Today we started in the central chamber by removing two large stones from the top of the eastern side of the chamber, so we can open the full extent of the chamber. While opening this part, we found a very friable sheep/goat scapula (right side) at an angle in the soil, resting just above the north chamber wall at 2211.133 masl, in the corner formed by the north wall and the eastern side of the chamber (see photos). By the end of the day, in the SW corner of the chamber we had uncovered 4 whole vessels (Loci 28, 29, 30, 31), all EIA in type. We took a soil sample (Ar/Ge.K2.18.MB.01) for macrobotanical analysis from around the pots in that corner, because the soil had a slightly red tone. Just north of between Loci 30 and 31, we found at bronze pin (Ar/Ge.K2.18.M.04) at 2210.493 masl. We found a group of carnelian beads (Ar/Ge.K2.18.L.01 – 47 beads) along the northern side of Locus 31, some of which were resting on the shoulder and others that were in the soil along the body. We also found a large animal skull (cow) to the north of Locus 31. There was one small blue paste bead on top of the skull (where it was broken). We exposed two articulated lower legs (Locus 36) of a sheep/goat (astragalai and metapodials) running north from Locus 28.
After we exposed the whole human skeleton (Locus 27) in the north part of the chamber, it became clear that the small radius resting against the wall is not part of the human burial but may be associated with the whole vessel (Locus 33) and the animal bones north of the northern wall (humerus, horse tooth, etc.) as well as the vertebra in the gap in the wall. At the end of the day, Locus 18 was higher in the area north of the wall.
In the western chamber, we started by cleaning the area where we had removed the whole vessels yesterday. One complete vessel (Locus 23) was found underneath the large mammal ribs in the NE corner of the pit. We also found two broken bowls (Locus 24 and 25) in the SE corner of the pit and part of a broken vessel (Locus 26) in the SW part. We removed the large mammal ribs and a (sheep/goat?) innominate on top of Locus 23, which were at 2211.268 masl. We also found two more whole vessels (Loci 34 and 35) which went under where we previously thought the boundaries of the pit were. We expanded the pit to the east in order to expose them. We also found some human remains (Locus 32) which we partially exposed (see photos).
At the end of the day we photographed the central and western chambers, and then removed the two sets of beads from the central chamber.