.bk A12
.fl N824jl.j
.fd journal entries
.ed N824
.ei jl

.ri jl
.rd N824

k 30
ds This locus is circular, a ring one meter in thickness around k29, within the area of k27.  If it were plotted as two circles, its outer radius would be 219 centimeters and its inner radius 124 centimeters.  It touches the stone walls on its outer edge and k29 on its inner edge.
ar Although it is unusual to create a circular locus, we decided that it was necessary in this case.  Our understanding of the circle k27 in the api tells us that later material was regularly being washed into the fissure and was transported down to earlier strata (for a modern example, see v171).  This later contamination would corrupt (and, if fact, has corrupted) our pottery lots, potentially giving us inaccurate, later dates for the strata within the structure.  Therefore, we needed a way to separate the potentially contaminated soil from uncontaminated material.
sg We created two new loci, k29 and k30.  The outer locus, k30, is a ring one meter thick around the outside of the circle k27, to include all of the area that we consider potentially contaminated.

v 171
nd It must also be pointed out that the top of a plastic bag is visible in the fissure, next to the stone wall f352.  This bag was presumably washed down the fissure by the rain and flooding of the previous winter, hence we find it so far down in our excavations.  It is a good modern example of the process by which we think later material was transported down the fissure, creating the mud ledge f423 and contaminating lower elevations.  This is our justification for the creation of k29 and k30, as well as k31, k32 and k33.

k 31
ds This locus is in the eastern end of the trench dug in the southern half of k29/k30 during the second half of season N.  It is 75 centimeters wide from north to south, one meter east to west (measure from the wall of the api) along the south side of the trench, and 145 centimeters east to west (also from the api wall) along the north side.
ar Because of the many fine layers of material within A12 this season, we had only excavated about twenty centimeters by N810.  In order to excavate deeper in the limited time which remained in the season, we decided to dig a trench along the south side of k29/k30, the south side of which would follow the line of the previous southern section kept in past seasons.  Such a trench would have three advantages: first, it would give us a physical section to draw, rather than the "virtual" section which we have been using up until now; second, it would allow us to dig down much more quickly, since we would be excavating in a much more limited area; third, we would be able to use the section within the trench as a guide for excavating within the rest of the circle, allowing us to dig more quickly in that regard as well.
sg We laid out the trench following the line of the previous season's south baulk.  In order to preserve the separation between the potentially contaminated and the presumably uncontaminated material, we divided the trench into three loci, k31, k32 and k33.  k31 lay on the east side of the trench, and included mostly potentially contaminated material.  We decided to excavate 50cm within the trench before turning back to the rest of the circle and excavating it also down to the level of the trench.

k 32
ds This locus is in the center of the trench dug in the south half of k29/k30 during the second half of season N.  It is 75 centimeters wide from north to south, and 142 centimeters from east to west.
ar Because of the many fine layers of material within A12 this season, we had only excavated about twenty centimeters by N810.  In order to excavate deeper in the limited time which remained in the season, we decided to dig a trench along the south side of k29/k30, the south side of which would follow the line of the previous southern section kept in past seasons.  Such a trench would have three advantages: first, it would give us a physical section to draw, rather than the "virtual" section which we have been using up until now; second, it would allow us to dig down much more quickly, since we would be excavating in a much more limited area; third, we would be able to use the section within the trench as a guide for excavating within the rest of the circle, allowing us to dig more quickly in that regard as well.
sg We laid out the trench following the line of the previous season's south baulk.  In order to preserve the separation between the potentially contaminated and the presumably uncontaminated material, we divided the trench into three loci, k31, k32 and k33.  k32 lay in the middle of the trench, and included mostly presumably uncontaminated material.  We decided to excavate 50cm within the trench before turning back to the rest of the circle and excavating it also down to the level of the trench.

k 33
ds This locus is in the western part of the trench dug in the south half of k29/k30 during the second half of season N.  It is 75 centimeters wide from north to south, 1 meter east to west (measured from the western wall of the api) along its southern edge, and 138 centimeters east to west (also from the api wall) along the northern edge.
ar Because of the many fine layers of material within A12 this season, we had only excavated about twenty centimeters by N810.  In order to excavate deeper in the limited time which remained in the season, we decided to dig a trench along the south side of k29/k30, the south side of which would follow the line of the previous southern section kept in past seasons.  Such a trench would have three advantages: first, it would give us a physical section to draw, rather than the "virtual" section which we have been using up until now; second, it would allow us to dig down much more quickly, since we would be excavating in a much more limited area; third, we would be able to use the section within the trench as a guide for excavating within the rest of the circle, allowing us to dig more quickly in that regard as well.
sg We laid out the trench following the line of the previous season's south baulk.  In order to preserve the separation between the potentially contaminated and the presumably uncontaminated material, we divided the trench into three loci, k31, k32 and k33.  k33 lay on the western end of the trench, mostly potentially contaminated material.  We decided to excavate 50cm within the trench before turning back to the rest of the circle and excavating it also down to the level of the trench.

v 248
ds This view is our daily photo of the trench.  Visible within it is the top of the black seed layer, f434 and f435, which we finished clearing today and then removed.  Underneath was more of the brown soil (f436, f437 and f438) which we excavated afterwards.  v248a looks west along the trench, showing the black seeds better and also a large sherd, which we originally believed to lie in the black layer, but which actually lay in the brown beneath the black.

v 247
ds This photo is our daily.  f426 and f427 were removed yesterday, leaving the brown f430 and f439 over most of the circle.  On the south side, we have laid out the trench consisting of three loci, k31, k32 and k33, which we will excavate today.  v247a is an overhead look at the trench only; it will be the model for our daily photos from now on.

v 242
ds This overhead view of the circle was taken from the metal roof over the underground structure.  It shows the locations of the features more completely than one of our daily photos.

k 29
ds This is a circular locus within the area of k27.  It is a circle with a radius of 124 centimeters, and its center is also the center of k27.
ar Although it is unusual to create a circular locus, we decided that it was necessary in this case.  Our understanding of the circle k27 in the api tells us that later material was regularly being washed into the fissure and was transported down to earlier strata (for a modern example, see v171).  This later contamination would corrupt (and, if fact, has corrupted) our pottery lots, potentially giving us inaccurate, later dates for the strata within the structure.  Therefore, we needed a way to separate the potentially contaminated soil from uncontaminated material.
sg We created two new loci, k29 and k30.  The inner locus, k29, is the circle of presumably uncontaminated material within the center of the ring, over one meter distant from the stone walls of the circle.

f 441
ds black seed layer, scattered around the locus.  No clear, fixed slope or continuous layer.  Equals f442, f434 and f435.
=l f442
=l f434
=l f435

f 442
ds black seed layer scattered around locus.  No clear, fixed slope or continuous layer.  Equals f441, f434 and f435.
=l f441
=l f434
=l f435

f 439
ds brown soil beneath f427.  Possibly laminated, but it is too wet to tell.  Red brick chunks, black and white inclusions.

f 430
ds brown soil beneath f426.  Possibly laminated, but it is too wet to tell.  Red brick chunks, black and white inclusions.

i 175
df si
ds seal impression with cord impression on back
P99 to mkb

f 440
=l f446
=l f449

f 446
=l f440
=l f449

f 431
ds layer of brown soil with red brick chunks, black and white inclusions.  Possibly laminated, but soil is too wet to tell.  Under f426.  Equals f432, f433, f430 and f439.
=l f432
=l f433
=l f430
=l f439

f 432
ds layer of brown soil with red brick chunks and black and white inclusions.  Although we did not notice it while digging this feature, excavations within the brown layers below it (especially f433 and f434) suggest that it may have been roughly laminated, but it was too wet for the layers to show.  It equals f430, f431, f433 and f439.
=l f430
=l f431
=l f433
=l f439