Work at Aragatsi Berd today focused on the opening of the possible burial/circular feature in the north-central portion of AB4, opening of a 1x5m extension in the SW corner of the operation, and mapping of the western terrace portions of the fortress.
Loci 41 and 42 constitute our work so far in the circular stone feature, which, upon removing the capstones, revealed a an area of rather silty loam with moderate amounts of pebbles, some small charcoal deposits, tertiary lithic debitage, and two cattle astragali. This unmottled, non-differentiated fill does not suggest a burial context, but we will continue to descend until this can be conclusively affirmed.
Locus 40 marked he opening of a wall-clarifying section trench extension, a 1x5m strip along the SW side of AB4. This work quickly came down on large andesite cobbles and we hope the efforts help illuminate the arrangement of wall portions in this area of the operation and terrace.
We completed western site mapping efforts today, with only northern (second) terrace mapping remaining as a major component. Mapping efforts will then shift to the ABerd kurgans field to the south. (There may be some limited "mop-up" mapping to be done in scattered sectors, but it is minimal.)