.bk J04
.fl Q911pC.j
.fd daily Journal Q911
.ei pC
.ed Q911

.rd Q911
.ri pC

k 84
dy Today we finished digging f80 (q257), the N baulk of k84. f80 is characterized by the presence of stones, pebbles, lot of pottery sherds (among which few painted khabur sherds). It is crumbly and soft in consistence, and very fine in texture, wet and dark brown. f80 it is the same of f118 in k83 and f119 in k84. Once removed f80, some fragments of bricks have been exposed in both the SW portion of k83 (f119) and in the N portion of k84 (f118). These are concentrated in an area located at 250cm S from m4409 at the elevation of m4502 +68 -117, where were visibles approximately 10 brick fragments (not alligned) and several melted ones. In the SW portion of k84, there are alligned briks running NS, boundaring the retaining wall. They are located at the distance of 100cm S from m4203 and they are concentrated in an area which is 63cm S and 25cm E. We decided to clean well all with the trowel in order to allow us to see if there is a connection between the two group of briks. After cleaning it, seemed that there are no bricks in between, so we decided to remove them.

k 72
dy today we finished to remove f103. Under f103 we found f127, which covers the whole unit. As we tried to follow it we noticed that it was sloping sharply to the E and to the S portion of the square (while we were following it, one of the workmen made a cut in the middle of it in the N portion of the square; the missing portion of f127 is a small area of approx. 80cmx50cm. f127 presents the same characteristics of the glacis in J3: it is characterized by a very compact and hard surface, with small pebbles of chalchoar, few sherds and some baqaya.

k 82
dy Today we started to remove the E baulk: f123 is the feature assigned to the whole baulk. The top soil layer (q261) it is compact and graysh in colour, characterized by a crumby and soft consistence and a fine texture, and by the presence of rooths, pebbles, stones (<10 cm) and a lot of pottery sherds. We decided to remove the baulk in order to understand better the connection between k82 and k72; this will allow us also to understand the connection between the glacis in k72 (f127) and k82 (f77). In the previous days we exposed the glacis in k82 (f77); aftertwards we interrupted to excavate this square untill we reached the same elevation in k72. As we found the glacis also in k72, we observed that they are at the same elevation: f77 is at m4413 +101 -143 and f127 is at m4481 +61 -129 at the top.

k 100
dy Today with gB, mkB, fAB and all J4 staff we decided the strategy for the unit. Since we are digging only part of k83 and part of k84, we decided to give one square number to both N part of k84 and S part of k83. We also decided to live 1m distance from the retaining wall in k93 and k94 for safety reasons. The new square is k100, that is defined by the following relays: r85, r86, r87, r88. dM took the general wiew of the new square (v65, v65a, v65b, v65c, v65d). We started digging f121, which is the first feature in k100, the same as f119 and f118 at the elevation of m4502 +68 -117. f121 is crumby and compact in consistence and fine in texture, very wet and is reddish-brown in colour, due to the presence of melted bricks. It is characterized by the presence of melted bricks, bricks, pottery sherds, bones, and in the north corner patches of ash. After two pick runs we found in the NW corner of k100 more patches of ash and lot of carbon: we made a sample of charcole (q263.1) for future analysis; We took also a fragment of brick as a sample (q263.2). At the elevation of m4502 +82 -146 we noticed a small change in the soil: it is compact and has a platy structure by removing it with the trowel, and it is characterized by the presence of patches of ash, carbon, melted bricks, 2 fragments of tannur, bones, one backed brick, lot of big pottery sherds and one clay bead.

k 62
dy Last week we stop digging in k62. However up today we do not know whether f84 (the alligned stones running SW-NE) is a wall or a drain. Therefore during a discussion in the field with gB, fAB and J4 staff, we decided to do a sounding under one stone of f84 in order to give an answer concerning f84. We removed the 4th stone from the S: the extension of the sounding was 70cm S and 35cm E from r91 and it was located at the elevation of m4447 +120 -149 at the top and at m4447 +100 -149 at the bottom. We found that the stone is located on an amourphous accumulation which is very fine in texture, dusty and poor in pottery sherds (q259). Since we did not found anything below it, we all came to the conclusion that it is better to excavate all the area and see if it is following also NE, in k51: therfore we decided to live it for the next season, while we have not enough time to dig all the square this season. fAB also observed that f84 is a later wall: the glacis in k72 is sloping in the E side and it should continue also in k62: therefore the wall f84 it is later because it is higher than the glacis f127.

k 61
dy Today we removed the N baulk of k61 (f122, q262).