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Code
LK10.16
Season
2010
Narrative

Worked in both WSI2 and WSN today. In WSI2 the initial focus was on determining the boundary between locus 11 and locus 14, particularly with respect to the internal baulk that cut across the room. Most of this resembled the dark silt matrix of locus 14 and so it was included in that locus. The exception was the northwestern area, which was included in locus 11. In the end, locus 14 and locus 11 almost are entirely parallel to one another, except for a "wing" of locus 11 that encroaches into locus 14 at the northwestern end of the room. I closed both of these loci because as we finished locus 14 it became apparent that the medium brown clayish matrix of locus 11 extended further into the room. This deposit looks almost like a floor--patches of orange clay, patches of dark, almost black soil, specks of charcoal. I created a new locus -- 17-- to designate this matrix, which covers the entirety of the footprint of locus 11 along with another "wing" toward the south/southeast. See notebook for a sketch of the relationship between loci 11, 14, and 17. Locus 17 existed at two different elevations when we began: the upper elevation being the bottom of locus 11, and prevailing over most of the trench, and a small area at the lower elevation in the south quadrant and center, below what was previously locus 14. Evidence of burning in the south/southeastern "wing" of locus 17. Chunks of burnt/ashy soil. Ended the day with locus 17 partially excavated in the eastern and western wings. More stones appear beneath the eastern wing that appear to be aligned. This will probably turn out to be an interior room divider of some sort, although it's interesting that it's appearing so high up in the stratigraphic column, since such internal dividers are usually only one or two (at most) courses high.

In WSN, we excavated the eastern end of locus 7. As we moved eastward, we exposed several stones that didn't quite look aligned, although if you looked hard enough you could make the case for some sort of feature--an extension of the line of stones that run parallel to the northeast wall of the room toward the center of locus 07. Still, it's more likely that this is wall fall. By the end of the day, we cleaned them, drew them, photographed them, and removed them. Among them was a broken fragment of a large groundstone, too large to bring home from the field (photographed). The matrix of locus 07 was a bit darker toward the center of the locus, i.e. closer to the interior of the room. Also found in locus 07 today was a bone awl.