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Date |
Author |
Record |
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0000-00-00 |
fAB |
The main goal of this excavation unit is to understand how the revetment wall continues to the East of J2 and South of J4. While discussing this with the unit members, we discussed three possibilities: the revetment wall could form a platform here, and possibly have a second staircase symmetrically positioned to the east of this platform. The second possibility is that the revetment wall continues to the East from the southern edge of f129 in J2 and J6 (the feature has the same label in both units for simplicity) making a jog when seen from above. The third possibility is that the wall turns South, forming the eastern edge of the Plaza JP. [Input: FABJ06.j]
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0000-00-00 |
fAB |
We should be especially on the lookout for three things in the first period of excavation in this area: vertically defined changes in pottery, ephemeral Mittani structures and middle-Assyrian or Islamic occupation areas. [Input: FABJ06.j]
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2008-07-06 |
pC |
The goal for this year in J6 is to find the wall f130 running East-West, which can be seen in J2 (the Southest part of J2 f129). We think that this wall will continue to the East for two reasons: structurally the wall in J2 is bonded to the staircase, meaning that they were build in the same moment. This means that there is no simmetry in the monumental access and the wall bounds the west, where is a sacral and monumental space, whereas to the east we have another situation. Here we excavated in season 2006 (area J4) and we found any steps at an even deeper level than where they are found on the western side; in a deep sounding in k100, we did not find any stone but an interesting stratigraphy: there are several layers sloping to the south and very similar to the situation in J3 north of the revetment wall: this let us think that there is a wall which stops this layers. The strategy for J6 is to start by following the top of the wall, which lays more than 2 m below the tell surface. If we will not find the wall, we are also expecting to find a different stratigraphy than in J2, as it was in J4: probably are here structures which could be correlated to the temple complex. In J2 was found a considerable brick fall at elevation of 89.55 which continues sloping to the west for circa 6 m. This brick fall is also visible in the section of the long k200, which is in J4 k85 k86 at circa 90 m [Input: S707PC.j]
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2008-07-14 |
pC |
Yesterday we spoke about the strategy for J6 whith fAB and all J6 staff. [Input: S714PC.j]
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2008-07-14 |
pC |
In J6 we should find very high Mittani and khabur levels: therefore hB looks to the pottery from the very top elevation. [Input: S714PC.j]
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0000-00-00 |
pC |
today we discussed with fAB, gB and all the J6 staff about the strategy for the area and the next steps we have to take. First the aim of this season in J6 is to find the wall, possibly running East-West; its western end is visible in J2, south of wall J2f129 (a wall with North-South direction, which abuts the staircase J2, and dated as the staircase to phase h23/ED III). This wall should continue to the East in J6 in k84 and should be the continuation of the revetment wall. There are 4 possibilities: 1) there is a platform to the East of the staircase, which is its southern boundary and ends to the east with another staircase. In this case J6 will expand to the East and J4 is the northern part of the platform. This would explain the reason why we found so high structures in J4 dated to Mittani. 2) The wall continues to the North-East and then towards North; in this case the excavation of J6 will expand to the North, and east to J4. 3)The revetment wall is zig zag in shape. In this case we will expand south. This zig zag solution would explain the presence of architecture east of the staircase and the end of the wall tourning south would make a boundary to the sacral area of the terrace and the non-sacral area where are houses. In J6 we have to pay attention to pottery transition also horizontally: it could be that mittani abuts khabur at the same level. We will look for ephemeral Mittani structures. [Input: S714PC.j]
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2008-07-20 |
cJC |
fAB and gB suggested that all pottery from k200 has to be collected, looked at and then thrown away as it does not come from a stratified context and has little statistical significance. One q-lot will be assigned to the area each day and all pottery, items and bones will be assigned to that q-lot. [Input: S720CJC.j]
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0000-00-00 |
pC |
I decided to stop excavating in k75 and continue in k65 to reach the level of the brickmelt f22 in k75. If the brickfall slopes towards West, and in k75 was found at circa 9160@ and the brickfall in the section of k200 is at circa 9100@, the brick melt will be in k65 at circa 9170@ [Input: S720PC.j]
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2008-07-22 |
pC |
Today we had a meeting with gB, fAB and all J6 staff to decide the strategy for the next days: we have to find the south face of the wall. We will continue excavating in k84, k85, k74. In k84 we expect to find the wall. Yesterday we found a nice surface in k85: it is f37 and it is very different from all we had before (very soft and fine accumulations, very clean from materials and pottery). Instead now we reached a surface with pebbles, a lot of pottery and lot of animal bones. This could be the top of a wall (fAB pointed out that before finding a wall there is often a preparation of pebbles, sherds, which are layed atop of the stones, which make a flat surface for the bricks), or a floor surface, or a dump. With gB we discussed about this 3 possibilities and we decided that this is a transitional feature before founding an occupation level, therefore we want to proceed very carefully. We want to search this feature in the other loci, k75, k84 and k74 and then remove all baulks in order to have a better view of the surface. only in k84 we will continue excavating to find the face of the wall. [Input: S722PC.j]
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2008-07-24 |
pC |
In k84 we found at the elevation of 9023@top a brickfall. This was seen in the East section of k200 (in a view of the German documentation): it was clear that at the elevation of circa 9100@ and 9000@ was a brickfall. We do not know from were and what it is, but we can suspect that it is coming from a structure to the south of the wall f130. We have not found the wall till now, but it is showing for the first row in section of J2k100 and bonds with f129. pC has the impression that this brickfall is coming from South-East, instead gB thinks that a structure is located against the wall f130 and collapsed on itself: therefore we suppose to find the structure in k84 and k85. In J4 we could not find any kind of brickfall, but only bricks in f121 at 9011@ in J4k100 (it is the northern part of k84), which probably belongs to the brickfall, but is not the real brickfall [Input: S725PC.j]
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2008-07-26 |
pC |
We are still looking for the wall f130 which should be at 8950@ top elevation. We are very closed to it and we will keep going excavating in k84 till we find the wall. Today we found under the brickfall f55 a surface sloping South. This is very similar to J4f121 and probably is the same feature. The slope in J4k100 was an indication that South of the slope in k84 was the wall or a boundary. Now that we have the continuation in k84 of the slope we can suspect that there is any wall, or that the slope covers the wall. In two days we will remove the West baulk of k84 in order to find the first part of it which is seen in section and follow it. [Input: S725PC.j]
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2008-07-29 |
pc |
Today we removed the West baulk of k84 f69, same as f55 (brickfall) and we exposed the glacis f63: We found also a stone f62 to the south, which is at the same elevation as the southern stone of f127, and is flat and smooth as the stones of f127: after a meeting with gB, fAB and all J6 staff, pC decided to stop excavating in k84 and continue in all other loci: we will specially go down in k85 and reach the level of the glacis f63: we will tomorrow remove the baulks of k85. this will allow us to follow the glacis, which continues under the North baulk of k85 and see if the wall continues to the south. [Input: S729PC.j]
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2008-07-30 |
pc |
Since two days we are removing f71 and f64, which are the brickmelt in k74 and k75: being any kind of wall visible, we are excavating 8 cm with the big pick, then we look if there is a face of a wall with the small pick and trowel. We are still removing brickmelt [Input: S730PC.j]
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2008-08-02 |
pC |
we will excavate in k85 removing the brickfall until the glacis f63. We will see how to continue as we expose much as possible of the glacis. [Input: S802PC.j]
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2008-08-05 |
pC |
We are getting closer to remove all the brickfall in k85, k75 and k74: in k85, under the brickfall, there is a thick layer of ash, which is also present in k75 under the brickfall but at an higher elevation (ca 50 cm higher): this could mean that there is a slope towards West, following the slope of the glacis f63, which is located under the brickfall and the ash. In k74, under the brickfall there is a hard surface sloping towards South, probably a later glacis. Probably first was bilt the glacis f63 which covers the wall f130 and slopes toward South-west and is dated to the beginning of the second millennium. The glacis was built in the same time as the memory stones f127, located above the wall f129 and f130; something burned to the South and left the ashy layer f90 and f97. Then we have a large brickfall which comes from the East and covered the ash and the glacis. This happened at the end of Mittani and the structures are dated to Mittani (a large amount of pottery was found in the brickfall). The strategy for the next week is to find the glacis in k85, k75, k74 and then leave the glacis in k74 and k75, but go down in k85 and k84 and expose f130: f130 continues at least for 1 m to the East, but then we still do not know whatever makes a turn or stops. [Input: S805PC.j]
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2008-08-06 |
pC |
Today we exposed in all loci (k75, k85, k74) the glacis, which slopes toward South-West [Input: S806PC.j]
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2008-08-11 |
pC |
Tomorrow will be the first day of the last two weeks of excavation. We reached a level in all the unit were we have only the glacis (see v57), which is probably the situation as was in the beginning of the Mittani period: the glacis f118, which is free of other structures, except for the bin, stops to the West on the stones f127, which are memory stones of the wall f129. Probably the glacis is older and has been used for longer time till the end of Khabur. The goal for the end of the excavation season for this year is to reach the bottom of the wall f130: therefore we will concentrate only in k84 and k85, were is the wall f130: we do not know if the wall continues to the East or takes another orientation. We expect also to find a different situation than the deep sounding of J4k100, North of the wall. In k85 we will be to the South of the wall, therefore we expect to find a regular bild up of accumulations and probably floors aganist the wall; in J4k100 we excavated inside the temple mound and we found therefore Late Chalcolithic pottery, as in J3, were was excavated inside the wall. Another goal is to see the continuation of the first staircase in k200, which has only two steps and belong to an earlier construction phase, before phase h23. This will be very important for the chronology of all the temple terrace, because we have several indications that there is an older phase going back to the Fourth Millennium BC. The wall f130 goes together with the wall f129, to which bonds and to the staircase J2f130, which were constructed in Phase h23. The lower staircase, instead, goes together with the Late Chalcolithic Mound. We will also continue to dig in k86 and k87, were we will go faster because we push down in k200 the dirt and the loci are smaller: This will allow to reach the same level in k85, k86, k87 and to have a larger view of the wall f130 and to have a better understanding of the stratigraphy in front of the wall. [Input: S811PC.j]
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2008-08-14 |
pC |
Yesterday we checked where the wall f130 should come in J6 and we decided that it comes West of the deep sounding J4k100. Therefore the wall f130 must stop after 1 meter. The strategy for the next week is still to go down in k85 and k84, but also to remove the pseudo baulk between k84 and the wall f129. removing 30 cm of it we will see the top of the wall and see if it turns to the South. To the North and East of it there is a completely different stratigraphy than to the South: in J4k100 we found between the elevation of 8900 and 8700 accumulations which sloped toward South (J4f150, J4f158, J4f160): these are very compact and red accumulations, the last ones with Late Chalcolithic pottery. This stratigraphy tells us that we were excavating inside the temple mound and that to the South there is a boundary where this slope stops. To the South of the wall f130, the section of k200, shows a completely different stratigraphy (v43): the layers are typical for accumulations abutting a wall, which is f130. this also was one of the reasons to believe that the wall continues to the East at least for a couple of meters. The situation now is different and we have to think about another scenario. The wall f130 stops after 1m and we do not know what kind of boundary is to the south of it: there is another structure? do the wall go east for 1 meter and then turns South? There is any kind of structure and the temple mound goes down toward south in the Fourth and Third millennium and then in the Second millennium accumulations covered it? We will continue to excavate in k84, k85, k86, k87 and we will investigate for this possibilities. [Input: S815PC.j]
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2008-08-19 |
pC |
We decided yesterday to concenrtrate the excavation only in k85 and k84: k85 for the moment is a 3.50x3.50 m square; we are restricting the area of J6 to get faster to the bottom of the wall f130 and to find what kind of stratigraphy we have East of the wall f128 and South of f130: there is for sure a boundary between North (J4k100) and South (k85 and k84): we want to understand wether the boundary is the wall f130 which continues toward east under the North baulk of k84 or we have another kind of boundary. [Input: S819PC.j]
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2008-08-26 |
pC |
Today we removed wall f101 and we begin to remove the southern stone of f127, which is the memory stone of f129. we had to remove it because it covered the stones f101. We removed each stone after relay it and photograph it. Most of the stones were not visible from the section, and therefore we had more stones as we expected. We decided to remove f101 because we wanted to have a date for it (mittani) and to see the wall f130, which instead is a well constructed wall dated to phase h23. [Input: S826PC.j]
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