Andrew Connor, Simon Oswald

Team Pink

Final Report for April, 2012
Session 1, 2012 American School Corinth Excavations
Nezi Field, NE Region. N 1013-1014 S 1007.5-1009.5 E 276.0 W 264.5


This report summarizes the results of excavations in the NE area of the Nezi Field region, in a space defined to the west by N-S wall 540 (E 264.5), to the southeast by the local coordinate N 1009.5 and the southwest by a line running more or less directly east from wall 366, to the east by the scarp edge (ca. E 276.0), and to the north by the scarp of the excavations in the North of Nezi region (ca. 1014-1013, W-E).
The excavation of this area was under the direction of Dr. G.D.R. Sanders, Director of Excavations, Corinth, and the assistant field director was Ms. Heather Graybehl. Our pickmen were the brothers Panos and Tasos Kakouros, our shovelman and co-sieve operator was Vasillis Kollias, and our wheelbarrow man and co-sieve operator was Memos Karvouniaris. Andrew Connor and Simon Oswald were recorders for the April session. This area was last excavated in 2008 by Joey Lillywhite, Joel Rygorsky, Martin Wells, Matthew Wells, Alexis Bellis, and Christina Gieske. Their conclusions make clear that by the end of the 2008 season they believed that they had reached Byzantine and Frankish levels and that there had been little or no activity in the Venetian and Ottoman periods. Our findings are in direct contrast to theirs in this respect.
Our primary objectives in excavating this area were to complete excavation of the Frankish contexts in this area, to explore the Byzantine activity in this area, and to understand what changes might have accompanied the replacement of Byzantine authority with the new Frankish government in Corinth. In the course of our excavation, we worked primarily in a roughly rectangular area running from wall 540 to the eastern scarp, divided into north and south sections by wall 420.

Late Antique
Beneath our earliest dated context (#717, a large fill), we discovered a cemented wall (746) that appears to belong to the Late Antique period and stratigraphically, predates fill 717 (8-9th centuries). Wall 746 was probably constructed as part of a building project more fully preserved in the North of Nezi region. Cleaning of the scarp in this area uncovered a number of Hellenistic and Roman sherds, which may be linked to Late Antique activity in this area. This will be tested during a later session, with excavation of this wall and its surrounding contexts.

Byzantine
In the 8th or 9th centuries, a deep fill (717=735) was laid down over wall 746. Due to the large stones found during excavation, it is possible that 717=735 preserves the upper courses of this wall in the form of a fall after the larger, more finished lower blocks were robbed out. This hypothesis might be tested by excavation of the wall and its foundation trench. In any case, if 746 represents a wall of a major structure, following its ruin there is a shift in land use in our area, as we move into what would appear to be an exterior out-of-doors space right through the remainder of the upper levels. Following the deposition of 717=735, a small rough wall (731) was constructed. It appears to have fallen into disuse soon after, when it was cut by 741, but final conclusions must await excavation of the wall and its surrounding context.
By the 10th century, a dark grayish, mixed fill (741=688) was laid down across the center of our area, running from E-W. This context can be dated both by coins and pottery to this period, and filled a small cut or gully moving from the SW-NE. This may in fact continue to the SW at a lower level than two pits (704 and 709 – see below), which cut its upper courses. This hypothesis can be tested upon further excavation.
Two deep pits (709 and 704) were sunk in the southern part of our area in the late 11th or early 12th centuries. Atop them was a shallow pit (665). These pits contained much re-deposited pottery, and would appear to represent dumped debris from digging in the surrounding area.
In the center of our area, a short un-coursed stone structure (694) was built in the mid-12th century, running north-south for 1.7 meters. The purpose of this structure is problematic – it may have been a wall which continued to the south, but had its course completely obliterated by later interference, or it may represent some sort of a bench feature. No clues were furnished to assist in solving this mystery. In any case its period of use ended at the latest by 1260, when a Frankish pit deposit (691) bored through its western courses. Beginning with the construction of structure 694 the area immediately surrounding it was used as a dumping ground for debris and rubbish. Multiple contexts of tiles, stones, and pottery were excavated that are dated to the Late Byzantine period (682, 689, 693, 696, 698, 699). We may speculate that this is a continuation of the land use in this area from the 10th c. onwards, as already demonstrated above with 704, 709, and 688=741.
One further act in this period may be briefly discussed. An outer apse or buffer (676) was added to wall 539, another apse-like shape. The reason for this is unclear, as is the status of both of these walls as apses. They may rather represent the closing off of the two adjacent vertical walls (538) connecting to either end of each apse. Furthermore, it may turn out that outer apse 676 is in fact part of the same building project as 539 and this structure division thereby arbitrary.

Frankish
The Frankish period has few clear contexts that have not been disturbed by Venetian/Ottoman/Modern layers. The most important is deposit 691, mentioned above, which was a circular fill of a pit and is filled with a midden of sorts - charcoal, bones, pieces of pottery, and an especially large concentration of seashells. It is hoped that our soil sample will reveal specifically what a 13th century diet might consist of. Shortly after this a large leveling course (663) was laid down over 691 and the northern zone of our area – in other words the area specifically littered with 12th c. debris deposits and we may hazard a guess that the motivation was to level out this uneven and rough surface along with the foundations of structure 694.

Venetian
The Venetian period obviously saw a major reworking of our area which disturbed much of the Frankish material. As such, many of our Frankish finds were found in Venetian contexts. A major N-S running fill dissected our area through the middle (651=667) and probably continued to the north and the south, but was lost to us due to the northern scarp and pit 193 respectively. Around this time (or later) pit 193 was sunk in the southern end of our area, and the ceramic evidence used by previous excavators to assign it to the Frankish period perhaps instead represent a redeposition of debris from the pit construction. Above deposit 651=667 we uncovered a short E-W running wall of rough field stones (673), the majority of which has apparently been lost due to later interference. Its purpose must remain shrouded in the dark depths of time. The northern extent of our area was then covered with a grand leveling fill (655) in order to iron out the underlying perturbations.

Ottoman II
Contra the 2008 findings, wall 420 must now be dated to the second Ottoman period based upon both stratigraphy (cf. 637 and 656) and pottery found within the wall itself. It represents some sort of dividing wall that dissected our area into northern and southern zones, although its poor quality and haphazardly curving course makes its identification as an exterior dividing wall the most likely.

Modern
Contra the 2008 finding, pit 430 must now postdate the construction of wall 420, given that it cuts this Ottoman structure. Fill 634 most likely represents backfill or slump over an area previously excavated in 1936 or 1961. Deposit 738 underlay 717=735 stratigraphically, but also formed part of our eastern scarp and thereby prey to contamination from other layers. Within was found a petulant iron spoon, likely dating at earliest to the Early Modern Period. Context 738 thereby dates stratigraphically to at latest the 9th century.

Conclusions
The tantalizing emergence of wall 746 hints at presence of a major structure lower down in our area. However, the general conclusion based upon the complicated and multifarious layers that we excavated is that from the Byzantine period onwards this area was monopolized for external land use. Several rough unrelated haphazard walls suggest the occasional organization of this space, but for the most part it would appear to have formed a happy dumping ground for unwanted material emanating from the surrounding structures in Nezi Fields. Although a relatively small area, these results are suggestive. They indicate that the area outside of the former Roman Forum was not densely populated enough to exclude areas of non-building from the Byzantine period onwards. Furthermore, there is some 1000 years of (non-)use in this space, indicating some sort of negative continuity.
Further excavations of this area should concentrate on establishing the relationship and function of apse walls 539 and 676, namely whether they are part of the same wall and whether they postdate or are part of the same construction project as the vertical walls (538) running off them. The removal of context 644 should allow better understanding both of the apse and of wall 540, helping to define the relationship of our area with the built-up areas to the west. Wall 731 should be removed and its construction date clarified. Finally, wall 746 should have its date accurately assessed and its function clarified.