Daily Log

193

July 18, 1988

A.M.

The tile fall in F-G 92-95, in preparation for redrawing (due to slight mismeasurement) and lifting was brushed down. The area to the west, G-H 92-92 was cleaned and cleared so that it can be added to the master plan drawing. One box of pottery was recovered from this effort.

K 97-98 were dug to 40-50 cm below ground level. Finds were a small bronze sheet plus bronze fragments (find #1) and a possible ridgepole (find #2). L 97-98 was cleared fo topsoil and dug to an approximate depth of 20 cm. The western edge of these cuts was covered by plastic sheeting, which was moved out of the way so that the balks could be kept square.  (plastic sheeting, of course, covers the unexcavated portions of this end of T26.) These two cuts yielded 1/2 box pottery and 1/2 3/4 cassetta of tile.

While pulling back the plastic sheeting over part of the 1987 excavations (to alow the floor to dry and column bases to be used as

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reference points), it was noted that tiles were present in I 95-96, well below the level of the Southeast Building's floor. These were cleared, and might indicated that a ditch may have run along the east end of the building, as the depth here  is approximately 35 cm below that of the floor and the tiles but they appear to be eroded portions, not a continuation proper.

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P.M.

H 92 (east of the stump) was cleaned in the direction of the main tile fall. Scant pottery was found.

Clearing continued to the east in G-H 92-94, where the soil showed signs of much burning (black soil with carbon). In G/H 93, a large storage jar, possibly preserving a full profile, was found between several rocks and the lower tiles of the tile fall. This will remain in situ until the tile fall is completely lifted. One box of pottery was removed.

After double checking of the master plan drawing of the area by the architect, a temporary grid system was laid out in C-E 91-95 for making the lifting of the tile fall easier. Tiles will be lifted systematically, meter by meter, with the pieces being placed in their corresponding grid on teh unexcavated surface. This ought to simplify the process of looking for joins and assembling tiles once lifted. F-H 95 was cleared at surface tile, yielding no full lengths or widths, few fragments (this is where the tile fall apparently ends), but one pan tile with finger mark (find #10) and one box of pottery were recovered.

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Meters H-I 95-96 continued to be cleared by hand, revealing more pieces of tile below Southeast Building floor level, including several on the slope between the end of the floor and the pan tile first cleaned this morning. Few pieces of pottery were recovered.

K-L 97-98 continued to be cleared to floor level. A line of rocks aligned north-south was encountered at approximately 20 cm. below ground level, at which point excavation was continued using hand tools (text continued, p. 207)

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19880051

19880051

• find #9
• L97
• 30 cm
• acroterion fragment, fresh chip (pcs. recovered), chip on back (pcs. recovered)
  • photo

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19880166

19880166

• find #10
• G/H 95
• 45 cm
• pan tile w/ finger mark
  • photo

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photo

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(cont. from p. 201 )

These rocks are in rough parallel to the rocks found and later discarded further north (see pp. 139 ; 143 , 149 , 151 ). Soil here is brown mixed with yellow (possibly the result of a small mixture of 1987 backfill), like the topsoil area found throughout the T26 East End. In K-L 97 there appeared several tiles spaced apart but one above the other, which were thought to be part of a secondary tile fall. They were left in place. North of these tiles, but at a lower level (approx. 30 cm) a section of Lower Building acroterion was found (find #9). One half of a cassetta of tile, approximately 20% of which shows some sign of burning, was recovered, along with    box of pottery.