A20-strategy

Processed on 2024-11-15

Date	Author	Record
2008-07-12	lr	Yesterday our team met with gb and iko to discuss the excavation strategy of area A20 along with defining the exact boundaries of the area. It was suggested that A20 serve as a link between excavations in area A and the eastern excavations in area J by focusing on a west to east exposure. This exposure would expand the relationship between the plaza in J and the settlements to the west in area A. Another goal is to concentrate on a horizontal exposure of the Mittani phase towards the north and east, a continuation of A18's exposure of Mittani which was excavated several years ago resulting in several Mittani mud brick structures, cooking installations, and pebble pavements. A20 is also subsuming A19, a trench created to explore the easternmost expansion of the palace. This area consists of three squares, originally part of J1 showing deep Mittani and Khabur levels. Given the surrounding areas, we anticipate finding Mittani levels immediately once the topsoil is removed. Tomorrow we will begin to excavate k2 and k3, which are both immediately north of A18. [Input: S712LR.j]
2008-07-15	lR	Attempting to see if the compact layer, f7, is found in the other three loci. This layer presumably indicates that we are at the last phase of Mittani occupation, an abandonment of the area in which over time mud bricks were eroded, melted by rain, and re-baked by the sun. For the time being, f5, f14 will be left in place. By the end of the day we exposed this compact surface in all the loci (not fully) with a slope present towards the south. Tomorrow this ly should be completely exposed and photographs expected on S717. [Input: S715LR.j]
2008-07-19	lR	With the brick melt fully exposed in all the opened loci, the strategy this week is to remove the brick melt, . [Input: S719LR.j]
2008-07-23	lR	With the emergence of f42 tannur, i11 jar, f35 pavement, and f43 pavement in k3, the strategy has changed in k2. We initially discussed concentrating all our efforts in excavating k2 and k3 to link what is already known from A18 however k2 remains difficult to understand. Large amounts of soft gray ash is present throughout the entire locus with patches of compact bricky material in the eastern side of the locus. The new strategy is to focus on exposing k3, following what was exposed in the eastern half of k3 towards the west. Since f36 runs into the north section, we will then open up k13 south side to see if the ash continues. The north trench in k13 showed a thin ashy level but mostly brickfall, indicating that the same ash present in k3 does not extend into the northern half of the k13. Once the boundary of the ash is found, we will then proceed into k12 to find the ash border here. [Input: S723LR.j]
2008-07-27	lR	Met with gB today regarding adding workman to the team and decide how to proceed excavations in A20. At the moment, k25, k26, and k16 have not been opened with the goal focused on reaching the same stratum in all the 6 loci that are already opened. This is to ensure that we don't start excavating squares we can't feasibly excavate and document by the end of the season. Another concern is area A19 which we are quickly reaching in depth in k15, along with possibly sharing walls between the two areas. I suggested that we either incorporate A19 into A20 by removing the sections dividing these two units (removing A19 north baulk) which would then provide a nice link to k15 and we can also then start to excavate k16. If this is done, our team will be responsible for linking A19's features so will take additional time to recover all the documentation from this area. I suggested that we either concentrate on incorporating A19 or focus on excavating k25 and k26 since doing both would require more time. After our meeting it was decided to add 4 more workmen to the team with the decision pertaining to opening the new squares and incorporating A19 decided later after reviewing the completeness of the UGR in our area. [Input: S729LR.j]
2008-07-29	lR	A20 met with gB and fAB to discuss the next steps in A20. A19 will be incorporated into A20 with the north sections removed. k16 will be opened after the surveyor adds corner points. fAB suggested removing the north section of A18 to give a nice horizontal exposure of the area and also facilitate the link between A18 and A20. [Input: S729LR.j]
2008-08-05	lC	Just before the end of the morning we had a meeting in the field with faB about how to proceed the next day. The idea is to continue to remove the ashy layer f22 in k2 going down, more or less until the level of A18. In k13 we decided, after the removal of the pebble floor f50 in the southern part of the square, to check the new features f80 and f81 that seems to abut the brick fall f30. Between these two features it's well visible a line that seems to cut into the brickfall. To clarify this context, that appears completely different from the one in k12 we decided to remove the baulk between k12 and k13. About the structure a2 between k14 and k15 we decided to cut two sections, one N-S in the eastern side and one E-W in the northern side to have a better understanding of it. If there are still doubts about a2 we will start to excavate it beginning from the top, in the middle, so if it is a tomb we should be able to go inside it without destroying the structure itself. [Input: S805LC.j]
2008-08-16	lR	Met with gB and fAB this morning for a strategy review; deciding on scaling back excavations in A20. Our earlier strategy was to remove the later installations such as the drain a3, brick pile f68, and pavement f112 to come down to the earlier Mittani strata but with only 10 days left in the season, it was suggested to concentrate only in few small areas to clarify some stratigraphic questions. This decision was also reached in consideration for the UGR upkeep, with most members of the team leaving in two weeks; we want to make sure that everything is properly documented before closing the area for next season. The extra workmen will be distributed to the other units retaining several pick men to work in A20. The area south of a2, in k101, will be our primary excavation goal for the next week, coming down in the southern side of the box structure f40 (a2) to see if it continues deeper. This is the only side we can go down for wall f92 abuts the structures to the west, wall f63 to the north, and the stone pavement f57 to the east. Once the southern border is defined, we then plan to excavate a2 by removing the top course of bricks, eventually removing the structure to see if this is a tomb. Another area for clarification is f82, excavating in bin f113, to see if this we are inside a structure or if this is part of the reuse. Lastly, in k101, we plan to remove the last of eastern baulk, tying together A19 and A20. [Input: S816LR.j]
2008-08-23	lC	After a short meeting in the field between lC, sE, eE, yM and gB we decide to concentrate the efforts for the last three days of excavation, continuing the strategy decided in the past days, in k101. The goal is to expose all the pavement f132 to understand its relationships with the other pavements f57 and f93. And very important seems also to excavate the accumulations f120 and the others below, south to the mud brick wall f126 to find the link between the pavement f132 and the pavement f108. Moreover it will be nice to have the three different levels of pavements for the final photos. [Input: S823LC.j]
2010-09-18	lC	The team is getting smaller because many of us are encharged of many other jobs. Moreover mS1 is leaving tomorrow evening and bS will join jW in J3 as main assistent, so we have to plan carefully next days of excavation in order to try to reach the goals established at the beginning of the excavation. In k34 we just removed the topsoil so probably tomorrow we will move the workmen to that locus. Today we draw the pavement f164 and the walls f171 and f168 so tomorrow we will be able to remove them, re-establish the two locus and start to excavate the deeper soft material f173 that looks like f163 in k24 and f177 in k25 and seems cover the edge of the underneath structures, which are we looking for. [Input: U918LC.j]
2010-09-19	lC	Only 4 day left before the end of the excavation. In order to reach the goals established at the beginning of the season, i.e. explore the possible building linked to ^wall1, we will concentrate our efforts in 3 (k24, k25 and k34) of the 4 open loci. The operations B7 and J3 are going to end so we can get more workmen and this will let us going much faster than before. The idea is to explore the inner part of the building and the external part of it in k25. In k25 we are already deep, almost at the level of ^wall1, while in k24 and k34 we have still to go deeper. [Input: U919LC.j]
2010-09-20	lC	Today we had a short meeting in the field with gB and fAB and we showed them the progresses of the excavation in the last two days. For the next days we will work in k24, k25 and k34. The most complex situation regards k25 where we found a deep pit (f) that seems cutting at least two walls f188 and f195, clearly visible in its northern and southern sections. To the East the pit seems cutting a structure with vertical mudbricks labelled as f191. The idea is to completely remove the filling of the pit and look at its section. The relationship between the vertical mudbrick structure and the pit is not clear and probably the pit cuts also the structure. Because this structure could be a tomb we want to verify this hypotesis and in case start to remove its covering from above and not approaching it from one side. [Input: U919LC.j]
2010-09-21	lC	Today we almost finished to excavate in k25, but still remain to understand the relationship between the vertical bricks f191 and the pit f189 and the pavement f190. Tomorrow we will draw the structure and then we will remove some of the vertical bricks that seem to be above some lamination layers and the ashy filling of the pit. This will let us to understand the stratigraphic relationship. [Input: U919LC.j]
2010-09-22	lC	Today fAB came early in the morning to A20 and we decided to remove the baulks between k24 and k25, k24 and k34, and the two baulks between k14 and k15 (excavated in 2008) and the new loci k24 and k25. This will allow us to link the sloping layer f192 and f197 and take a nice picture. Moreover it will link the old excavation with the new squares and will probably let us to find the crest and the northern face of ^wall1 and the possible wall running north to south and badly damaged by the pit f189. [Input: U922LC1.j]