Daily Trench Journal

Area D

Trench 8

June 21, 2007

Recorder: Mila Hover (a.k.a. Melek hanim, MH)  
Workers: Mizbah, Necat, Sadik

Thursday

Today, work in the trench began by removing the debris fallen from the baulk between D8 and D6 (located west and above) during the expansion of the former for more intense investigation. One of the goals today is to excavate intensively in D8 in order to establish whether the fill contains any architecture or signs of earlier settlement. Based on the observations at the end of the work day, a decision will be made whether to continue excavating in D8 or not.

In this regard, in L148, the fill was reduced by a total of approximately 15cm for the day. Three ground stones were collected from the center of the locus. The fill bellow appears to contain more cultural debris. A section of an animal spinal vertebrae (in anatomical order), were excavated and collected. Near the bones, a pot sherd with handle was found and collected. The missing half of an earlier excavated door socket or overused ground stone bowl was located near the same place. It was collected.

The storage bin (L159) was removed. Sample of the soil containing the white organic matter lining its bottom was collected. A round, modified ceramic sherd with a single hole in the middle was located approximately 1m east from the bin and collected.

In burnt layer (L160), located south of the storage bin (L159) was excavated.  It consists of large amount of ahs, intermixed with sandy dirt. The fill was soft and easy to excavated, and my removing it, a channel-like feature was revealed. It may be drainage or a pit. Its south edge is contained within the south trench baulk.

In L161, near a large burnt sand rock and several fragments of basalt ground stones, and bones, was located partial, fragmented, painted Ubaid wear (collected in a separate bag within the pottery bag for the locus).

Just north of this concentration, on the territory of L147, more stone implements are located. One of them is a very light color stone, used as a ground surface (it has a slightly concaved surface). Near it, another light colored rock (flint?) was found. It is possible that the two form a pestle/mortar kit. This one is the first of this kind in terms of the material used and its overall aesthetic quality (collected, KT21).  

All loci excavated today were swept well in order to expose their surface for a final observation for architectural features. None were observed. With the exception of the scattered lithic debitage, bone, shell, and pottery sherd contained in the fill, the area of D8 did not yield any further clues about earlier settlement structures. This confirms the decision made by Dr. Parker that further excavation of this trench is not warranted. This will allow for a more intensive excavation of D5.  

At this time, the are of D8 can be described as an outside work area, where large quantities of ground stone, lithics (including cores), bone, and pottery was utilized.