.bk J03
.fl P815jW.j
.fd daily journal P815 -wk,-sf,-sn,-sy,-dy,-sg,--i
.fn corrections and additions made by jW on Q415
.ei jW
.ed P815
.rd P815
.ri jW

-wk 3 picks and 5 in support reported for work.

-sf Aleppo University student Ismail joined the staff for indoctrination.  We now have two such students, Zuzan, who joined us last week, and him.  We will involve them in as many activities as possible in the remaining weeks of excavation.  Both spend only the mornings with us, so their introduction will consist almost entirely of field work.

-sn gM and rE completed drawing the N section of k12.  Elevation of string taken from m4074 was 9314.  dM photographed it with and without string and feature ID tags, v12.

-sy Markers m4007, m3931, and m4027 loosened and removed.  In attempting to take the elevation of the string used as a reference for the N section of k12, jw noticed that the elevation for m3931 had been erroneously calculated by bP.  Corrected elevation is 9349 vice 9256 which was recorded earlier this season, MZ18.  jW will enter the new data in the marker file.

-dy Removed large floating stone, f26.  Cleaned the wall, f11, and apron, f10, to prepare for major photograph, v11, including showing the path of large floating stones which were carried from NE to SW down the face of the wall by erosion.  Began to excavate the typological column, k102.  All excavated soil was screened, and separate pottery lots were taken from the screen and the column.  One additional pick run was taken through the entire locus k12, excavating a new feature, f38, which consists of laminations with bricky inclusions.  A line of stones along the W baulk emerged connecting stone, f35, to the N to additional stones to the S, which we are exposing with a small probe.

-sg gB and jO met with jW and unit staff to discuss the continued exploration of the south face of wall, f11.  It was agreed that we would excavate no deeper, but rather we would clear the large fallen stone, f40, and the collection of the smaller ones, f39, and try to follow the clear, vertical face seen on the W edge, as far E in the locus, k101, as possible.

-sg gB and jW discussed the possibility of a non-destructive study of the construction of the apron wall, f10.  Tomorrow, jW will scrape and analyze the mini-section formed by the pedistal of the northernmost of the stones forming the W boundary of the apron.  A preliminary look shows a horizontal layer of reddish packing, overlaid by a sloping layer of grayish-brown soil, overlaid by the stones.  The study will be documented, in part, by a photo.

--i gB and faB discussed the relationship between fallen stones and occupation of the tell.  From modern times to antiquity, large, cut stones from visible parts of ancient structures and lying on the surface are re-used when they are found by later occupants.  The 'floating," displaced stones that we see probably were carried down the sides of the temple mound by water erosion and deposited where we find them today.  They were subsequently covered by loess.  The fact that they remained were they were deposited means that there were no occupants of the tell at the time of deposition and covering to carry them away and re-use them to construct houses, paths, and other structures.  The many stones we see at different elevations strongly suggest that the wall was maintained right up to the time of abandonment.  Structures then deteriorated gradually and the stones were deposited at different levels in the stratigaphic column.