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Date |
Author |
Record |
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0000-00-00 |
fAB |
The opening of excavations in area A10 is projected for Sunday, h615. This is so that FAB, RAH and LKA are all present, since RAH and LKA are arriving h614. The plan of the excavation is to open 4 squares initially, with approx. 12 workmen. There are three goals for this area: 1= Define and explore SE corner of AK, or of sector C if it is not the corner of the overall building. We are able to project this corner because of the work done in MZ9 in area A8, which found the E wall of sector D, and work done earlier that uncovered the S wall of the building. 2= explore sector C, especially the room or rooms along the southern wall. 3= to explore the area immediately outside the building to the south. This third goal is secondary in priority, as understanding the layout and function of AK is primary. These goals were discussed at the first meeting (h610) with GB,MKB,GG,DNS,CLN and FAB, as well as the organizational meeting in March '97 in Los Angeles. In the meeting on h610 and the next day, we discussed the layout of the squares. The first decision was as to the rotation of the squares in reference to the AS grid. GB made the case that a new orientation following the layout of the AK building as opposed to the AS grid because this would offer us a section of sector C parallel to the south wall. This would also make it easier to follow the southern wall of AK. The drawback of this orientation is the danger of features perpendicular to the south wall (eg other walls) laying in the baulks. This would mean that any stratigraphic definition would change with the removal of the baulks, which should not be the case. However, it was decided to begin a new orientation following the AK wall layout. FAB suggested a "T" layout, with three squares abreast from W to E along the southern wall (projected) of AK, and a fourth north of the center square. This layout would give the section of sector C, explore the Southern wall and the projected corner, the area to the south of AK, as well as a piece inside sector C to explore any interior walls. [Input: H613FAB.J]
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0000-00-00 |
fAB |
As for a projected timetable, we have approx. 6 weeks for excavation: from June 15 (h615) to about July 27. The squares closest to building AK in elevation seem to be k1 and k4, with about 3 meters to projected tops of walls in sector A. There is evidence of a negative wall in k1, which should give a very nice section of the contents of the room to the north. Also to be considered is the supposed kiln in A6, which may be in k4. k4, however, straddles a wadi that stretches from NE-SW and goes through k1. This, hopefully, means a minimum of later settlement, so AK may be close to the surface. MKB noticed bricky material in the SW corner of k4 on the surface, immediately under a cement border that was built by us a previous season to protect sector A from water. It is high, and only about 3-4 meters north of the projected AK south wall, so I doubt that it is a part of the AK building, since the rooms in sector A were all larger than that. This all means that in the best of possible cases, we will have a sparse layer of later occupation, and then a lot of fill and collapse on top of the latest floors of sector C. A guesstimate timetable is as follows: week 1= removal of sod layer, following of negative wall. week 2= definition and exploration of later material. week 3= final definition of later material, removal of later material, beginning to remove collapse/fill and find other walls. week 4= removal of collapse/fill, possible lateral expansion. week 5= digging of floors. week 6= removal of baulks, final excavations, cleanup. [Input: H613FAB.J]
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0000-00-00 |
fAB |
Our third week of excavations has come to an end, leaving us with helf of the season left, and more than half a season's worth of excavating to do! During this weeek our stratigraphic understanding has leapt forward in terms of the AK structure: we have found portions of the S wall, and a parallel wall to the north, giving us a much greater understanding of the footprint of the building in the A10 area. The major discovery has been the S wall in k's 2 and 3, where we hope to find a doorway in the beginning of next week. The layout of the area has also changed, with the N-S baulks coming down, linking k's 1,2 and 3. The burial, a2, was removed, with a great many objects, including a ram's (?) head, but no complete skeleton. For the next week, we hope to remove all of the N-S baulks, linking k10-k1-k2-k3 and k10-k4-k5. This will mean a loss of those sections, but now that we have the AK layout, we have decided to follow the rooms and not the loci. Of course, the E-W baulk will remain until later in the season, because it gives a very nice cross section of all the accumulations in and between the rooms. The major thrust of next week will be the opening of 2 new loci to link the walls in k3 with the wall excavated last year in A8. this means removing a lot of dirt, but will give this sector of the building a sense of completion, since we will have uncovered the entire footprint of this sector. [Input: H704FAB.J]
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1997-07-12 |
fAB |
H710 ended another week of excavations in A10, with a stratigraphic summary of the AK building with the rest of the staff. The lack of the doorway in k11 and the puzzle of f29 were the main points discussed. K8 and k9 are the only areas left in the scattered occupation phase, and in k11 we have reached a level just inside the AK wall where we will stop for now. Our goal for next week includes removing k8 and k9 scattered occupation layers and removing the baulks between k11 and k5, and k5 and k4. [Input: H716LKAD.J]
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