Daily Trench Journal

Area D

Trench 5

July 8, 2002

Work was slow today as we tried to determine how to deal with the fabric in L5094 and what/if should be micro-sampled (KTs 5094.17-5094.19). As result, time was spent working down the far north of the trench where the contexts are still unclear, partially because of the large ashpit in the deeply buried NW and the shallow distance to the slope in the NE. Though nothing clear emerged, some areas with possible mudbrick architecture came clear, though exactly their nature is unclear at this time.

The only other major event in the trench today was the emergence of an unexpected context. The western portion of the northern wall of the mudbrick structure in the S was being removed (to attempt to verify it in the section) when we came upon what appears to be a large concentration (at places up to near a centimeter thick) of organic material. -Copious photography-

It then occurred to me that the denser segments of the organic material looked exactly like the material of the "plaster" feature L5095. On re-assesment, that locus is probably the same material.

This leads to two important things. Firstly, it appears to tie the Ubaid (?) pottery surfaces to the mudbrick structure, which would be very nice, but it also leads me to a little theory. That is, I have been trying to explain the huge number of small, medial and serrated obsidian blades I’ve been coming across in the related loci. I believe they are sickle blades. So the theory is that this context was (for whatever reason) some sort of agricultural dump, post-harvest, and occasionally blades, used during the harvest, would get caught in the collecting. Given I haven’t seen any substantial obsidian flakes, I have trouble believing it was a tool making or reworking area. This may change, however, if I reach the actual bottom surface and find a bunch of cores or reduction flakes...