; File processed on 2025-09-11

; J4--nr
-inc	2006-09-04_Q904SC2.j	sC	Today mKB referred about her analysis of f64, f72, f76 and f79. f79 (q147, q148, q172) and f76 pottery (q 164, q168) belong to Mittani period. Also the pottery recovered in f64 belong to the Mittani period (although only one q-lot has been analyzed, q159) as well as f72 (q161); the cronology of f77 is instead uncertain (also in this case only one q-lot has been alalized, q166).

; J4-daily
-inc	2006-08-26_Q826SC.j	sC	Today we started with a general cleaning of all the units in order to take some general views of all the area with the N-S baulks. We then started to remove part of the NS baulk.
-inc	2006-08-27_Q827SC.j	sC	Today we finished to remove the E baulk of k84 and the E baulk of k72. dM took some general views of J4 without the N-S baulks (v33, v34, v34a, v34b, v34c). We also left part of the E baulk of k74 and we used it as a ramp in order to facilitate the removal of the dirt from all the unit. At the end of the day, one elevator has been positioned in k63. We are going to use it tomorrow, while, the elevator located in the dirt pile east to J4 has been working only partially today, due to electricity problems; only few pottery sherds have been recovered from the swifting of the dirt located here.
-inc	2006-09-03_Q903SC.j	sC	Today we started with a general cleaning of all J04 Unit, and then dM took some general views of the whole area (v56, v56a, v56b, v56c). Since yesterday, while removing the baulk, we have also removed all the markers in the central portion of the unit, today bwP assigned new markers in k73 and k63.
-inc	2006-09-05_Q905SC2.j	sC	Yesterday in the afternoon the elevator was set up, and today we start collecting the pottery sherds recovered with the swifting of the dirt belonging to the whole excavation area. We collected 5 baskets which have been labeled as q-lots starting from q999 (i.e., q999, q998, q997, q996 and q995, and one item, q995.1) in order to differenciate them from the 'ordinary' q-lots that is possible to link with a determinate feature.
-inc	2006-09-06_Q906SC.j	sC	today we will have the visit of the Minister of Syrian Culture and a lot of work need to be carry out in J1 as well as in J3. For this reason, we have been working in J4 only for the first half of the morning in J4 with only one team of workmen. All the other workmen have been working in J3. In J4 we only needed to remove a small portion of the N baulk in k84 left from yesterday excavation and to clean the whole unit.
-inc	2006-09-12_Q912PC.j	pC	Today bP took several relays in k83 and k73 (r92-r119).
-inc	2006-09-23_Q923SC2.j	sC	Yesterday Katleen Deckers from Tuebingen University, examined some layers within the J area and in J4 Unit as well, in particular in loci k72, k63 and k100 (i.e., f121 and f158). Her study aims to better define the processes that were responsible for the deposition of the natural layers we found within the tell mound and. Katleen Deckers says that in J04 loci k72, k63 and k100 we have layers that can be related with small gully, wash layers and water and wind borne (aeolian) layers.
-inc	2006-10-05_QX05SC.j	sC	Last week, during the stratigraphy meeting in the field, gB suggested us to clean the portion of the w128 where it abuts the monumental staircase in J2, in order to understand the real realionship between them, i.e. whether w128 is sitting on top of the monumental staircase (as it seems) or is bounded with, etc. In fact, until today, the general understanding of w128 was that: w128 is sitting on the monumental staircase, and thus, that it is a later costruction (to be approximately phased in phase 2-4/5). The last two rows of the stone w128, clearly different in shape and modality of construction, have been always interpreted as a second/later phase, and being part of the re-arrangement of the area where the apron is located occurred in Mittani time. This re-arrangement of the area is cleary visible in the different accuracy of the steps between the lower and upper part of the staircase, by the big stone with a flat surface resting on an accumulation on top of the "primary" apron. The area of contact between w128 and the monumental staircase in J02, was never really investigated up to-date, and therefore on QX03 we start cleaning this portion of J2. Close to the w128 there was also one stone, rolled here probably from the top of the wall or from the secondary Apron. This stone (q168) was abutting w128, disturbing the real perception of the relationship between this wall and the monumental staircase. We took a picture of the stone in place (v92, v92a, v92b), and then we removed the stone and start cleaning the accumlation below the stone, f167, which it is in contact with the monumental staircase. Once we removed f167 and all the dirt accumualted here in the last years we had a completely new picture of the contact between the two structures: w128 is not sitting on the monumental staircase but cleary bound with it. Thus w128 is contemporary to the monumental staircase and is therefore dated to phase 1. We have been always considered less probable the possibility of a bounding bewteen w128 and the monumental staircase because this would have meant that w128 was built in the same period of the revetement wall, and the presence of two wall at the same time was a bit puzzzling. We took several picture in order to document the bounding bewteen w128 and the monumental staircase (v93 and following).

; J4-marker
-inc	2006-08-20_Q820SC.j	sC	Today bP put new markers: two for the N and NE corner (m4357, m4354) of k61 and one for the SE corner of k61 (m4359); three markers in k71 (m4358 in the N section of k71, m4359 in the E section of k71, m4360 in the E section of k71).
-inc	2006-08-21_Q821SC.j	sC	Today markers m4303 (the NE corner of k63) has been removed.
-inc	2006-08-22_Q822SC.j	sC	Today bP put some control points in the E section of k82 (m4376) and k83 (m4377 and m4378).
-inc	2006-08-26_Q826SC.j	sC	Today we remove markers: m3667, m4302, m3842, m4250, m4245, m4251, m4299, m4294, m4243.
-inc	2006-09-04_Q904SC.j	sC	Today mk bwp put three control points in the S section of k74, k64, and in the N section of k72.
-inc	2006-09-05_Q905SC.j	sC	Today we removed markers m4378 in the E baulk of k83, m4412 and m4411 in the N baulk of k84
-inc	2006-09-10_Q910SC.j	sC	Today mk bwp put one new marker in the NW corner of k84 (m4503) and two control points: one in the W section of k84 (m4502) and one in the S section of k73 (m4501).

; J4-staff
-inc	2006-08-20_Q820SC.j	sC	pC mNH stayed at home after breakfast because he was not feeling very well. He entered J02 objects description. Today hB and mNH drawned the N section of k73, pC and aS the E section of k72, and cC and aS the E section of k63.
-inc	2006-08-21_Q821SC.j	sC	mNH stayed at home after breakfast because he was not feeling very well, while pC stayed at home checking the data entered by J4 staff in the previous days. Before breakfast cC, vN and aS drawn the N section of k92-k82, while hB and mNH drawn the N section of k74 and the N section of k63.
-inc	2006-08-22_Q822SC.j	sC	pC with cC, nV, mNH and aS stayed at home doing some templates. Before breakfast cC and aS drawn the E section of k82, hB and mNH drawn the E section of k82, vN the N section of k64, and the N section of k63 me and hB the N section of k62.
-inc	2006-08-23_Q823SC.j	sC	Before breakfast pC stayed at home with mKB. cC toghether with mNH drawned the N section of k71, while aS and I drawned the E section of k62. After breakfast cC stayed at home with mKB (since cC will be responsible of the object storage). At 8am I come back home to check my journal files, and stood there until 12am: the idea was also to help mNH and vN in drawing J04 sections with freehand, but there was no electricjty. Therefore mNH come back to the filed and nV described some of the J02 objects held over from last year excavation season.
-inc	2006-08-24_Q824SC.j	sC	Before breakfast cC and vN and stayed at home with pC entering data on computer. In the field, mNH and aS drawned the E section of k64. After breakfast cC, pC, vN and mNH stayed at home making J4 templates.
-inc	2006-08-26_Q826SC.j	sC	Being that the work in field so not require all the staff, cC, mNH, vN will stay at home all the day making templates. I stayed at home from 8am till breakfast in order to help them while pC and aS stayed in the field. After breakfast I stayed in the field with mNH, while cC, pC, vN and aS stayed at home making templates.
-inc	2006-09-12_Q912PC.j	pC	Today before breakfast cC and vN stayed at home to do templates and object descriptions. After breakfast cC and vN worked with jW in J3.
-inc	2006-09-15_Q915SC.j	sC	Today cC and vN drawn the E section of k62, k63, k64 and part of the S section of k84 (i.e. 2m N from m3830), and dM PC took their views (v78. some photographs of the Habur sherds laying orizontally on the mud glacys layer in k73 (v76, v76a, v76b, v76c). Then she went home, toghether with cC and vN, entering data on computer.

; J4-storage
-inc	2006-09-13_Q913PC.J	pC	Today, before breakfast, vN and cC worked in J3. Early in the morning vN came in J4 to help doing some relays.

; J4-strategy
-inc	2006-08-20_Q820SC.j	sC	Tomorrow I am not planning to work in k61.
-inc	2006-09-03_Q903SC.j	sC	Tomorrow we will contine digging in k63 and k73. These two squares turn to be very important for the comprehension of the whole area, given the presence of the wall f84 in k62, running SW-NE, and of the stone f10 in k71, which could belong to the angle of the apron.
-inc	2006-09-04_Q904SC.j	sC	Right in the N section of k73 we found a line of stones, six, medium small in dimension; of these, four are long aprox 40cm each (while two are very small in dimension) running W-E right (f146). These look to be in line with two large stone exposed in k83. It looks like that these stones are in line with the suppose revetment wall as it is exposed in J2 (W to the primary and secondary apron). We thus decided to stop digging in k63 (considering also that in that locus we have not find any particular accumulations, indicating any particular use in that area) and we decided to start digging in k72. Before start digging there, we took some general views of the floating stones located here, before their removal. The stone that we are going to remove are: f12 (and its pedestal, f98), f19.2 and f19.3 (and their pedestal, f100), f101.1 and f101.2 (and their pedestal f102) (v58, v58a). We then took a general view of k82 and k72, toghether with the E section of k82, showing the 200m of natural accumulation on top of/between these floating stones (v59, v59a, v59b).
-inc	2006-09-04_Q904SC.j	sC	It would be possible that f146, the six stones exposed in the N section of k73, are part of the revetment wall as it is exposed in J2 (W to the primary and secondary apron). We thus decided to stop digging in k63 (considering also that there we did not find any accumulation indicating that that area was used), and to start digging in k72 in order to look for these stones.
-inc	2006-09-08_Q908SC.j	sC	Strategy discussion in the field with gB, fAB, mKB and J4, J1, J3 staff on what to do in the final week to meet the season's goal. Before the beginning of the excavation it was expected to expose in J4 the secondary Apron and a staircase, specular to the ones exposed in J2. However, up to date, we do not have clear evidences that support the possibility of finding the secondary Apron and a staircase here. gB underlines how the only clear indication concerning the possible secondary Apron in J4 is given by the strong line of alligned stones in k71 (f10): these give the impression of being specular to the secondary Apron as exposed in J2, in spite of their different elevation. Furthermore, a part of being much higher in elevation respect to the secondary Apron (as it is exposed in J2), these stones do not seem to continue under the S baulk of k71 as well as in k72 and k62, where, given the present elevation, we should have already exposed them, or at least some of them. Therefore, at present, we do not know if f10 is part or not of a possible secondary Apron, and thus, we do not have a conclusive answer concerning this aspect. One hyphotesis, is that f10 could be part of a secondary Apron, disturbed in k82 and k83 (in J2 E to the staircase), and preserved here, or it could belong to a different structure, located in this portion of the terrace or in the NE area of the terrace. We therefore agreed that it could be interesting to investigate whether f10 continues in k70 or not.
-inc	2006-09-08_Q908SC.j	sC	CONTINUED The strategy therefore is to open locus 70 (only 200m N to m3666) in order to investigate whether f10 continues in this half square. The other clear information we have in J4 area, it is given by the alligned stones in k62, f84. However, also in this case we do not know its real nature, i.e. whether f84 is a wall or a drain. In support of the hyphotesis that f84 could be a drain, are the following characteristics: its inclination and the shape of the stones, which do not have a very nice face/shape as it could be expected instead for a wall. Contrary to the possibility of f84 as a drain it is that in its NE portion it is constructed with small stone, the lack of a floor and of a structure it could be belong to. These two characteristics therefore suggest that f84 can be a wall; however, as already underlined, as a wall it does not have a nice face/shape. f84 stop in k62 and it does not have any connection with what we have exposed so far in the unit. It also seems that this is the lattest structure we have in the unit. In order to understand if f84 is a wall or a drain there are two possible strategies: one is to dig S to f84 and look for its section; another is to remove a stone and look for where it is sitting. We decided for the lattest. Finally, the third clear information in J4 is given by another strong line: f93 in k73 (the bin). The bin seems to be on a small courtyard, with a pebble stones on the W. gB underlines that similar bins have been previously exposed at Mozan: in A18 (also located in a courtyard, close to some graves) and in the temple area. West to the bin f93 there are some alligned stones. Some of these seem to belong to the secondary Apron (the second and third line of stones exposed in k83), while other (i.e. the lowest line exposed in k83) could be originally part of the secondary Apron but here located during a re-organization of this portion of the area occurred in a later period, and this is why we do not have so many floating stones in k82 as in other areas of J2. In order to understand if this hypotesis is correct, the strategy is to dig in the S area of k83 and in k84. Here at present no structures have been exposed, and therefore we can dig "safely" in these two squares in order to investigate whether here there will be the steps of the primary Apron. Concerning k84, gB suggested to leave a safety baulk of 100m W to the wall f127 in k84 in order not to undermine this wall. We will also continue digging in k72 in order to look for the possible steps of the secondary Apron in this locus.
-inc	2006-09-14_Q914PC.j	pC	Today together with gB, fAB and J4 staff we discussed the strategy for the next days. We will dig only in k100 with the goal being to reach in this square the elevation of the 3rd step of the primary apron as it is exposed in J2. gB in fact thinks that if the primary apron existed in this portion of J4 unit, we should find some steps in k100. Since we have only three days before the end of the season, gB suggested to reduce again the excavation area in k100. We decided therefore to reduce of 100cm the area we were investigating in k100). The new SW corner of k100 is defined now by r151.

; J4-workmen
-inc	2006-08-21_Q821SC.j	sC	Today I got two new workmen: Adel Abduraman (P) and Adel Hassu (P). Adel Abduraman will be working in k74, while Adel Hassu in k63. After breakfast Moammed Omo took two workmen (Akhmet Moammud and Ibrahim Hessu) since he need help in the house. Therefore, today I am not going to open k61, as planned. I will move Hussen Husseni and part of his team in k73 in order to help Masood Bijou and his team to temove the N baulk of k73.
-inc	2006-08-22_Q822SC.j	sC	Hussen Husseni and his team will be working in this unit. After breakfast I moved here Adel and Akmet (from k74) in order to have 3 pick-men and 3 shovel-man. The goal is to reach by the end tomorrow the same elevation as in k81. We would like to take a general view of J4 on thursday early in the morning in order to have a general vire of the area at the same elevation of the second apron of J2.
-inc	2006-08-26_Q826SC.j	sC	Today I got 6 new workmen: Hudur, Sipan Khellu, Raduan Moammed, Ibrahim Guma, Akran Guma, Musa Kalaf.
-inc	2006-09-03_Q903SC.j	sC	Today Salah Sadi was present but worked all the day with the electrician. After breakfast I send a complete team of workmen (2P, 2S, 1W) to J03: they will be working there for the next two days.
-inc	2006-09-04_Q904SC.j	sC	The team I send yesterday to J3 will be working there for the next two days; Salah Sadi was present but worked again all the day with the electrician.
-inc	2006-09-05_Q905SC.j	sC	Today after breakfast I sent all the workmen to J3. I continued working in J4 with only one team. All the staff went home to do object description.
-inc	2006-09-09_Q909SC.j	sC	Today was the last day of work for Hussein Husseni and Abdel Karim. Being asked for some workmen, I send one team (1P, 2S, 1W) to J1.
-inc	2006-09-10_Q910SC.j	sC	Today Akhmet Mohammed Hussein was absent. I have been assigned a new workmen, Nadal (S). Before breakfast I have been asked for some workmen. I send one team (1P, 2S, 1W) to J1 before breakfast. From today rE will be working with us as part of J4 staff.