.bk A12
.fl N826jl.j
.fd journal entries
.ed N826
.ei jl

.ri jl
.rd N826

v 226
ds This view shows the sequence of features as we understand it at the beginning of the season.  f405 apparently melted into f406, our justification for considering them the same feature.  v226a is a tight view of the laminations in the northern half of k27, v226b is a look at the black line around the southeast of the locus.

v 227
ds This view shows some of the laminations at the edge between f405 and f406.  As the laminations progressed further north, they became progressively more red. v227a and v227b are closeups of the two exposed laminated areas.

v 228
ds This view shows the newly uncoverd black seed layer f408 in the south-east of the locus.  It was the source of the black line visible around the edge of the locus in that location (see v226b).  v228a is a wider view of the whole locus, v228b is a tight view of the black seed layer only, and v228c is a closeup of the black seeds themselves.  mkb has observed that seeds were often sprinkled as part of the rituals referenced in the Hittite texts linked to the api.

v 229
ds This view shows how f408 has continued to expand underneath the layers of laminations and related material.  It also shows well the nature of f411, a relatively dirty accumulation compared to the laminations above it.  v229a is a tight shot of the northern half of the locus, showing better f411, including one extremely large sherd.  mkb has pointed out that this sherd could not have been accidentally dropped in k27 during the filling process, because of its size.  It seems unlikely that it would have escaped notice.  Could the different layers (laminations, pottery and stones, black seeds) signify different portions of the ritual, or even different rituals?  v229b is a tight view of the southern half of the locus, showing the black seed layer.

f 411
nd It is important to point out that, although we have equalled this layer to the laminated layers because it was sandwiched in between them in one location, it clearly indicates a separate phase in the buildup of the laminations.  The contents of the soil, namely large pieces of pottery and stone, are too different from the rest of the laminations to be coincidental.  Furthermore, they seem too large and spatially restricted to be accidental.   Could this signify some aspect of the layer's nature or purpose that we still don't understand?  Or, like the large stones around the edge of k27, could they just be accidental construction debris or some other fallen material?  The extremely large sherd in the portion of f411 which was absorbed by f415 when the new loci were made is especially worthy of consideration: see v231.
nd When k29 and k30 were made, f411 was split between the two.  Because we could no longer distinguish a color difference between f411 and f410, the brown accumulation, they were both absorbed by feature f415.  Within k29, the rest of f411 became f418.
=l f415

v 230
ds This view shows the white lamination appearing at the edge of f413 and f415, after we had separated k27 up into k29 and k30.  Although this lamination did not ultimately extend very far into f415, it demonstrates the miniature, invisible layers in f415 which complement the laminations in f413: f415 overlay the lamination, but underneath it, the brown soil returned to its previous boundary.  The process by which f415 and f413 were created was clearly one of multiple, only partly visible (through the laminations) events.

v 231
ds This is a closeup of the large sherd in f415 discussed earlier (see v229).  mkb has observed that such a large sherd could not have accidentally been brought into the underground structure with the fill for the circle.  Originally a part of f411 before the division of k29 and k30, it is related to the large quantities of sherds and rounded stones found there, but is large even for that deposit. v231a shows the sherd after it was removed from its location.  The impression in the soil suggests that the soil around the sherd was muddy, rather than dry, when the sherd was deposited.  Again, why would such a sherd have been brought into the structure and then left there?  Could it somehow be a digging tool for the small pits?  Some of the Hittite texts mention digging with a dagger or a breastplate; this could be another such unusual implement.  Otherwise, it must be linked to f411, the nature of which is still not understood.

v 238
ds This is our daily photo, showing the circle and the black seed layers.  Today, we will continue excavating in f421 and f422, in an effort to uncover the strong black layer beneath them, and we will also remove f416 in order to better see f419, which is covered by f416.

v 239
ds This view shows the patches of laminations that have been discoverd today in f416.  This is evidence that the laminations are not a completely separate phase from the black seeds, but instead that they happened repeatedly, presumably as a result of seasonal changes.  It will be very interesting if we can follow the layers closely enough to detect a yearly cycle of rain and ritual. v239a and v239b are closeups of the laminated areas.

v 240
ds This shows the black seed layer revealed under the southern part of f422.  Although it is labelled f424 in this view, it was later renamed f428 because excavations demonstrated that there was no physical link between it and the rest of f424.  The brown to the north of the black seemed to be a surface of some sort; however, it did not connect to anything, but existed only in this limited location, so we eventually removed it.  The brown was relabelled f422 at the same time that we relabelled the black f428, since it was clear at that point that the brown was still a part of the f422 accumulation.

v 241
ds This view is our daily of the circle, k29 and k30.  Our plan for today is to remove the last of the scattered black seeds layers, f422 and f425, in the expection of finding strong seed layers underneath them.  Then, we will begin to excavate the strong black seed layers, starting with f424, which seems to be a layer above the black seeds in the rest of the circle.  It is possible that f424 was actually the same layer as the scattered black seed layers.  In this case, f424 was the main seed deposit, and the other seeds somehow dispersed from there to the rest of the circle.

v 243
ds This shows the ledge of f424 in k30.  The black seeds of f424 follow the top of the ledge; the black seeds of f427 go underneath the ledge.  This is proof that we have multiple layers of black seed deposits, rather than just one.

v 244
ds This is our daily photo in the circle.  All of the black seed layers in k30 have been combined into one feature, f426, equal to f427 in k29, except for f428, which displays no physical connection to f426 or f427, and therefore is assumed by me to be a separate deposit.  In the south-east corner, it is possible to see what appears to be to be a barrier of brown material without any black seeds surrounding the space where f424 used to be.  This may represent a separate layer of soil from the rest of the black seeds in the circle, and that f428 as well as the pocket in the south-east are separate deposits from f426, lying on top of it.  However, we did not observe this while excavating, it only appears in this view.  v244a shows the hard black of f419 along the ledge joining with the newly uncovered black f426.

v 245
ds This shows the white "lamination" layer f429 in f426.  This is the same lamination which was first glimpsed while digging in f416 (see v239, v239a).  It also shows well how the black seed layer against the ledge has been coming off easily, leaving a clean red surface behind it.

v 257
ds This daily shows the continuing progress of excavations in k29 and k30, using the southern trench as our guide for what to expect.  Today, we will continue removing f439, revealing the black seed layer f441 beneath it, and we will remove f430.  Once we have cleared the entire black seed layer (or as much of it as we can find; after all, it didn't fill all of the trench, only half, so we should not expect differently here), we will photograph it and continue digging downwards, since we expect very little in the soil below the black layer.

v 258
ds This view shows the locus after we finished excavating f439 and f430.  Although we labelled all of k29 and k30 as f441 and f442, respectively, the black seed deposits are not located across that whole area, but are scattered around.  However, it is near impossible to differentiate the two areas in this photograph, since the black seed layers are mostly not very strong, so I have taken the liberty of labelling the whole area as f442.  When we excavated, we only excavated areas of black seeds; the rest of the area, along with the accumulation underneath the black seeds, became f443 and f444.