The area of loose, granular, yellow soil in the NE corner of L504 is expanding out as we remove the hard packed layer of soil. In the SE corner, tiny bits of charcoal were encountered, too small to be collected. Ruben identified a handle pulled from L504 as Kura-Araxes.
In L505, we found a small river pebble with an even line around incised on it. We will show it to the geologist on Sunday. There has been rodent turbation in this level, as evidenced by burrows (intrusion of yellow soil). We finished clearing the brown layer, and will close the locus after photographing and removing the pedastaled ceramics.
In L506, we found a small piece of charcoal in the NW corner , at 44cm. It appears to be the same burn level as L502. It was collected as Ar/Ge T19.L505.C14.01. More charcoal was found and collected from the SW corner (a piece 2 cm x 3 cm), 10 cm from the rock we are using as the datum, at 45 cm below the datum. A retouched obsidian flake was collected as Ar/Ge T19.506.L01. In the SW corner, two raised lines of black, compact soil (5cm across), which meet in a 90 angle, very near to 4-5 rim sherds as the same level, as well as other large pieces of ceramics. The lines are at depth of 42 cm below the datum and have been photographed. In 506, we are coming down on the same yellow soil underneath the brown soil, just like in L505, at about the same level. At the end of the day, more lines of black soil were found as we came down through the brown layer, but they were not as distinct or straight as the ones found earlier.