J6-daily

Processed on 2024-11-15

Date	Author	Record
2008-07-06	pC	Yesterday pC, gB, fAB, mKB, rE, jW went out to the field to discuss where to lay the squares for J6, J5 and J1. For J6 we decided, before to begin to excavate in the squares, to cut back 1.5 m the high East section in J2 and to draw it, which is k200: this section was creadet by the excavation of 2001 by a german team directed by Peter Pfaelzner (see publication MDOG 134, 2002). This section is important for J6 because shows the stratigraphy we will find in J6.The section is very high (at least 4 m) and for security reasons we decided to cut it from East instead from West for the first 2 m, draw it and then let fall down the remaining part in k200. Then the lower part will be more easy to clean and draw. We decided to put 4 markers next to the section. The new squares for J6 will be at lest 6 in two rows of 3 squares and the first to the North are the old squares of J4, which are k85, k75, k65. The next to the south are k87, k77, k67. [Input: S707PC.j]
2008-07-08	pC	today I went out in J6 with bPW to put the control points: the new points are m4688, m4687, m4686, m4682. I decided also to have two markers from the locus k85 in J4. [Input: S707PC.j]
2008-07-13	pC	Today is the first day of excavation in J6. All the staff of J6 was present (pC, eA, hB, cJC, dH). We start removing 50 cm from the West baulk in k84, in order to draw it and photograph. The feature number of the baulk is f1. Then I put the workmen to clean all the staircase in J2 and the area J4. After breakfast we start digging in k84. Topsoil is f2 and accumulation under topsoil is f3. We collect all the pottery in the topsoil and in the baulks, but at the end of the day, after mKB looked at it, we throw it away. The pottery bags are: q1 f1 belonging to the baulk, q2 f2, the top soil in k85 and q3 f3, the accumulation under f2. This procedure will be taken for all the pottery from non stratified areas, as the top soil, the baulks and cleaning. [Input: S707PC.j]
2008-07-15	pC	Today we continue excavating in k85 and in k75. We keep f6 because is still the same accumulation. In k74 we keep also the same feature as yesterday f7, but after a pick run i decided to change, being the clay more clean, fine in texture as f6 in k85 at the same elevation. [Input: S714PC.j]
2008-07-15	pC	today I stayed home at 11 a.m. during one hour to write the daily journal. [Input: S714PC.j]
2008-07-16	pc	Today I get new workmen: Riad Omar, Ferid, Taer Mamo, Khaed, Ferhad. I have now 4 pickmen, therefore tomorrow I will have another pick. I organized the teams for each square. aKarim is in k85, Fahed in k75, Shallal and Su'ar in k65. Today we excavated in all the squares. In k85 we went down with f12, in k75 we went down with f9, but before we removed f10, which was an area with more stones and pottery, and in k65 with f14, which is accumulation under topsoil. Today we decided with gB and fAB to take views of all the area of J6 with J4 and J2 together from different ranges. The view from the north will show the relation between the Khabur area in J4, were the glacis and the bin are, and the accumulations to the south in J6, but also visible in the South sections in J4. The view from the south will show how is J6 after 4 days of excavation and at the and of the season we will have the same view of the area, showing the possible wall or structures. The view from West will show the J2 and J4 area, the section of k200 (which is the east section of J2k100) and J6. Today we draw the North section of k85. [Input: S716PC.j]
2008-07-17	pC	Today at 5:00 am we took the general views for J6: they show the situation of the excavation area from different view range, showing the context where J6 is located after one week of ecavation. Today after breakfast two shovel man were missing (Saleh and Khaled), therefore the work went slower. aKarim took all the day to remove the north baulk of k85. bPW put new squares to the South: they are k66 k76 and k86. k86 is very small, due to the german trench to the West. [Input: S718PC.j]
2008-07-19	pc	Today I have 4 new workmen. Today before breakfast we draw and photograph the West section of k85, because after breakfast we want to remove it. In k84 we removed the West section of k84, which is f1; in k75 we went down for 50cm with f17 and then with f18. In k85 we kept the same feature as yesterday f16. Before breakfast hB went with a team (Su'ar with Khaled and Nicherman) to expose the wall in k100: it is a wall found by Peter Pfaelzner in area C2, but possibly belongs to the temple terrace complex, and therefore we wanted to expose it and relay it: this wall is in the german documentation installation 951 in Schicht C 16, which in our documentation is f23. In front of the wall we found 3 seal impressions: q34.1 and q31.1. After breakfast we continue excavating in k75 were a line of stones and a surface of melted bricks came out: the stones are f21 and the melted brick is f22. aKarim begins to remove the West baulk of k85, which is f19. cJC and dH draw the East section of k85. [Input: S719PC.j]
0000-00-00	pC	Today I get 20 new workmen at 5:00 am: they worked all day under the supervision of cJC cleaning all the long trench k200. hB continued supervising the area in k100 (in the German excavation area C2), where there is the wall f24. In k85 was removed all the west baulk f19 and also the east baulk f30. We create a slope for the wheelbarrow. In k65 all f16 was removed. [Input: S720PC.j]
2008-07-21	pC	Today we finished removing the last 10 cm of the W baulk of k85, f19; we continue excavating in k85 f33 and f35. I decided to put the team of Su'ar in k74: after a pickrun it was a problem for the wheelbarrow to remove the dirt, because k74 is deep (was excavated in 2006 as J4), so I decided to remove the east baulk of k74. In k65 Ibrahim and Fahed continue to remove f31. In k200 cJC continue to supervise the area collecting pottery and giving q-lots. [Input: S721PC.j]
2008-07-22	pC	Today we cleaned the surface in k85 f35 and took views. Then we removed it and found a nice surface with a lot of pebbles which is f37 and we exposed it without excavating it. in k75 we looked for the same feature which extends in it f39. In k65 they finished to remove f36 and stopped excavating. We started excavating in k84 and under the surface left in season 2006, we found the same as f37 which is f38. We begin also excavating in k74, were we found also the surface with pebbles. Today we had a meeting in the field with gB, fAB and all J6 staff about the strategy for next days. We will keep going with the same loci to find the wall. After breakfast dH went home to set up some computers. At 12:00 am he came back to draw the sections in k75. [Input: S722PC.j]
2008-07-23	pC	Today we removed 3 baulks: in k75 the North and the East baulk; for the east baulk was created a ramp for the wheelbarrow. In k85 was removed the half part of the East baulk. In k84 we continued to excavate until we found a nice floor surface f45. We relay it and took views. We clean k74 removing f43 and we exposed a compacted surface with a lot of sherds embedded [Input: S723PC.j]
2008-07-24	pC	Yesterday we continue to remove the baulks (North of k84) and begin to remove the East baulk of k74. There was a lot of dirt to remove and the workmen were doing this all the day. Only in k84 Su'ar continued to excavate, being a very small area and because we want to find the wall as soon as possible, in order to decide the next steps. In k84 we found a very compact floor f46, and under it the beginning of the brickfall f52 and f53. Today after breakfast dH went home to work on the computers. [Input: S725PC.j]
2008-07-28	pc	Today I get a new team of 4 workmen, which I put in k75. Today we worked in all squares k74, k75, k84, k85. We finished to remove the brickfall in k85 f55, then we removed the West baulk which coveres the wall f129 and f130. In k85 we removed f37, which we found last week: excavating this feature we collected 7 bags of pottery in one pickrun, then we expose a surface of melted bricks. In k74 we removed f59, which is a natural accumulation and we found a surface of bricks f64 and the accumulation abutting it, f65 with a lot of pottery. In k75 we excavated f61 and under it was a surface of melted bricks. After breakfast dH stayed at home. [Input: S728PC.j]
2008-07-29	pc	today we excavated in all loci (k84, k85, k75, k74) and we continued excavating the same feature as yesterday, f65, f69, f60, f68. We also excavated the brickmelt f74, removing the first 10 cm. After breakfast dH and eA stayed at home making object description and templates. Today we begin also to excavate in J7, which is a new Unit West to k200 and is under the supervision of pC and J6 staff. [Input: S729PC.j]
2008-07-31	pc	Today we draw the West section and the North section of k85. We took views of it and removed the north baulk f81 and f83. Then we begin to remove the west section f85. Today we found in k64 under f80, a line of large stones f84. We continued to remove f71 and f82 in k75. After breakfast cJC, hB, dH and eA stayed at home to do data entry and templates. After breakfast we cleaned all J6 and J4 [Input: S731PC.j]
2008-08-02	pC	Today we cleaned well all the area and take overall views. we excavated in k85 the brickfall f75 and f86, in k75 the brickmelt f82 and removed f78, in k74 we excavated the brickmelt f64 and we found a pit in the Nort-East corner f87. We also finished to remove a small part of baulk in k84 f69, which is the brickfall. Ahuar was cleaning the northern part of the section of k200. [Input: S802PC.j]
2008-08-03	pC	Today we excavated in k85 the brickfall f86 and found in the Southern part of the square a lens of ash f90; in k200 Ahuar finished to clean the section and we took a view of it. in k75 we excavated f93, which is the brickmelt and in k75 we finisched to remove the northern baulk f88 and to dig the pit f87. After breakfast cJC, hQ and dH stayed at home entering data. [Input: S803PC.j]
2008-08-04	pC	today we removed f64 in k74, f82 and f97 in k75 and the upper part of the West baulk of k85: f94 and f98. After breakfast dH and eA stayed at home doing object description. We took several views (v48) to show the removing of the west baulk of k85 from J2: this will show the sequence of the removing of the baulk and showing at the end the discovery of the glacis f63 and of the possible wall f130 [Input: S804PC.j]
2008-08-05	pC	Today we finished to remove the west baulk of k85 f98, which is brickfall and we continued to take views from West. In k74 we changed feature from f64, the brickmelt to f103 the brickfall. Under the brickfall there is a hard surface sloping South. In k75 we removed all the brickfall f93 and we expose everywhere the ash f97. We decided also to open a new square to the South k86, which is a very narrow square, only 1m wide: it will allow to open the view to the south of the wall f130, and also to remove the East section of k200, which is too high and dangerous. [Input: S805PC.j]
2008-08-06	pC	Today we excavated in k85, k75 and k74: we exposed everywhere the glacis, which is probably the same as f63 in k84. Today i realized that we forget to string the northern baulk of k85: we missed ca 40 cm, because the bottom elevation of the last drawing of the North baulk is 90.00 and the top elevation of the actual North baulk is 89.56 (f98 West baulk, which is at the same elevation of the North baulk). Today we begin to excavate in k87, which is not a real locus, but only 1.5m baulk: it is located East of k200 and south of the narrow k86. It will allow to remove the high and dangerous East section of k200, which is partly eroded, being exposed for several years. This will also allow us to have a section which shows the stratigraphy in the area between area C2 and J6. [Input: S806PC.j]
2008-08-07	pC	Today we removed the East baulk of k85 and finished to remove the East baulk of k84 f108. We found in f108 a lot of pottery and the head of an animal i4. We continued to remove the East section of k200 in k87 till we found a hard mud surface. I moved the workmen to remove the East section of k200 from k86 [Input: S807PC.j]
2008-08-14	pC	Yesterday we decided to excavate in k74, where we did a small trench to see the glacis under the latest glacis f107. We decided also to create a new locus k101 for this tranch. We encontered several layers of different glacis and we stopped when we found the baqaya glacis. In k85 we removed the glacis f110 and we found directly under it a floor of sherds. We removed the North baulk of k86 and we organized better the work of the removal of the dirt in k200. [Input: S815PC.j]
2008-08-16	pC	Today we worked in k87, where we dig f116 and f131. f131 was full of pottery and probably is the same as f37 in k85. At the end of the day we found a surface full of pebbles around the stone f133. We excavated also in k86 the brickfall f136: there are 14 floating stones f137. In k84 we removed the glacis f63 and we found another glacis f132. We removed 40 cm of backfill in J4k100 (k84 North) and we cleaned the east section: there is the beginning of J4f150, which is a red accumulation sloping sharply South and which is one of the reasons to belive that there is a boundary to the South (probably the wall f130). We also found the southern baulk of J4k100, which is now the North baulk of k84. we cleaned the Northern section of J4k100 which is k83 f134. [Input: S816PC.j]
2008-08-17	pC	Today we excavated in k84 the glacis f132 and under it were 3 different features: f141, a dark brown soil, f140 a pavement of sherds and f142, an ash acumulation which was sitting in a kind of shallow pit. We removed the brickfall in k86 f136 and we exposed to the north an ashy layer f139. Under the brickfall we found the latest glacis: this is the same situation we found in k85. In k87 we removed f131, which had a lot of pottery and pebbles and under it there was the brickfall f143 and probably a wall. Today we continued to push the dirt into k200 and take it with the shaffat and the crane. [Input: S817PC.j]
2008-08-18	pC	Today we continued to excavate in k84 f140, in k86 we removed all the brickfall f136 and the ash f139 which covered the glacis f138, in k85 we removed the West baulk wich is almost composed of brickfall and the ash, which is f145. In k87 was excavated f143 which is the brickfall. Before breakfast we spend the morning cleaning all the excavation [Input: S818PC.j]
2008-08-19	pC	Today we finished to dig in k86 and k87: we decided to do this in order to focus on k84 and k85, where we hope to reach the goal for this season: founding the wall f130. We finished to remove the North baulk of k86, which is f146 and then we changed the feature number in f148 which is the ashy layer. We then begin to dig in k85, where Suár and Fahed are the pickmen. we removed the floor f135 and the glacis f110 and the accumulation under it f148. in k84 we continued to dig as yesterday the ash f142. [Input: S819PC.j]
2008-08-19	cVP	At k85 the W baulk was removed yesterday (features f136 and f139), letting the surface at the level of the glacis, that still slope down to the west. There are two big stones alone. In the morning today we clean and do photo, and then dig everything up. Underneath,a brown soft soil. [Input: S819PC.j]
2008-08-20	pC	Today we excavated in k85 f148 which is a natural soft accumulation. Under it there is f154 which is a surface compacted naturally. In k84 we removed all the ash f142 and the small corner f150. We then excavated in all the square with f151, a natural accumulation [Input: S820PC.j]
2008-08-23	pC	Today we removed the north baulk of k84, which is mostly the pit f142. Then we cleaned all the section of J4k100 and saw if J4f150 is continuing in section in k84, but is sloping sharply and we still did not reached it. Then we removed the West baulk of k84, excavating it in different features: before we removed the glacis f63 and we found under it a sherd floor same as f135 in k85 and f140 in k84. In k85 we still are removing natural accumulations f154 [Input: S823PC.j]
2008-08-25	pC	Yesterday we excavated in k85 the baulk f161 and in k84 we finished to remove the west baulk f162 till the red layer f164, where we exposed stone f163. We then dig f164 in a small trench inside k84 [Input: S826PC.j]
2008-08-27	pC	Today we removed the North baulk of k87 f175. We finished to remove the North baulk of k85 f162 and f168, which are the same feature. We then dig only in k84 and we exposed f174, which is a floor surface south of wall f130. Today all the relays and elevations were taken by hB. Today cVP continued to dig in k74 wall f166 [Input: S826PC.j]