.bk J05
.fl S809jW.j
.fd Daily journal for S809 and feature descriptions
.fn f121-f126
.ei jW
.ed S809
.rd S809
.ri jW

-wk Twenty workmen assigned to J5 reported.  Abdi excused one hour early for personal business.  Eleven workmen from J1 assigned to J5 temporarily before breakfast to excavate in locus k100.

k 100
dy Workmen temporarily detailed from J1 excavated natural accumulation, f110 in this locus.  About 30cm were removed before they departed.

k 4
dy Began excavating topsoil, f118, with the large pick.

k 13
dy Continued to excavate natural accumulation, f115, with large picks.  Documented and removed isolated floating stone, f116, and isolated cluster of stones, f120.

k 14
dy Continued to excavate natural accumulation, f112, with large picks.  Documented and removed an arc of stones, f119, along the eastern baulk.  Uncovered a stone installation, f123, running NW to SE in the southeastern quadrant.

k 33
dy Continued to carefully excavate the clean, hard, naturally compacted, fine-grained accumulation, f102.  Under it was a very sandy laminar accumulation, f122.  As we removed this acccumulation, we noticed a very hard-surface accumulation, f124, underneath, which abutted the N-S line of stones, f126, in the same way that glacis f74 abutted wall, f41 to the south.  On this basis, jW tentatively called the accumulation in this area, glacis, f121.  Later detailed analysis with the assistance of fAB and rE established that f121 was a continuation of f124, and that it was a natural glacis formed atop f74, which is several layers of accumulation below.  Late in the day we began removing f124.

f 102
ar A few days ago, gB noticed that the identical accumulation to the north, f70 in k34, had ripples on its surface.  We found the same characteristics in this accumulation, f102, in k33.  As we removed f102, we were finding stones, f126, along the eastern baulk of k33 that were at the same elevation and in the same alignment as the bottom step of staircase, f21.  Accumulation f102 had the same surface texture as f70 and is probably a continuation of it to the south.

f 121
ds A relatively horizontal layer of mixed sand and silt with an extremely hard surface in the NE corner of k33.  To the east, it abuts the dressed stones which form f126, and which are approximately aligned with wall, f41.  Although higher than the glacis, f74, to wall, f41, the hard surface led jW to initially conclude that this feature was a glacis to stone installation, f126.  However, a detailed investigation by fAB, rE, and jW led to the conclusion that, considering the stratigraphy of the west baulk of k22 and k23 and the somewhat sandy texture of f122 which covered it, that f121 was a glacis-like feature formed by the action of water on sedimentation.  We conclude that f121 is equal to natural accumulation, f124.

f 122
ds A very sandy laminar layer of natural accumulation in the eastern half of k33, which covers the natural glacis, f121, and the hard, natural accumulation, f124.

f 123
ds An installation consisting of a layer of large limestone blocks with dressed, flat top surfaces (a lone exception is the middle stone which is not dressed) running NW to SE in the southeast quadrant of k14.  To the NW they are bounded by a stone laid vertically which abuts the stone installation, f109, which is about 50cm higher.  To the SW they enter the south baulk.  On the other side of the baulk, there is a group of large stones 50cm higher than f123.  This arrangement and its alignment suggests a portal and threshold leading from the staircase, f21, to the BA temple.

f 124
ds A hard, natural accumulation under the more sandy lamination, f122 in the east half of k33.  It is one of the numerous alternating layers of such accumulations which were deposited in the later stages of the Mittani phase of occupation.

f 125
ds This is a layer of red soil with numerous limestone nodules scattered uniformly throughout.  It is located in the NE corner of k14, at about the same elevation as the stone installation, f123.  It may be part of an access pathway from staircase, f21, to the BA temple.

f 126
ds A N-S line of dressed, limestone blocks to the south of the bottom step of staircase, f21, and at the same approximate elevation.  They are arranged along the east baulk of k33.  They may be a part of the f41 wall, but we must excavate further to determine this.