.bk A14
.fl O727jw2.j
.fd daily journal for O727, feature descriptions 296-300
.ei jw
.ed O727
.rd O727
.ri jw

-wk Thirty-one reported for work and were divided into 5 teams with one relay assistant.

-sf gm worked at home after breakfast processing objects.  jo stayed for 1.5 hours after lunch to help oversee work in many locations throughout the unit.

-sy bp in the field to install control points along the south and west faces of the unit to assist in final measurments when interior baulks are removed.  The following markers were loosened and removed during baulk clearing operations: m3718, m3404, m3458, m3473, m3472, m3429, m3474/m3475, m3424/m3459, m3476/m3477, m3639.

k 3
dy Report of activities in this locus being carried out being written by dc who is supervising the excavation here.

k 5
dy Began to remove the east baulk down to the bottom of the living accumulation, f278, in the locus adjacent to the east, k4.

k 23
dy Removed the east baulk.

k 14
dy Began to remove the north baulk.  Encountered the north portion of the pit, a15, and excavated more of the fill, f203.

k 21
dy Cleared accumulation from a large cut stone, f296, placed horizontally just to the west of the abi entrance.  Cleared accumulation, f293, from atop several courses of bricks, f302, which extend into the south baulk.

k 22
dy Began to carefully excavate the east baulk of k22 to determine if there was a link between the large stone, f296, in k21 and a possible supporting structure just to its west.  (There surely has to be something holding the stone in place to resist the washing action of the modern and ancient gullies which slope sharply down to the west that we observed in the excavation of k22, k23, k24, and k25.)

k 11
dy Removed the layer of decayed matting, f292.  Designated as new features the material exposed upon the excavation of accumulation f134 in the southern portion of the locus.  Accumulation, f298, covers the SE quadrant, while stone and sherd pavement f297 covers the SW quadrant.  One pickrun was made in each of these new features.
ns Our intention in excavating in f297 and f298 was to see if the stones and sherds were a path up to the entrance to the abi or were material dropped by rainwater as it washed down a staircase, indication of which was implied from the containment on the N side by an E-W line of cut stone blocks (a5) discovered in previous seasons.  As it turns out, the large stones constituting a5 seem to be laid on soil, although it is possible that we have not dug deep enough to see if it is really mud mortar and there is another course below.  gb cautioned we should stop digging here this season, since by excavating f297 and 298 in isolation we may have interrupted the stratigraphic link between the large flat stone, f296, and the north side of the abi entrance.  Resolution of the issue may still be possible by excavating the north baulk of k21, which will hopefully be accomplished next season.

f 296
df st-is
ds Very large cut stone, with only the top visible, in the middle of k21.  The stone is somewhat irregularly shaped and is about 120cm long and 80cm wide.  Although not polished, the top has been carefully flattened and the surface has the consistency of fine sandpaper.  There are no visible accompanying stones and the support structure for keeping it in place near the edge of a steep descending slope is not apparent at this time.
sg We will carefully excavate the east baulk of k22, immediately to the west of the stone to see if we can find either a retaining wall or the cut of a pit that may have been dug into harder accumulation and into which the stone would have been placed.

f 297
df ly
ds layer of pebbles and sherds in the SW quadrant of k11.
tc ab f298

f 298
df lm
ds laminations in the SE quadrant of k11 in the niche bounded on the north by a5, bounded on the east by the west face of the abi and bounded on the south by a line of stones, not yet designated.
tc ab f297

f 299
df a
ds accumulation under f290 in the west half of k3.  Expected to be equivalent to living accumulation, f278, to the south in k4.

f 300
df a
ds accumulation under f290 and surrounding stone, f289, in the east half of k3.