Daily Trench Journal

Area D

Trench 8

June 20, 2007

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

Wednesday,

Today, work began by cleaning the fallen into the trench debris from surrounding baulks. Opening picture of trench taken.

Several areas are being excavated concurrently. In L161, finishing the removal of 5cm layer unfinished from June 18 was completed. During the removal, several small areas of reed pseudomorph linings were revealed in the north part of the locus. Ground stone tools and pottery was collected from the same area, including a long neck, painted vessel with handle.

The rim and associated fill around the melted kiln pit (L145) were taken down to the level of the respective loci it abuts, i.e., L146, L147, and L148. The bottom of the kiln pit was scraped down in order to reveal the surface bellow. In this process, the white reed mat impression area was also removed. It was established that the bottom of the pit is lined with harder mud (light in color), underneath which, dirt fill becomes visible. Closing elevations were taken.

In L143, at the SE corner of the locus (and trench) an upturned vessel was found. It is painted, and only fragments of it are present. Its inside surface show signs of residue and, thus, it was collected along with associated dirt as a soil sample.

A very large basalt ground stone was collected from the center of L148, along with smaller ones. Previously, they (along with some river rocks and cores) formed a raised are of stone gathering.

In L161, several areas of grain impressions associated with pot sherds were located and collected as soil samples. The lined with white layer bin feature, L159, was scraped. Sample was taken also. It was brought to the level of the surrounding area, locus L161.

In L161, near its south border with L160, an l-shaped mud brick becomes visible after the cleaning of the surface. After removal of additional 5cm layer of the fill, it should become clear whether this is a wall.