Place: Ar/Ts.WSN.65

This locus started out as basically a "cleaning" locus on the floor of WSN, in an area adjacent to the northwest wall and adjacent to locus 64. But it soon became clear that in parts, the cultural clay deposit of the floor continued to greater depth in this area. The deposit is not different from locus 48. Small specs of charcoal throughout the area. At first it seemed we were dealing with a pit in so far as a packed clay seemed to align the feature alongside the northwest wall. Here too, there is a two course wall-like construction that also seems to line the feature along the northwest. But as we moved further into the room, it became clear that this is not a pit in so far as it is not clearly delimited. Deposits of a sterile orange clay are encountered throughout the area, but these appear to belong to a preparatory surface, albeit one which is not at all even. Some chunks of what seems to me to be decomposing basalt suggests that we are on bedrock, but Adam suggested that some of this might be slag. Samples collected. Charcoal samples also collected (small). Is this entire feature associate with a much earlier phase of occupation? Will need to look closely at the pottery, but doesn't seem likely on first inspection. Perhaps just a thick floor deposit from long span of use (though this doesn't explain why the floor would begin at such a lower elevation than the flagstone floor, unless the latter itself belongs to a later refashioning of the room. Hoping the excavation of locus 92 will bring some clarity to these stratigraphic questions.