.bk J06
.fl T810
.fd daily and strategy
.ed T810
.ei pC
.rd T813
.ri pC
.ed T814

k 82
dy Yesterday we continued to remove te fill of the hollow pit in k82. While removing the northern part of the pit fill was possible to recognize that there is a circular cut inside the cut of the hollow f199. Therefore I decided to give a new feature number to ne circular pit f283 and its fill, even if the fill looks like f192. It is still not clear which pit comes first, whether f283 cuts f199 or f199 cuts f283. Tomorrow I will look better once the fill is completely removed. Once removed f192 was exposed a compact bricky and red surface, not homogeneus and not nice as the glacis f164 (v200). Looking in the north section of k104 I decided that was the same as f200 and I kept the same feature number. f200 is still fill of f199, while is full of pottery, stones and the soil has patches of softer ones. In the south-west corner of k82 were a concentration of stones (>20 cm) and big sherds. I decided to collect all this pottery in a different q-lot q412. While removing part of f200 was partly exposed stones and big sherds next to wall f227: it could be the stones removed from wall f227.

f 200
ar next to the bottom of f200 there were brocken stones and big sherds. It could be a sign of the removal of the top stones of f227, while pit f199 was dug.

k 84
dy f277 was all removed to collect all pottery. mKB looked at the sherds in the field and could tell us that was mixed with some painted sherds. This floor is under the level of f164, therefore should be third millennium. After removing f177 we decided with gB and fAB to go down only in front of the obelisks. The new locus is k106

k 106
ds k106 is a small locus located in front of the obelisks f100 and f177, located where k102 was. We changed locus number because we did not know where excacly the old locus was. k106 is defined from relays r557, r558, r559, r560.
dy Yesterday after removiang in all k84 floor f277 we concentrated excavating only in k106 in front of the obelisks. The goal here is to reach the salmon colored floor found in all J2 in front of the apron. This floor is seen in the east section of k200 and we srill have 40 cm to reach it. Under f277 is f286

f 277
tc co f286
nt f277 is a nice pavement of sherds which stratigraphically comes before the glacis f164 (end Third millennium) and after f280, the next layer under f164. At this moment of the excavation seems that floor f277 overlays f280 and f164 covers f280. the floor should be located between the two. also above this floor were found other layers in season 2008 dated to h33-MZA

k 106
ds k106 is located in the souther portion of k104 (old k83) and continues the deep sounding of j4k100. The goal in k106 is to find the Late Chalcolithic levels. in J4f160 were mixed sherds with LC pottery
sg The goal in k106 is to find the Late Chalcolithic levels. in J4f160 were mixed sherds with LC pottery, therefore we should be not far from LC strata
dy Yesterday we continued excavating in k106 strating with f281 which is the first 5 cm of accumulation probably contaminated by exposure and assigned also to the cleaning of the sections. f285 is a natural accumualion, soft, wet and dark gray in color; a seal impression i28 was found in this accumulation. Under f285 was exposed the first sloping surface which is f284. f284 slopes sharply to the south-east and in surface was compact and with phytolits. f284 was fotographed and removed. while picked it has a blocky structure has some pieces of gypsum and bakaya. Under f284 was exposed at the end of the day another feature f287, which has the same slope of f184 and is at the highest point from m6218 +102-140 and the lowest is from m6218 +77-140 high.

f 284
ar f284 is layed for a purpose and is obviously not a natural accumulation. I labeled it accumulation b, while has a clear shape, but while we are digging in a small portion we can still not identify if it as an escarpment, since it reflects the same slope as f164 we can presume it s a previous phase of f164. It is in the other hand to low to be the escarpment for wall f129, therefore shoul be for some structure under f129. It is tempting to say that is the escarpment for the LC wall.

-sg from Saturday T815 we have only 4 days excavation. Therefore we have to concentrate on the 2 loci k106, k105 which are small and therefore is possible to reach all information we need in 4 days. In k82 we have also not much to remove while we are reaching the bottom of the hollow pit f199: here we will expose tomorrow wall f227 and in the next 3 days we can have time to go down behind it to see whether f164 (the red glacis phase h33-MZA) is also behind it or not and while going down it will be interesting to see if it is a higher wall than it shows now (only two rows). Excavating behind wall f227 will give us more inforrmation about the function of this wall, whether is the revetment wall or not and to which period it can be dated. Also we have to expose more of wall f256 next to staircase f155 and perpendicular to wall f218. In k105 the goal is to reach the LC levels, which are not so deep, while the feature excavated here from J4 (J4f158 and J4f160) had LC pottery, but still mixed. Also I think that the LC layers are may be under f287 or already f267, while those are lower than wall f129: we are digging levels under the ED II wall f129. This sounding will give us also an indirect date to the lower staircase J2f380, which we presume is part of the early building phase of the temple terrace. It could be ED I but is also possible LC, while in many soundings in area J were found LC levels. 
-sg Under fAb and gB suggestion we will remove partly the layers east of wall f129 in k104 from the top to the bottom of k105: this removal of the safety baulk left behind wall f129 will not be a problem for the stability of wall f129 because it will be only 1 meter whide and after the excavation we will provide with some kind of protection for the base of the wall. On the other hand we will be able to see the base of the wall f129 and to see also if there is a structure under it to which layers f284 and f287 are connected. Their slope reflect the slope of all layers behind wall f129 and probably the shape of the temple mound. This sounding in the baulk east of wall f129 will give us also a nice section perpendicular to wall f129 to see the layers against it, which it will be than drawn. In k106 we are going down in front of the obelisks and as form the strategy of the previous days we will try to reach the level of the floor J2f359, to show that this floor was layed in all the area in front of the monumental staircase and also the obelisks, which go togeher with the main building phase of the temple terrace (EDII). Hopefully at the end of the excavation we will be able to have a date for wall f227, to see if it the ED II revetment wall; we will see what is wall f256, whether is the continuation of wall f129 and therefore is the boundary for the eastern part of the staircase or is another structure or wall. We will see if there is an LC structure of levels under wall f129 and also we will have a nice level to reach in front of the obelisks, which should be one of the first floors layed after the building of the monumental staircase. mKB looked at the pottery from J2f359, the salmon floor and she is sure it is not akkadian and probably ED II

.rd T815
.ri pC

k 82
dy today was removed a small part left over from the previous days while excavating the pit fill f192. This feature is f288 and is very similar to f192, but was more reddish. Then it was removed f192 in the south-eastern portion of the square. When we had in all the pit f200 aKarim and Ali started to remove it from the south where it was showing a large congentration of pottery on the surface. While excavating it there was lot of pottery, pebbles and small stones and a kilin waster. A large amount of sherds where overfried. I thought it was the disacrd/waste of pottery coming from a kilin. I decided to assign a new feature number to the discard of pottery which is f293 and is located directly above stones f227

f 293
tc ov f227
tc si f200

f 288
tc si f199

f 287
tc co f289

f 289
tc co f290

f 286
tc co f291

f 291
tc co f292