assumed to have built up outside the mound, while features f86 to f90 are located to the east of f3 and are presumed to be part of the temple mound complex.
sg gB, fAB, and jW discussed the approach to excavating the glacis/escarpment, f74.  It descends to the southwest rapidly from wall, f41 and has been broken by at least one pit which is filled with ashy soil.  In the SW corner of k22 it is covered by a number of layers of modern and ancient accumulations.  Since a partial baulk at the intersection of k22 and k21 would have to be removed to complete the task we decided to cover the exposed part of f74 (which has been photographed) with plastic and finish tracing its extents at the end of the season when we expect that more of it will be present in k33 to the northwest, which is presently being excavated.  As to the new features, we will excavate those to the west of f3 first, assuming as elsewhere, that those would have built up on the outside of the wall, eventually covering it.  We will not excavate the features to the east of f3 until we need to know how it was built.

k 33
dy We continued to remove natural accumulation, f59 with two crews using large picks.  Although not of uniform consistency having areas of soft and hard patches due to the action of water and erosion after abandonment, we kept digging it as one feature because the overall color and texture did not change.  It contained few inclusions.

f 77
ds A thin band of natural accumulation bounded by the west baulk of k22 and the west face of revetment wall, f3.  It is the highest accumulation to meet, but not cover, the wall.  It is the first distinct soil feature under the recently removed north baulk of k22.  It is mostly uniform - a mix of silt and sand - and contains numerous small pebbles and randomly oriented sherds.

f 78
ds A laminar layer of sand, pebbles, and silt beneath natural accumulation, f77, in the NE quadrant of k22.  It is bounded by the west baulk of k22 and the west face of revetment wall, f3.  Its laminations vary in thickness and consistency, with more sand, more, silt, or more pebbles in one rather than the other.  It is relatively free of sherds.

f 79
ds A lens, composed mainly of sand, contained within the lamininations of f78 in the far northwest corner of k22.

f 80
ds A band of natural accumulation in the north baulk of k22, under laminations of f78.  It is bounded by the west baulk of k22 and the west face of revetment wall, f3.  The boundary between f78 and f80 was distinct, both in color and in texture, chaging from softer sandy laminations to densely packed dust.

f 81
ds A band of natural accumulation of mixed compostion seen in the north baulk of k22.  It is bounded by the west baulk of k22 and the west face of revetment wall, f3. In particular, the bottom is relatively sandy at the trasition to the accumulation below it, f82.

f 82
ds A band of hard, dense natural accumulation which covers the top of the stones of wall, f41, along the north baulk of k22.  It is bounded by the west baulk of k22 and the west face of revetment wall, f3.  Its shape is roughly triangular, with the top being relatively flat and level.  Its west side is bounded by natural accumulation, f84 and its east side is bounded by wall, f3.  In the vicinity of wall, f41, it is bounded by an ashy layer, f85 to the east of wall, f41 and an ashy layer, f83 to the west of wall, f41.

f 83
ds A small lens of ashy soil seen in the north section of k22  which abuts the east face of stone wall, f41, and rests its escarpment, f74.

f 84
ds A wedge of hard, dense natural accumulation which juts out of the west baulk of k22 and abuts the triangularly shaped natural accumulation, f82.

f 85
ds A band of ashy accumulation seen in the north section of k22.  It is below natural accumulation, f82, and bounded on the west by wall, f41, and on the bottom and east by revetment wall, f3.

f 86
ds The first of five layers of soil and pebbles, seen in section, which abut the east side of the capstones, f192, to revetment wall, f3, then extend into the east baulk of k22.  It does not cover the top of that wall.  It is impossible to tell at this point whether it is natural accumulation which built up against the highest line of stones (perhaps memory stones), whether it is part of a late mud glacis or whether it is fill placed behind the wall during construction.

f 87
ds A laminar layer, seen in section, which abuts the east side of revetment wall, f3, then extends into the east baulk of k22.  It covers layer f88 and is covered by f86.  The layers are distinguished by small variations in color and texture.

f 88
ds A layer of accumulation or fill, seen in section, which abuts the east side of revetment wall, f3, then extends into the east baulk of k22.  It covers layer f89 and is covered by f87.  The layers are distinguished by small variations in color and texture.

f 89
ds A layer of accumulation or fill, seen in section, which abuts the east side of revetment wall, f3, then extends into the east baulk of k22.  It covers layer f90 and is covered by f88.  The layers are distinguished by small variations in color and texture.

f 90
ds The bottom of a series of five layers of accumulation or fill, which abut the east side of revetment wall, f3, then extend into the east baulk of k22.  It is distinguished from the layer above, f89, in that this feature contains a large quantity of fist-sized pebbles.