30 June 2013
Today my workers were: Asrad, Gor, Davit, and Gago.
After I completed yesterday’s map of Locus 1, we began by cleaning the trench to prepare for the photograph, closing Locus 1. I took bottom elevations while the rest of the team cleaned. Then we took the photo.
Locus 1 bottom elevations:
N corner: -42.5 cm (from datum 1)
E corner: -44.1 cm (from datum 2)
Center: -76 cm (from datum 1)
S corner: -38.3 cm (from datum 2)
W corner: -22.9 cm (from datum 1)
I divided the area below locus 1 into 4 new loci:
Locus 2 is in the NW third of the trench, relatively arbitrarily marked off by a set of 3 stones.
Locus 3 is the remaining “interior” of the room, to the SE of locus 2.
Locus 4 is the area to the SW of the SW wall.
Locus 5 is the area to the SE of the SE wall, comprising the stones on both sides of the wall, and the area to the SE of the wall.
We began removing 15 cm from locus 2 and 3, and I took top elevations and began mapping the trench.
Locus 2 top elevations:
N corner: -42.5 cm (from datum 1)
E corner: -68.0 cm (from datum 1)
Center: -85.0 (from datum 1)
S corner: -70.8 (from datum 1)
W corner: -48.9 cm (from datum 1)
Locus 3 top elevations:
N corner: -114.4 cm (from datum 2)
E corner: -77.4 cm (from datum 2)
Center: -121.3 cm (from datum 2)
S corner: -84.0 cm (from datum 2)
W corner: -70.8 cm (from datum 1)
Our first small find (Ar/Ts.WSDA1.03.L.01) was a blade fragment, found close to the bend in the wall at the S corner. Later in the afternoon, we found a second blade (Ar/Ts.WSDA1.03.L.02), also in locus 3.
I expected us to finish half of locus 3 by the end of the day and possibly finish locus 2 (other than cleaning, elevations and photos. We did not finish removing the dirt that had been loosened in either locus, by the end of the day, but did not leave too much for tomorrow.
The area NE of locus 2 will be locus 6. It is becoming clear that about 1 m SW of the NE trench border, there is a set of rocks making a line, likely forming part of a wall, or perhaps a passageway leading into WSDB. We identified a solid line of stones, making this the new NE boundary of locus 2.
At about 3 pm, we discovered that Asrad and Davit had only been looking at the dirt as it fell off of the shovel into the wheelbarrow, suggesting to us that they have likely missed some things. In locus 2, we have been loosening the soil, then looking with a trowel as we collect it in scoops, then dumping the scoops in buckets for removal.