.bk J02
.fl T801cJC.j
.fd daily, feature descriptions, incidentals
.ed T801
.ei cJC
.en Edited by cJC T820

.rd T801
.ri cJC

-dy Today we were able to begin going down in all of k110. First we removed the remaining portions of the floor f355 before going down about 15cm across the whole square. Mohammed Ker, one of the pickmen, did not come back after breakfast due to a family emergency so we continued with only 2 pickmen.  Before breakfast sG and sH finished drawing the western section of k100. It will be photographed tomorrow when the light is better. 
-sf sG has joined our team for the next week. She will assist in J2 as well as J6. 
-sy There are still problems with the markers, they have not been entered into the computer yet and may not be accurate. We are awaiting the arrival of a new surveyor to double-check the points. Until then we will relay any markers before removing them so we can check them against older points if needed. 

k 110
dy We are going to begin excavating the whole of locus k110 today. Our goal is to expose the salmon colored layer that is available in the west section of k100. We removed the remaining portion of f355 and then began removing f357. We did not reach the salmon layer but we should tomorrow. 
ds k110 is an irregular locus. It is bounded by the cut of k100 to the east and by squares k4 and k5 to the east. It is defined in the south by relays r1077 (in the south-west corner of the locus) and r1078 in the south-east corner of the locus. In the north it is defined by m6154 in the north-west. 
sg If we followed the site-wide grid the baulk would run right through the middle so instead we will excavate without a north baulk, relying on the south section for drawing. This should not be a problem due to the small size of the locus. A north baulk would also inhibit our understanding of how the layers relate to the apron. We have decided it is better to excavate the area as delimited by the boundaries specified here. 

f 353
ds Coarse material with reddish particles. 
tc co f355

f 354
ds Layer covering the hard gray layer (f319) in k14. This feature comes apart in flaky layers. It is probably composed of laminations created by water. It is a mix of the gray surfaces with brown softer soil. It is located to the south of where wall f334 was located. It is possible that the laminations were caused by the location of the wall. It is not very compacted. 
tc ov f339

f 355
ds Pebble and sherd floor in the southern portion of k110. Presumably the floor covered the entire locus but we have only the portion remaining where we are cutting down the south section of k110. The floor is about 5cm thick with the sherds mostly lying flat. There are many pebbles in both the surface of the floor and also the matrix that makes up the subfloor. The surface of the floor appears gray but when picked it is a rich brown color. The soil is coarse but when you rub it between your fingers it is very soft and fine. 
tc ov f357

f 356
ds Brickfall in J7k6, it was excavated as part of J2 this year. We removed about 20cm to make access from J7 easier. This was part of the site presentation project, not really part of the objectives of J2. The feature contained articulated red and gray bricks similar to those seen in the south section of J2k14 and visible in all of the west sections of J7. 

f 357
tc co f358
ds This feature is a flaky gray layer that covers all of k110. Portions of this feature were exposed for several seasons as this is the elevation at which the previous J2 excavations ended. It has a gray surface but when picked it comes part in flat layer. The layers are sandy with red and white inclusions. It is very coarse. 

f 358
ds Small lens in the south portion of k110. The lens is a slightly harder brown and gray material and the main portion of it contains a high concentration of sherds and pebbles. The portion to the south does not contain as many sherds or pebbles but has the same soil matrix. It is irregular in shape and does not appear to be a floor as the sherds and pebbles are not aligned and are not lying flat. The material is very hard and has a coarse texture. It is similar to f357. 

q 858.1
cn This q-item was broken in transport from the field. When it was recovered in the field it was an almost complete bead. It is now broken into about 3 pieces. It is very fragile. 

.rd T730
.ri cJC
-sg We have settled on a strategy in which we will begin the excavations by following the layers visible in the west section of k100 across k110. We will go down in k110 before attempting to follow the layers in any of the other loci such as k4 and k5. We will not leave a north baulk as it would block the apron and prevent us from seeing the connections of the layers with the apron (f131). Because k110 is only 3.5m the south section will serve as the east-west section (instead of the traditional north section).