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"Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | New Apotheke: D. Kokolopoulos and E. Lambraki Field","Corinth:Report:New Apotheke: D. Kokolopoulos and E. Lambraki Field 2016 by  (2016-05-30 to 2016-08-13)","Final Report on the Excavations for the ASCSA’s New Apotheke","","New Apotheke: D. Kokolopoulos and E. Lambraki Field 2016 by  (2016-05-30 to 2016-08-13)","","This excavation was undertaken from May 30-August 13, 2016 in the area of the planned new apotheke of the ASCSA’s Corinth Excavations. As the excavation permit requires, the primary objective was to reach floor levels within the rooms of three different houses exposed in this area. The stratigraphy investigated in these buildings ranges from the 11th century to the third quarter of the 12th century and suggests that there are two main architectural phases before a period of abandonment in the late 12th century. Traces of the foundations of structures datable to the early Byzantine periods were also investigated. ; ; The site itself slopes from south (60.023 masl) to north (58.586 masl) with the highest wall of the southernmost Byzantine house (Wall 34) at 59.646 masl or roughly 0.5m below ground level (see cross-sections). Most of the walls of the Byzantine houses are preserved only to their lowest foundation courses. The best-preserved wall (Wall 283) consisted of seven courses and stood 1.45m high (with the top at 59.47 masl). Furthermore some of the walls were robbed out after the abandonment of the houses and during excavation their robbing trenches were identified. The Byzantine architecture was built, in the southern part of the site, directly over the foundations of three Early Byzantine structures. The rest of the Byzantine structures were constructed over a mixed fill that contained small amounts of primarily Classical to Byzantine pottery or built directly on top of a deep layer red clay stereo without any material culture. The existence of the consistent layer of red clay stereo across the site was demonstrated by the excavations of six test trenches (labeled 1-6 on Master Plan) within the original bulldozer trenches that all reached this same layer at approximately 57.35 masl on the south side and 56.87 masl towards the north end of the site (see cross-sections). The deepest wall foundations of the Byzantine structures (including Wall 373) were set directly upon the red clay stereo level (see below) and we can therefore conclude that any earlier features (including the Early Byzantine) that may have existed were heavily disturbed by the construction of these houses. Furthermore, the very small amount of pottery datable to before the 5th century AD that was recovered in excavated contexts throughout the site, in comparison to the Forum area or other ASCSA excavated-sites in ancient Corinth, strongly suggests that there was no significant activity here before the Early Byzantine period. The site is therefore primarily a single-period site consisting of three Byzantine structures.; ; The following report will summarize the main phases of the Byzantine structures before discussing the evidence for Early Byzantine and Early Modern activities in the excavated area. Please refer to the attached plan (Master Plan) for wall and room numbers from all periods.; ; The Byzantine Houses; ; 1) The southernmost house consists of rooms 1-6, 8, and 17, as well as the area immediately west of room 17 (see Master Plan). It appears that the earliest phases of this structure date as early the first half of the 11th century on the basis of Pits 234 and 238, which provide a terminus post quem of the second half of the 11th century; as does the material in Contexts 92 and 99.  Three structures of the Early Byzantine period were also truncated by the construction of this house (see below). The latest material in this house dates to the third quarter of the 12th century (see Rooms 5, 6, 8); the same period that courtyard and northern rooms of the central house were remodeled. It is likely that the original floor surfaces associated with this last phase of this southern house were highly disturbed by later agricultural activities. A 19th-century cistern (Structure 12) was also cut through Room 1 (see below). ; Rooms 1, 2 and 3 (see Master Plan); The stratigraphy south of Wall 11 in Room 1 appears to be highly compromised by 19th-century activities and as a result the interior spaces are poorly preserved. Before this period, the latest material in Room 1 belongs to the early 12th century (dated by pottery in Contexts 17 and 32), while all earlier deposits contained 11th-century ceramic material. ; During the course of the 11th century or early 12th  century, Wall 11 was remodeled to insert a drain (Structure 45), which runs N-S along the east side of Wall 18; it also appears to continue south beneath the extant segment of Wall 18.  Based on pottery found in the exposed segment of the drain (Context 44 – pottery dated to the 11th century), this drain likely went out of use when the house was remodeled in the 12th century.; Room 2 is delimited by Wall 6 (running east-west along the south edge of the room), Wall 20 (running north-south along the west edge of the room, its stones robbed out in its southern section), Wall 11 (running east-west along the north edge of the room; cut by the bulldozer trench 8), and Wall 159, a north-south wall running along the east side of the room (also cut by the bulldozer trench 8). Room 2 had been excavated to the tops of the walls throughout most of the room in 2015.; The latest fill in Room 2 dates to the third-quarter of the 12th century (Context 2) and probably relates to either abandonment or remodeling of the house in that period. A possible 11th-century occupational level, represented by an earthen floor (Structure 23, excavated as Context 31) in the eastern half of the room.  A fragment of a pietro ollare vessel (NA #4 from Context 27) was also found associated with the floor. ; Room 3 is a small room immediately to the south of Room 2. It is delimited on the north side by Wall 6 (running east-west), on its west side by Wall 35 (a continuation of Wall 20 to the north, running north-south), on its east side by Wall 36 (running north-south) and on its south side by two walls running east-west: Wall 42, dating to the 11th century, and Wall 34, probably dating to the later 12th century phase. ; Room 3 contained a series of fills dating to the 11th century (Contexts 37 and 39) that were laid up against Walls 34 and 35 and therefore provide a terminus ante quem for these walls of the 11th century and may be part of the leveling operation in the second phase of the building. ; Walls 34, 35, and 42 belong to the first late-11th-century phase of the house. This space was remodeled in the later 12th century with the addition of Walls 6 and 36. At this point, this room seems to have been a fully enclosed space. It is unclear where the entrance to this room was, but it is possible that access was from the NW corner of the space, as there is a break in the northern part of Wall 35. However, due to the damage caused to this wall by a later robbing trench, it is unclear if this wall contained an entrance to Room 3.; ; Room 17; ;     Room 17 is located east of Room 2 (see Master Plan).  It is bounded on the north side by Wall 283, on the south side by Wall 380, on the west side by Wall 159, and on the east by Wall 381. On the basis of their construction and orientation, these walls all belong to the first phase of the house in the later 11th century. This 11th-century room overlies an earlier Byzantine well (334) and wine/olive press (325) (see below). Evidence for the 11th-century construction phase comes from a leveling fill that covered both the earlier Byzantine wellhead and the press (Contexts 323, 321, 333, 336, 337, and 344 – all dated to the 8th-11th centuries on the basis of pottery). Wall 283 had a foundation trench associated with it (Cut 314 and Contexts 316 and 335) that contained Middle Byzantine pottery dateable to the 10th to 11th centuries, which accords with the 11th century construction date of the house. Furthermore, the original construction of Walls 159 and 6 have been dated to the later 11th century based on pottery in contexts found in Room 2 to the west (see above). ; ; Room 8; ; The northeastern and southern sections of Room 8 were excavated down to floor level, whereas the northwestern section was excavated to a leveling fill (367) beneath a floor.  The area is delimited by four walls: Wall 49 (along the north edge of the room; also the north wall of Room 5), Wall 50 (along the east edge of the room), Walls 352 and 353 (along the west edge of the room), and Wall 11(along the south edge of the room) that can be dated to the first phase of the house in the late 11th century (see below and Master Plan). The dates of Walls 49 and 50 are provided by fills (Contexts 92 and 99) in a pit (105) that (see Master Plan) underlies both walls, which date to the 11th century. Walls 102 and 103, which bisect the room and are separated by a threshold that linked the eastern and western sections of Room 8, are contemporary with Walls 252 and 253 due to their identical alignment and construction technique (see below and Plan1). All that survive of these walls are their foundation courses and as a result, the original entrance to Room 8 cannot be determined.; The latest contexts excavated in this area confirm the 3rd quarter of the 12th as the last phase of construction of this part of the house. All occupation levels were fragmentarily preserved, and a series of levelling and debris deposits have been excavated, that exposed an earlier floor level likely dated to the 11th century. This surface (Contexts 364 and 365 – both dated to the early 12th century) is the earliest floor reached in the northwestern section of the room.  In the northeastern section of the room, the excavation has also revealed a series of earlier floor surfaces that lay above pit 105. Contexts 121, 132, and 135 (all also dated by pottery or stratigraphy to the early 12th c. AD) are a series of floors, leveling fills, and pits in the northern section of Room 8. At least one of these floors, the one lowest in elevation (at 58.345m) seems to correspond to the earlier phase of Wall 49, and may be chronologically similar to the floor unearthed in the adjacent Room 5 (at the bottom of Contexts 72 and 73 – both dated by pottery to the 11th to early 12th century). These overlay Context 99 in the pit (see Master Plan) in the northeast corner of Room 8, which provides a construction date for Walls 49 and 50 of the second half of the 11th century. ; A circular stone-built storage bin (Structure 354) was inserted into the west side of Room 8. The material from the fills within this structure does not suggest a clear chronology. An 11th century terminus post quem can be suggested by the levels cut through by the pit excavated for the construction of this feature, therefore it should belong to the second phase of the house in the late 12th century AD.  Contexts 358 (which contained NA #106 – a bronze earring), 366, and 368 provide an additional terminus ante quem of early 12th century for the silo and for the robbing event of wall 103 in the southern half of the room – both of which support the date for the second phase of this house.  The floor surface in the southern half of Room 8 was not excavated, but it has a terminus ante quem of the 11th or 12th century, based on pottery from the fill of a pit (Pit 363 filled by Context 362) that was cut into it.  It appears that Structure 354 was installed after the southern space was expanded when part of wall 103 was removed. An ashy deposit (Context 366) laid against the Structure 345 and a contemporary fill to the south (Context 368), that provided examples of olive pits (NA #112, 113), are leveling fills of the 12th century associated with the remodeling of this room. Context 366 was water sieved and yielded many archaeo-botanical samples. Overall the evidence suggests that Room 8 had two major phases.  The room was constructed in the 11th century and then remodeled and expanded southern end to accommodate the circular stone-built storage bin (Structure 354) in the 3rd quarter of the 12th century AD.; ; Room 5; ; This room is south of the Main Courtyard and is delimited on its north side by Wall 49, on its east side by Wall 52, on its west side by Wall 50 and on its south side by Walls 51 and 54, which are divided by an entryway that connects this room to Room 4 to the south. The foundation trenches of Wall 49 (Context 72 – dated by pottery to the late 11th to early 12th century) and Wall 52 (Context 73 – dated by pottery to the 11th century) provide a date of the late-11th/ early 12th century for their construction and therefore they belong to the first phase of the southern house. A terminus post quem for Wall 50 is also provided by Context 99 (see above). A large marble threshold block was found in the northwest corner of the room and is likely spolia that was displaced from one of the adjacent walls. Part of a surface (Context 70) from this earlier phase was preserved in the southern half of Room 5 is dated to the late-11th century. Several large fragments of a pietra ollare vessel have been found in the SW corner of the room, possibly in relation to this floor.; The second construction phase of the house in the later-12th century consists of a series of leveling fills (Contexts 48, 53, 55, 62, and 63 – dated by pottery to the 12th century, including NA-140 from Context 48) below a possible floor (Context 46, from which NA-141 came), dated to the 3rd quarter of the 12th century. A low stone platform was found near the center of the room that belongs to this phase; its purpose is unknown.; ; Room 4 ; ;     This room is bounded on the north, and connected to Room 5, by Walls 51 and 54. It is bounded on the east by Wall 52, on the south by Wall 11, and on the west by Wall 50. From the original late-11th century phase of the house, this room was connected to Room 5 as demonstrated by the shared Wall 52. It is possible that Walls 51 and 54 were added in the later remodeling phase to separate Rooms 4 and 5 into two distinct spaces. Room 4 was heavily disturbed by bulldozer trench 8, which cut right through the center, and the section revealed by that cutting showed no architectural features within the room. The decision was therefore made to not excavate this space. ; ; Room 6 ; ; In its latest phase, Room 6 was enclosed by Walls 52, 58, 59, 60, and 61. These were uncovered and the uppermost fill layers were removed in 2015, including a probable surface level associated with the 12th-century phase of this room. Bulldozer trench 5 cut through its southern wall and extended all the way through Room 17. On the basis of the surviving portions of Walls 60 and 61, it is possible to reconstruct a central doorway between them (similar to that between Walls 51 and 54 in Room 5).; Wall 58, on the north side, also has a threshold block, which suggests access to a room to its north. There is an architectural space consisting of one or two rooms of this house and/or the house immediately to the north of Room 6 but these were not excavated because of the large baulk in the area. It is reasonable to assume that Walls 59 and 69 originally extended to the north and that Wall 49 extended to the east to create a northeastern room of this southern house. The date of the later 12th century for the latest walls comes from the fact that Wall 69 was covered by a heavy concentration of stone debris (Context 57– dated by pottery to the third-quarter of the 12th century). The northern doorway of this room may have been reinforced with large threshold stones during these renovations as well. The superstructure of many of the walls in Room 6 was probably made of mudbrick as shown by Context 68, which contained a few extant mudbrick pieces and the soil was heavily mixed with concentrations of mudbrick detritus. ; The earlier contexts excavated in Room 6 (in conjunction with somewhat similar material uncovered in neighboring Room 7), may point toward a function of this space in the late 11th to early 12th centuries as kitchens as these layers contained a noticeable amount of ash, animal bones, cooking wares, and some charcoal (i.e. Contexts 65, 67, 68, and 71). ; ; West of Room 1; ; This area included four walls (195, 196, 197, 376) of the Byzantine period and re-used Wall 198 (see early Byzantine section below), each with multiple phases of use (probably with late 11th and later 12th century phases). Wall 376, at the very south edge of the excavated area, runs east-west and is possibly part of the original southern wall of the house. None of these walls form clear architectural spaces at least partly because of later activities in the area including the bulldozer trenches. Before the initial construction phase of Walls 195, 196, and 197 were two large pits located west and north of Wall 198. These pits are represented in the cut contexts of 237 and 238. These deep pits were cut into a sterile reddish clay soil, which was also cut by the foundation of Wall 198. The chronological relationship between these pits cuts remains unclear. Arguably, Pit 237 is the earliest as it most clearly is truncated by Pit 238. The fills of both Pits 237 and 238 are remarkably homogenous in their soil compositions and inclusions. ;     Within Pit 237, it is likely that there were multiple contemporary deposit events with multiple different soils. The majority of the pit fills were of two soil profiles: a reddish grey soil and a soft ashy grey soil. Both soils are characterized by sizable amount of pottery and bones. Extensive sieving was performed in grey ashy contexts yielding finds such as: coins (NA #67, 68, #72-78; all pre-Medieval), two bone stylus (NA #66 and NA #79), bronze buckles (NA #65 and NA #71), and an amethyst bead (NA #122). The contexts that are most likely to have filled Pit 237 include: 201 205, 207, 208, 213, 216, 217, 222, 225, and 234. The pottery within Pit 237 was remarkably consistent in date belonging to the late 10th possibly 11th centuries from top to bottom. Examples include NA-136 and NA-137 from Context 222, NA-133 (which joins with NA-138), NA-134, and NA-135 from Context 225, and NA-138 (which joins with NA-133) and NA-139 from Context 234. There was just one instance of a survivor—a LHIIIB2 deep bowl (NA-145). All the pits fills postdate Walls 199 and 198. This is clear from Context 234 (the lowest stratigraphic context that filled Pit 237) which is laid against Walls 198 and 199. It is therefore likely that the cutting of pit 237 or related pits removed whatever remained of the foundations of the Early Byzantine structure that is the earliest phase of Walls 198 and 199 (see below for a description of this structure).; Pit 238 was located immediately to the west of Pit 237 and was truncated by bulldozer trench 4. The soil in Pit 238 was a relatively consistent dark greyish/brownish brown/grey sandy silt, a profile which was similar to the fills of adjacent Pit 237. Moreover, like Pit 237, the soil of Pit 238 had a substantial amount of pottery and bones. Finds included a bone pin (NA #107), a bronze weight (NA #109), two glass goblets (NA #114 and 115), some fruit pits (NA #116), and a pietra ollare fragment (NA #83). Pit 238 was filled with Contexts 194, 248, 263, 266, 272, 277, 278, and 289. Several of these contexts were water sieved and yielded much charcoal, some carbonized seeds, and bird and fish bones. Like Pit 237, the fills of Pit 238 are consistently late 10th to early 11th century in date on the basis of pottery (such as NA-144 from Context 289) and an Anonymous Follis class 3 coin with Leo VI on it (866-912 AD) (NA #92). One LH III closed vessel from Context 272 at the top layer  (NA-147) was the only survivor found in the pit fills. In addition, Contexts 272, 277, 278, and 289 in Pit 238 appear to directly correlate with the grey soils of Contexts 222, 225, and 234 in Pit 237 (see above). Both Pits 237 and 238 also contained many cooking pots and animal bones and should be interpreted as debris from food consumption and preparation and general household rubbish.; ; The Central House; ; Most of the excavated area is occupied by the central Byzantine house, which is mostly preserved at its foundation levels (see Master Plan). It consists of Rooms 7 and 9-15.Unlike the houses to the north and south, it was left relatively undisturbed after it was abandoned in the 13th century. The exceptions are the eastern walls of the house that were robbed out completely after the house was abandoned. This house was emptied before it was abandoned because there were no finds on the floors of the rooms on the north and west. It is likely that the earliest phase of the structure dates to the late 11th/early 12th century on the basis of pottery found in Contexts 92 and 99 (see Master Plan). The original courtyard surface is therefore that into which Pit 275 (see below) was cut and is represented by Contexts 332 and 340 (that also date to the late 11th/early 12th century). Numerous fills within the rooms on the north and west side allow for an architectural sequence to be reconstructed spanning the 12th century. Leveling fills with tile, rubble and pottery in Rooms 9-12 date a major remodeling phase in the third-quarter of the 12th century. In this second phase, the courtyard was rebuilt and the rooms on the north opened to the outside; as shown by the creation of a number of pits and post-holes in Room 14 (see below). As in the house to the south, it is likely that any occupational layers and surfaces associated with the rooms of this Late Byzantine phase were removed in the 2015 excavations and/or by later agricultural activities. The destruction debris in the northwest corner of the courtyard consisting of mudbrick and rubble, but little tile, indicates that the tiles of this house were probably removed and the walls allowed to decay sometime in the early 13th century. ; ; Central Courtyard; ; The central courtyard is bounded to the south by Wall 49, to the east by Walls 82 and 373 (the latter was removed to its lowest foundations by bulldozer trench 2), to the west by Walls 86 and 143, and to the north by Wall 185. In the late 11th century, there were two entrances to the main courtyard from the east and west. During the remodeling in the third-quarter of the 12th century, the western entrance was blocked by Wall 382 and Structure 157. Approximately 75% of the courtyard was excavated stratigraphically along the west side of bulldozer trench 3 and the north half between bulldozer trenches 2 and 3.; The excavation of the southwest section of the Courtyard provided a preliminary chronology for the use of the Main Courtyard and for the construction of the rooms north of Wall 49 (i.e., Rooms 9, 10, and 11). The latest deposits excavated in this southwest area (Contexts 83, 87, and 182) are dated, as suggested by the pottery and stratigraphy, to the third quarter of the 12th century: this period might be interpreted as the last phase of use of this area. ; The latest floor surface level (Structure 98) exposed in the Main Courtyard has been partially sectioned and excavated as Context 95, and it has been dated to the early 12th century. A series of fills (Contexts 84, 88, 90 and 94) in the southwest part of the courtyard are dated by pottery to the late-11th / early-12th century and confirm the construction and use of the courtyard in the first phase of the central house. ; Evidence for the initial construction of this house comes from Context 92 (see Master Plan and discussion in reference to Wall 49 in Room 8 above), which was overlaid by Wall 86 of Room 9. Furthermore, Context 92 (and 99) appears to be partially overlaid by Wall 49. The pottery from these deposits has been dated to the second half of the 11th century. Therefore, this rubbish pit provides a secure terminus post quem for the construction of Wall 86 and for Wall 49. These contexts therefore establish both the date of the first construction and the contemporaneity of the central and southern houses.  ; Excavations in the northwest section of the courtyard, west of trench 3, confirmed the basic chronology of the courtyard and established a phase of remodeling in the courtyard in the third quarter of the 12th century (on the basis of Pit 275). During this remodeling, the courtyard surface was re-made and a well (Structure 369) that belonged to the earliest phase of the house was put out of use. A circular stone-built storage bin (Structure 157) was inserted into the west entrance to the house and wall 382 was created to close off that side of the house. Contexts 202, 203, 204, 211, 227, 235, 246, 251, 261, and 265 are leveling fills associated with the third-quarter of the 12th century remodeling of the courtyard and are dated by pottery (with only one survivor—a LH IIIB1 deep bowl from Context 265).; These fills covered Pit 275, which was 2.15 m x 1.7 m x 0.71 m, making it the largest pit excavated in the courtyard. It contained a variety of well-preserved pottery, vast quantities of animal bones, fish scales (NA #111), a steatite button (NA #119), and fragments of glass vessels. A sample of the soil was also taken for the water sieve, which yielded evidence of possible kitchen debris. The pit was excavated in six different contexts (arbitrarily divided for vertical control – Contexts 274, 279, 281, 285, 286, 287), but joins between sherds of the same vessel in different contexts (e.g. between NA-127 in Context 281 and a sherd not numbered from Context 286 as well as NA-124 from Context 279 and another unnumbered sherd from 286) indicate that it is all one dumped fill. The glazed pottery (such as NA-124, NA-125, and NA-126 from Context 279 and NA-127 from Context 281) and cooking wares (like NA-128 from Context 281) provide a date of the third-quarter of the 12th century and give a clear terminus post quem for the construction of the courtyard and this remodeling phase. Below this pit are multiple surfaces and lenses (Contexts 309, 306, 303, 298, 297, 296, 295, 291, 288, 284, and 271) that also date to the third-quarter of the 12th century AD. It was in these various, prepared clay surfaces that the formal pits (275, 317 and 327) were cut and they also support the late 12th century date for a major remodeling of the courtyard. ; The earliest fills below these surfaces that were excavated in this area (i.e. Contexts 332 and 340) consisted of a mixed fill with some Middle Byzantine pottery (dated to the 11th century). As seen in section, this thick (1m +) level sits below all major occupational surfaces excavated in the courtyard and with the exception of a well/cistern (Structure 369), exists below any architecture or architectural feature. Structure 369 is cut into this stratum. Consequently, these contexts may represent the leveling or accumulation related to first phase of the courtyard in the later 11th century.;     The northeast area of the courtyard is bounded by bulldozer trenches 2 and 3, and previously on the east by Wall 373. A possible staircase, Structure 220, possibly built or at least remodeled in the third-quarter of the 12th century may have accessed an upper floor above Room 15. Surface 343 and the fills below it (Contexts 349 and 356) all date to the mid- to third-quarter of the 12th century. Surface 343 was composed of pebble and soil and corresponds to that of the floor surface (Structure 271 to the west). This context therefore supports the date of the remodeling of the courtyard in the third-quarter of the 12th century. This layer connects to and was probably built around the same time as the possible staircase Structure 220. No further excavation was undertaken in this northeast area of the courtyard.; ; West Rooms of Central House; ; Rooms 9, 10, and 11 ; ; Rooms 9 and 10 are bounded to the west by Wall 127 and to the east by Wall 86, in which a doorjamb is preserved connecting Room 9 to the courtyard in the first phase (there is no similar opening to connect Room 10 to the courtyard). These two rooms are divided by Wall 133, which has a threshold to allow passage between these two spaces. Finally, Room 10 is separated to the north by Wall 134. Structure 157 is a circular stone-built storage pit that was inserted into the western group of rooms – it is bordered by Wall 382 to the west, wall 144 to the north and wall 133 to the south. The space occupied by Structure 157 in the original 11th-century phase of the house was likely an entrance into the central courtyard. This entrance was blocked by Wall 382 and the construction of Structure 157 in the third-quarter of the 12th century. Room 11 was possibly bounded to the west by Wall 382 in a later phase, but it was robbed out completely at some point in its later history (excavated in 2015 with no dating evidence), Wall 142 to the north, Wall 144 to the south and Wall 143 to the east. ; Rooms 9, 10, and 11 contained tile leveling fills (Contexts 125, 152, and 160 respectively) at elevations ranging from 58.05-58.22 masl that all date by pottery to the 12th century or more specifically the third quarter of the 12th century, confirming that also these rooms were remodeled in this period and the floor levels raised to create easier access to the central courtyard. Moreover, the absence of any complete, mendable, or even large fragments of tiles in these fills identifies them simply as fills rather than as roof collapse (contrary to the excavator’s original interpretations). In their earlier phases, possible storage pits, (Room 9: Cut 116, Room 10: Cut 137) that were virtually empty aside from irregular stones, were cut into the floor. The threshold of Room 11 was raised with the addition of a block during the late 12th century remodeling (see description of Wall 143). ; ; ; North Rooms of Central House; ; Rooms 12, 13, and 14; ; Room 12 is bounded to the west by a wall that was completely robbed out in antiquity. Wall 185, which is the south wall of Rooms 14 and 13, was partially robbed out as well (Cut 206), perhaps as part of the late 12th century remodeling of the house and courtyard in which Room 14 was perhaps made into an exterior space (i.e., a northern extension of the central courtyard). Rooms 12 and 13 are separated by Wall 153, which has a threshold or opening towards the south that connected the two rooms. Rooms 13 and 14 are separated by wall 168, the southern part of which was robbed out at some point. The original eastern wall of Room 14 was also robbed out and/or destroyed at a later point. Tile-rich leveling fills were excavated in all three rooms (Room 12: Context 161, Room 13: Context 167, Room 14: Context 170) with dates ranging from the 10th to the 12th centuries and elevations of ca. 58.20 masl. Below these deposits relatively level surfaces were exposed. In Rooms 12 and 13, the same floor level appears to have been reached. In room 12, a peculiar oval-shaped pit built in regular courses of tiles and clay pit (Structure 166) was identified, but its function remains unclear. It was filled with pottery of the third-quarter of the 12th century (Context 162) and therefore should be associated with an earlier phase of Room 12. ; Similar pits found in the west end of Room 14 (Structures 186 and 188) are plastered with clay and the tile fragments are irregularly laid against the vertical sides of these structures. These odd pits did not contain any datable material. They were cut into Context 200, which contained Coin NA #59 (Anonymous Follis 1070-1075 AD) suggesting a terminus post quem for these fills of the 11th century, but the pottery dates to the third-quarter of the 12th century and so  they are part of the later remodeling of the space.  The earliest floor level was found in the northwest corner of the room in Context 262, which dates to the 11th century on the basis of pottery and a coin of Nicephoros III (NA #80). This confirms the date of the first phase of the house in the later 11th century.; In the center of Room 14 was Surface 219, which had a series of small pits cut into it (filled by Contexts 228 and 233). East of Surface 219 was Context 249 (dated by pottery to the second half of the 12th century) which had another set of oval pits (Contexts 241, 243) with flat bases and vertical sides similar to cut 229. The fills in these oval pits (Contexts 240 and 242) can be dated to the Middle Byzantine period on the basis of pottery.  There was, however, little pottery in the oval pits and so the date of their construction is given by Context 249. These pits are therefore also part of the late 12th century remodeling of the space. Down the center and on the southern edge of Room 14 (along the robbing trench for Wall 185) were small regularly-spaced cuts (Contexts 244, 247, and 232), which, due to their small and semi-circular appearance, may have been used for postholes for the space. It is likely therefore that Room 14 was turned into a partially exterior space during the second remodeling event and that posts supported the ceiling rather than Wall 185. The pits may perhaps be associated with keeping animals in the area or perhaps a household level industry. No further excavation of this room was conducted during the 2016 excavation season. ; ; East Rooms of Central House; ; Room 15 ; ; This room was bounded on the north by Wall 185, to the west by Wall 373 (now robbed out by bulldozer trench 2) and to the south by Wall 375. The space between Wall 375 and Wall 81 to its immediate south was the east entrance to the house and the central courtyard in all periods. ; The east wall of Room 15 is not preserved nor was a robbing trench identified for it. There is no sign that any walls bonded or were perpendicular to Wall 373 and therefore this room may originally have been very long and narrow, like Room 14 to its north. The scarp in bulldozer trench 2 and some test excavations across the trench in Room 15 suggested that there was little material culture remaining in this area. It appears to correspond to the soil in Contexts 332 and 340 and is Middle Byzantine in date. This area was not excavated further.; ; Room 7; ; In its late 12th-century phase, Room 7 was bounded by Wall 81 to the north, Wall 82 to the west, and Wall 80 to the east (these three walls were exposed in 2015). Wall 80 in all phases likely continued into the unexcavated baulk to the south and perhaps abutted Wall 49 and/or 59 to create a long, narrow room like Room 15. Excavations in this area in 2016 revealed Wall 379, below layers containing later 12th century pottery and kitchen debris. It is likely therefore that, in the late 11th-century phase of the house, Wall 379 truncated Room 7 and created another room to the south and below the baulk.  ; ; The North House; ; The most highly disturbed of the Byzantine houses is the northern house (see Master Plan). This is for two reasons: 1) the excavated site slopes down by two meters from south to north and therefore the architecture was closer to the original ground surface and more vulnerable to later activities, and 2) five bulldozer trenches (1, 6, and 9-11) cut through it both north-south and east-west. There are several 19th century features in the north-central section (marked with a dotted line on Master Plan), which also may have destroyed earlier features. The remaining walls suggest that it is a similar type of house as those to its south. The two best preserved and architecturally-bounded areas were excavated and provide a date of the third-quarter of the 12th century for the surviving architecture of this house. Most of the architecture is preserved in only the foundation courses which are less than 0.2m high. ; Room 16; Room 16 is bounded by Wall 180 to the west, Wall 269 to the south, and wall 270 to the east. Wall 270 consists of small blocks of spolia including marble and granite, in addition to what appears to be evidence of a stone with square cut for a doorway leading into the area east of the room. If there was a northern wall, it was removed by bulldozer trench 10. The only surface reached was Context 273, a layer of fill on the western portion of the room that produced a coin (NA #87), which is an issue of Manuel I and therefore gives a 12th century terminus post quem for this context. Cut into Context 273 is Context 268, a pit measuring 1.01 x .97 m. The fill of this pit, Context 267, dates to the 3rd quarter of the 12th century during the Late Byzantine period. No further excavation was conducted in this room during the 2016 season.; ; Area East of Room 16; ; Moving east of Room 16, we find a large rectangular space reached by an alley formed between Walls 269 and 154 from the west and also from a doorway leading from Room 16. The possible northern boundary of this space was Wall 282 and it is also possible that Wall 377 is part of the same structure. The earliest stratum excavated in this area is Context 300, which is the second floor surface in the eastern half of this area. This context is dated to the third-quarter of the 12th century on the basis of pottery and a coin, NA #98 (Anonymous Class 3), which supports a date in the Late Byzantine period. ; Context 300 gives a third-quarter of the 12th century date for a pebble floor covered entire area—Structure 294, which also contained pottery of that date. There is substantial evidence for remodeling and leveling activities in this area.  Contexts 292 and 280 both dated to the 3rd quarter of the 12th century. The pebble flooring and compact surface support the interpretation of this area as an exterior space during the 3rd quarter of the 12th century. No further excavation was undertaken here. ; ; Other Phases; ; Early Modern (19th century); In Room 1, in the area west of Wall 20, there is evidence of a 19th century occupational level (Context 4), which heavily impacted the earlier stratigraphic levels. The identification of a cistern (Structure 12) and the recovery of a Koronaika pithos, found with fragments of a grindstone and mortar (NA #3), and 19th century utilitarian vessels are in fact indicative of the occupation of this area in the Early Modern period. ; ; Early Byzantine ; ; A bottle cistern (Structure 304) was excavated in the area west of Room 1.  It was truncated on its western half by the bulldozer Trench 7 but the eastern half is still extant except the northernmost course of stones, which was removed when wall 353 was constructed.  It was made of random courses of roughly hewn limestone with a plaster coating on its interior and a tile floor at the base. The cistern was filled with pottery of the late 8th-early 9th century (Contexts 305, 311, 351, and 355), examples of which include NA-129, NA-130, and NA-131 from Context 305 as well as NA-132 from Context 351.  The bottle cistern was likely covered before Pits 236, 237, and 238 were created in the 10th – 11th centuries but the exact stratigraphic relationship between these pits, wall 353, and the bottle cistern remains undetermined due to soil disturbance by the bulldozer.  The bottle cistern sits on top of the sterile red soil or stereo into which the pits are cut, therefore the fills are the only source for the date of the cistern’s use.  It is possible that the use of the grape/olive press from Room 17 is roughly contemporary and/or post-dates the closure of this bottle cistern.   Samples of the soil were taken for water sieving and yielded small pieces of charcoal, grape pips, and grain. ; In Room 17, a well (Structure 334) and a grape/olive press (Structure 325) were discovered. The latter was identified by its lack of drain and the presence of grape and olive pits recovered from water floatation samples. Excavation revealed that Well 334 had been cut into a thick, white floor surface (not excavated) and that a post-construction leveling fill had been laid against it on the west side. These contexts (345, 346, and 347) all contained 5th and 6th century AD pottery and had been deposited against the well (perhaps in a single event), giving the construction of the well a terminus ante quem of the 7th century. ;     The lowermost fills around the press (Structure 325) also had an Early Byzantine signature. Contexts 338 and 339 can probably be associated with a post-construction leveling event that is contemporary with Contexts 345, 346, and 347 around Well 334. Context 338 contained the fill below the north section of the western wall of the press which had been robbed out or destroyed. It appeared to have been cut into the soil below it, while the 11th century leveling fills (see above) had been laid against it. The pottery from both of these contexts cannot be dated to anything more specific than the 6th century, but this agrees with the fills around Well 334 and with its 7th century terminus ante quem.; The space enclosed by Walls 199 and south of Wall 198 yielded a date of the 7th c. AD or later based on pottery (filled by Contexts 254- 259, but dated on the basis of one fragment of an African Red Slip Form 105 from Context 259). These contexts therefore provide a terminus ante quem for the last use of those walls and their associated structure of the Early Byzantine period. At the bottom of context 259 was a tile surface that was laid against wall 199, thus post-dating the original construction. No contexts have been excavated that can be directly associated with the construction of Wall 199. The excavation of the lowermost fill of Pit 238, Context 289, revealed a foundation trench for Wall 198 (Cut 301). Though it had been truncated on its western side, probably by the cut for Pit 237 or Pit 238, the trench and fill were still preserved to the east. Context 302 filled the trench, and the pottery tentatively dated the fill to the Early Byzantine period, giving a broad terminus ante quem for Wall 198, which accords with our previous interpretation of Wall 198's date. No contexts have been excavated that can be securely identified as fill for the original structure, however. ; ; Earlier Material; ;     There is no archaeological evidence from anywhere in the excavated area for substantial activities that pre-date the Early Byzantine period. In comparison to other excavated areas in Corinth, such as the Forum area, the Panayia Field, or other ASCSA-excavated sites, pottery from earlier periods that might be interpreted as survivors in later contexts is virtually absent from this excavation. The absence of even moderate quantities of earlier pottery demonstrates that there is no significant pre-Byzantine presence. If there were earlier structures, they would have been cut into or above the red clay stereo level across the site and then destroyed by the Early and later Byzantine activities in the area that reach into the same stereo level. Yet, they also would have left some archaeological trace in the form of pottery that was redeposited or survived in later levels. The absence of such pre-Byzantine pottery is therefore very strong evidence that the earliest major activity dates to the Early Byzantine period. As noted above in relation to their contexts, there was a total of three prehistoric sherds found in the entire area.","","","","","Corinth","","Report"
"Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Ross Brendle and Justin Holcomb (2014-06-02 to 2014-06-27)","Room F/5 and South Hall in Unit 2, Session 3","","Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Ross Brendle and Justin Holcomb (2014-06-02 to 2014-06-27)","","Session III; Temple E Southeast; 2-27 June 2014; ; This is the final summary of the third and final session of excavations for the 2014 season in the north area of Unit 2 in the Frankish quarter, Temple E Southeast.  Guy Sanders (director) and Jody Cundy (field director) supervised. Ross Brendle and Justin Holcomb (area supervisors) recorded. The workmen were Panos Kakouros (pickman), Tasos Tsogas (apprentice pickman, shovelman, sieve), and Marios Vathis (barrowman, sieve).; ; Excavation was focused on the baulk north of rooms F and G of Unit 2 from June 2nd to 12th.  The first week of work was recorded by Ross Brendle, who was then joined by Justin Holcomb for the second week of excavations. The scarp formed by the 1931-1932 excavations for the construction of the museum forms the northern boundary of the excavation area at N1079.10. The southern boundary is formed by the scarp left by the 1994 excavations of Rooms F and G at N1075.22 (see NB869). The eastern boundary is Wall 135, exposed in the first session of the 2014 excavations at E111.82 (revealed by deposit contexts 118, 131, 132). The western boundary is the scarp formed by the removal of backfill from previous excavations (deposit context 198) at E104.22. The goal of this excavation session was to bring down the unexcavated baulk to better unify the Frankish Quarter with the area to the north, the museum courtyard in front of Temple E. This work is being done alongside consolidation of the Frankish area in preparation for opening the area to visitors. Additionally, we hoped to clarify the relationship between the walls exposed in previous sessions (110, 135) to the walls to the south and determine whether they represent distinct chronological phases. ; ; Work moved to the South Hall, south of the church in Unit 2 during June 13th to 17th, recorded by Ross Brendle. The excavation area is limited by the north, west, and south walls of the South Hall and an arbitrary line 3.6m to the east of the west wall. We sectioned the room because of the limited amount of time left in the excavation season, and the western half of the room included what appeared to be a pit exposed but not excavated in an earlier excavation season. This area had been previously excavated in 1991 (NB828 pp. 157-170). The goal of excavations in this area was to determine the date and use of this building as well as to explore the pit. ; ; Work then returned to Room F from June 18th to 20th, at the southeast corner by the doorway to Room 3, recorded by Ross Brendle. The excavation area was limited by wall 135 to the east, the east-west wall separating Room F from Room 3 to the south (N1071.32), a pit dug in the previous excavations to the west, and an arbitrary line to the north (N1073.06). This area was excavated in the 1994 season down to the floor level at which we began (NB869 B92, pp. 128-129). We hoped to find a foundation trench for the east-west wall, which would give a construction date for the complex to the south that may be associated with the church to the east. ; ; ; NORTH BAULK, ROOM 5/F; Byzantine ; In this session, pottery from the earliest stratigraphic levels reached in this area dates to the 12th century. In that period, this space was part of the same room as that on to the east of Wall 135, known as Room 5. The earliest significant activity in this area during this time is the construction of an outdoor floor surface (context 568) composed of unglazed ceramic tiles. The tiles are mostly broken and clustered at the northern edge of our section. They do not continue south to the wall, but it seems likely that they originally did. This surface was laid against the east-west wall separating Room 5 from Room 3. It is likely the same surface as one uncovered to the east of wall 135 in the 1993 season (NB859 B74, pp. 112-114). This floor seems to have extended to most if not all of Room 5 in this phase. Pottery excavated this season from the fill laid against the south wall shows the floor must date to the third quarter of the 12th century at the earliest.; ; Further investigation in the area is necessary to determine the date of the east-west wall. It does not bond with wall 135, which is later, and its foundations extend at least a meter deeper than excavated this season, as visible in the scarp of the pit to the west. The wall extends to the east to the narthex wall of the church and formed the southern extent of Room 5. The marble threshold block in the doorway between Rooms 5 and 3 appears to be a reused block. A deposit of marble chips in the fill below floor 568 on the north side of the threshold, dating to the mid to third quarter of the 12th century, may be left from the reworking of this block for its final use.; ; Frankish; The next phase of use is visible in the north baulk area. A construction phase and the raising of the floor in the mid to late 13th century are apparent in several dumping fill deposits in the western portion of the baulk. A wall belonging to a previous phase of use of the building (structure context 501 [N1077.21, S1075.40, W106.37, W105.70]) was covered over by fill, indicating a change in the division of space and a change in use in the area. Wall 501 is made of roughly hewn, randomly coursed limestone blocks (0.35 x 0.20 x 0.15 m) bonded with mud plaster. It does not seem to directly correspond with any other visible walls. Only the top of wall 501 was exposed in this season’s excavations, so more cannot be said about its date other than that it was out of use by the mid 13th century.; ; Sometime in the 13th century, a cement surface was laid down. Our excavations this year were not able to properly examine it, but its edge was revealed with the removal of contexts 463 and 521 and it appears to continue under the unexcavated fill below wall 110 (N1078.40, S1077.96, E111.48, W106.71). This may represent a use surface instead of simply a phase of construction, suggesting an interim phase of use of the building between the Byzantine period and the 14th century.; ; Floor 568 of the Byzantine period was later overlaid with fill, onto which was built wall 135 in the 14th century (see Williams, Hesperia 1995). The fill covering floor 568 was excavated in 1994 (NB869). The construction of wall 135 re-divided the space, creating Room F to its west.; ; Floors or construction surfaces were built (contexts 463, 469) and small stone walls or platforms were installed (structure contexts 442 [N1076.71, S1075.69, E106.70, W106.21], 455 [N1076.16, S1075.63, E105.90, W105.20]) in the 13th and 14th centuries. Structure context 442 was a rectangular stone construction, 1.10 x 0.50 x 0.18 m, without a deeper foundation. Its small size and flat top surface suggest it was a platform for something built on top of it rather than a wall. Structure context 455 was similar, 0.43 x 0.70 x 0.81 m, with a flat top surface and no foundation, but less regularly rectangular. The purpose of these stone platforms is unclear but they may indicate a change in the use of the area. These two small structures are not physically connected but have their top surfaces at similar elevations. They could have been constructed to be used together.; ; Floor 469 included four sherds (out of 599 total sherds) of 18th-19th century Ottoman pottery. The context was cut by an Ottoman period pit excavated in the previous session (cut context 255, deposit contexts 256 and 259). Given that none of the contexts overlying this one contained any material dating to later than the 14th century, it seemed most likely these few sherds were contamination from under-digging of the adjacent pit and the context has been placed in the 13th century in the Harris Matrix, based on stratigraphic relationships.; ; In the early 14th century, a plaster “bin” (approximately 1 m wide, 0.28 m deep, extending 0.55 m south from wall 110) was built on an earlier surface of leveling fill in the eastern portion of the excavation area. It is uncertain whether the bin is truly a built structure or simply consists of the remains of plaster mixed on site during construction. The bin cuts into the unexcavated fill below floor 413 and extends under and predates wall 110, which must date to at least the mid 14th century. Further exploration of the bin was not possible without removing the wall. Before wall 110 was constructed, it is unclear whether this area was roofed or not, but the cement floor mentioned earlier suggests it may have been, or was at least a delineated area of frequent use. ; ; The south edge of the bin was cut by the digging of a large pit into the subfloor (435). Joining fragments of a cooking pot where found in this fill (428) and that inside the plaster bin (438). The pit was truncated by the 1994 excavations. It originally extended an additional 4m to the south (see NB869 B71, Lot 1994-26). If the plaster bin is to be associated with a construction phase, this pit should be as well. The 1994 lot was dated to the mid to third quarter 13th century, while the fill excavated this year was dated to the early 14th century. This pottery is saved in Lot 2014-37.; ; In the mid-14th century a refuse pit was dug and filled in the western part of the baulk (cut context 464, deposit contexts 458, 487, 504). The fill included many large tile fragments and the soil of the upper layers was mostly clay. Together, the dumped clay and roof tiles likely represent a dump of construction refuse. At the bottom of the pit was a concentration of ash and two nearly complete but broken Frankish matt-painted storage jars. Fragments of the vessels were deposited up to 20 cm apart vertically in the fill, indicating they were broken prior to deposition. (Amphora: E105.41, N1077.16, H84.93; Hydria/three-handled amphora: E105.08, N1077.70, H84.96).; ; A leveling fill or construction floor (422) was put in before a final floor was laid south of wall 110 (context 413) in the mid-14th century. At this time the space is now enclosed by walls to the north (110) and east (135) and is certainly now an indoor space. ; ; ; Conclusion:; This season’s excavations in this area investigated two distinct construction phases of this building.; ; The wall forming the southern extent of Room 5/F either does not have a foundation trench or it is at a level not reached by this season’s excavations. Based on pottery, the construction of the floor (568) laid against the wall has a terminus post quem of the mid to third quarter of the 12th century.; ; Wall 110 has no foundation and cannot be excavated under at this time. The floor laid against it (413) has a t.p.q. of the mid 14th century based on its stratigraphy. ; ; We did not investigate material on top of these floor surfaces in this session, and so cannot address the use of the building in these phases. We can say that the period prior to the 14th century phase was characterized by extensive construction in the area and the deposition of a significant amount of fill.; ; ; SOUTH HALL; Byzantine Period; ; The earliest activity detected in the area occupied by the South Hall appears to be a pit dug in the mid to third quarter of the 12th century. This likely represents a refuse dump, as it contained a good quantity of pottery and some charcoal (deposit context 565). Only part of this lowest fill was removed, because we realized the cut we had begun excavating (cut context 566) cut an earlier pit below. This deepest material was being removed unstratigraphically and we could not be sure how far the deposit extended horizontally, so we closed the context. This also means the 12th century date is not secure, though it is suggested by the pottery.; ; In our excavation, we exposed the foundations of an east-west wall, approximately 1 meter south of wall 534 and running roughly parallel to it, covered over by later floors. The earlier wall extended to the west beyond the boundaries of the excavation area and below wall 526 and to the east beyond the excavation area. The “pit” found but not excavated in the earlier excavations turned out to be an area where the floor had sagged over this wall. In the 12th century, this area was obviously divided very differently than in the Frankish phase visible today. The area north of the wall, closer to the church, had a much darker fill than that south of the wall, indicating it was an interior space and this was the south wall of an earlier building.; ; Frankish Period; ; In the early 14th century, another pit was dug above the Byzantine pit, in the space that would later become the southwest corner of the South Hall (cut context 566, deposit context 561). Again this was likely a refuse dump, as it contained a good amount of ceramic sherds.; ; Also in the early 14th century, the ground was leveled and smoothed (deposit context 547), probably in preparation for construction of the South Hall. The north wall (structure context 534 [N1068.20, S1066.71, E130.84, W122.32]) and west wall (structure context 526 [N1066.76, S1063.10, E123.49, W122.52]) of the South Hall were built on this surface, and a floor, or perhaps a subfloor, was laid over it (deposit context 532). The walls were built of reused limestone blocks, probably from a Roman period construction in the area, and were laid directly on the leveled ground surface without foundations. None of the walls of the South Hall bond with the walls of the church to the north, wall 534 included, though it is laid very close and parallel to the south wall of the church. Still in the 14th century, another floor surface was laid down later (527), and then a final cement floor was added sometime after this.; ; Sometime after floor 527 was laid, the south wall of the South Hall was constructed (structure context 535 [N1064.99, S1063.44, E131.60, W123.87]) overlaying it. It may have been the case that the South Hall was a part of a much larger building extending further to the south, and wall 535 was added to divide the space. Investigation of the area south of the South Hall could tell us more about the phasing of this larger structure and when it was divided.; ; Conclusion:; The construction of the north and west walls of the South Hall has a terminus post quem of the late 13th – early 14th century based on pottery in the deposit overlaid by the walls. The south wall has a t.p.q. of the early 14th century. The construction of the north and west walls seems to have been contemporaneous, while the south wall may have been built slightly later.; ; ; Recommendations for Future Work; South Hall:; 1.    Excavate in eastern half of Hall to uncover more of exposed Byzantine wall. ; 2.    Explore area south of south wall to determine if South Hall was previously part of a larger building divided by a partition wall.; ; Room F:; 1.    Continue excavations in search of a foundation trench or deposit associable with the construction of the wall forming the southern boundary of the room.; ; North Baulk:; 1.    Remove wall 110 and continue investigation of construction levels below, including the plaster bin and the cement floor.","","","","","Corinth","","Report"
"Checked","Agora:Report:1948 Excavations ΝΝ, ΞΞ","Sections ΝΝ-ΞΞ 1948; Early Houses","Rodney S. Young","1948 Excavations ΝΝ, ΞΞ","","Excavations were confined to a strip on the west side of the Great Drain where four houses of the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. were excavated and examined in their relationship to the Great Drain. In the area of Houses 3 and 4, eight pyres were found. A Mycenaean burial of two small children was found in a pit under House 3. It should probably be associated with the chamber tomb dug out in the previous season.","","","","13 Mar-29 Apr 1948","Agora","Agora:ReportPage:1948-Excavations-ΝΝ,-ΞΞ-1::/Agora/Reports/1948 Excavations ΝΝ, ΞΞ/1948 Excavations ΝΝ, ΞΞ 001.jpg::1582::2048","Report"
"Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Colin Whiting (2014-04-07 to 2014-04-14)","Final Report - Green","","Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Colin Whiting (2014-04-07 to 2014-04-14)","","This is the final report for the area excavated by the green team in Temple East – Southeast during the first session of excavation of 2014. Guy Sanders (director) and Jody Cundy (field director) supervised. The excavation team consisted of Colin Whiting (recorder), Thanasis Notis (pickman), Panos Rontzokos (shovelman), and Marios Vathis (sieve). Our excavation area was the unexcavated baulk that formed the north and west boundaries of Harris and Johnson’s previous investigations in 1995 (NB 873) and Brogan’s in 1993 (NB 859). The area extended from the edge of the scarp at (roughly 115E) to a modern rubble wall running north/south at 111.75E (context 11). The adjacent area west of the rubble wall was investigated by the blue team with Hans Hansen and Alex Seufert as recorders. The excavation scarp at (1076N) formed the southern limit of the area which extended to a martyr at (1080.1N). The martyr was created by the need to preserve a pine tree and its roots that we do not yet have permission from the authorities to remove. North of the baulk is the modern museum courtyard, constructed in the 1930s.; ; The goal of this abbreviated excavation was to determine use patterns of the area above the so-called 'sterile red' layer which was sectioned in the previous excavations and confirm previous excavators' analyses of the surrounding areas. Brogan in particular was interested in more precise dating from debris in the northerly portions of the road (NB 859, p. 122). This was in service of the broader goals of the American School in Corinth, that is, the final excavation and consolidation of Frankish materials at Corinth in order to present the Frankish phase of Corinth to visitors to the site. When the materials above the 'sterile red' layer were removed, the area was turned over to Hansen and Seufert to continue the excavation of the area as a complete unit. The general course of use in this area was fairly straightforward and can be presented in two phases.; ; Early Modern Roads, 16th-19th c.; ; This phase of use is represented by a sequence of superimposed north-south oriented roads which covered the whole of the excavation area (111E-115.5E, 1075.5N-1080.5N). ; ; The earliest road had a somewhat irregular surface and its construction was not particularly sophisticated such that it might reflect the result of surface compaction (context 48). The road was originally approximately 3.5m wide, according to Brogan’s excavations directly south (NB 859, B14, 58; p. 121). The dating of this road is somewhat difficult. The pottery within the surface itself suggests a date in the late 14th or early 15th c., but a Venetian coin (2014-61) excavated just below it by Hansen and Seufert (within context 141) dates to the late 15th c. Brogan had put the date of this road between the 16th and18th c. previously (NB 859, B14), but his interpretation based apparently on elevations. In his summary, Brogan allowed for dates as early as the 15th c. (ibid., p. 122) but describes dating this road as “tricky.” Harris and Johnson excavated a small part of the road south of the lime pit but offer no particular date (NB 873, B47). Just beneath this surface they also found a 15th/16th c. sherd (NB 873, B48). Given the coin and the sherd, it is likely that the road represents a very late 15th or early 16th c. result of rebuilding activity after a late 15th c. destruction. The pottery finds in this road contained very little cookware, particularly when compared to the similar, later road (context 24) that overlaid it. Perhaps this reflects settlement pattern in which this surface was some distance from residential areas or other areas of food production.; ; This earlier road had a dumped fill including large amounts of tile on top of it (context 38, 1075.95N-1080.10N and 111.75E-112.90E). Another dumped fill further east (context 42, 1076.05N-1079.20N and 113.35E-115.15E), which was further away from the wall (context 11 running north-south at 111.75E), and did not have significant amounts of tile in it. However, the eastern side of the road did have significant amounts of tile in a dumped fill on top of it, as reported by Harris and Johnson (NB 873, b49). This suggests that there was a significant period of disuse marked by the collapse of buildings along the both edges of the road and the solidification of the remains. The pottery in both dump fills above context 48 dates to the 18th c., and so suggests that the road went out of use for some time in the 18th c. before being deliberately reformed in the late 18th or early 19th c as context 24. A trowel found within context 38 may be related to this activity.; ; The presence of later metalled road (context 24) whose construction dates to the late-18th to the very early-19th c. points to a renewal of circulation in the area after a period of abandonment. The road is dated on the basis of the 18th-c. pottery contained in the leveling fill immediately below it (context 46) . Harris and Johnson excavated the eastern edge of the road south of the lime pit although they identified it as a floor (NB 873, B37). They date this surface to the 19th c. but offer no explanation as to why. This early 19th c. date is corroborated by the probable attestation of the road on a map of Corinth prepared by Peytier in 1829. According to Brogan’s excavations to the south, the road was also originally approximately 3.5m wide (NB 859, B11, B53; p. 121) and overlaid the extent of the earlier road (NB 859, p. 121). The center of the road was dipped in the center along the same north-south alignment as the road, possibly due to heavy traffic along the middle of the road compared to its sides. Two dumped fills (contexts 17, 1077.55N-1080.10N and 112.42E-113.96E, and context 18, 1075.90E-1079.48E and 113.15E-115.15E) overlaid the road in the center and east respectively. These both included large amounts of tiles, and suggest that there was also a period of disuse in the 19th c. during which buildings adjacent to the road collapsed and the collapse became solidified over time. The larger stones in context 18 that overlay the tiles suggest the building was on the east side of the road, as Brogan suggested when he excavated the eastern boundary of the road in 1993 (NB 859, b3). It is difficult to further specify when the road went out of use because the excavation of in lenses on top of the road did not yield more precisely datable material.; ; Modern Construction of the Museum, 1930s.; ; A modern lime pit (contexts 6, 9, and 10) reflects the latest activity in the area which took place in the northeastern part of the excavation area (1079.1N-1080.4N and 113.25E-114.4E). This was used to mix cement for the construction of the museum in the 1930s. The original size of the pit was approximately 2.5m east-west by 3.5m north-south, judging by present excavations and the excavations of the eastern half of the pit done by Harris and Johnson (NB 873, B35, B66). Due to the aforementioned need to preserve the tree, only the southwestern part of the lime pit was removed (the area bound by coordinates 1079.10N-1080.10N and 113.25E-114.40E). The northern extent of the lime pit is still visible in the scarp to the north (see top plan for context 9). The fill of the pit included several iron nails, perhaps also from the museum's construction.; ; Conclusions and Future Study; ; The excavations confirmed previous interpretations of the stratigraphy above the ‘sterile red’ layer, in particular the presence of two roadways occupying roughly the same space, one early modern and one somewhat earlier. Further excavations of the area have already continued under Hansen and Seufert with the full removal of the ‘sterile red’ layer (context 141 represented some general fill on top of the ‘sterile red’ layer, the ‘sterile red’ layer is context 148, and the tumble of rocks within the ‘sterile red’ is context 169). If the tree can be removed at some point in the future, then the remainder of the lime pit can be removed as well as the last of the remaining road surfaces.","","","","","Corinth","","Report"
"Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2013 by Katherine Harrington, Jana Mokrišová (2013-05-09 to 2007-05-24)","2013 Session 1, TeamBlue, Final Summary","","Nezi Field 2013 by Katherine Harrington, Jana Mokrišová (2013-05-09 to 2007-05-24)","","Katherine Harrington, Jana Mokrišová; Team Blue, Session 1; Nezi Field Excavations; N: 1017.20 N, S: 1006.90 N, E: 263.50 E, W: 255.50 E; 1-25 April, 2013; ; This is the final summary of the first session of excavation in 2013 in the northwest area of Nezi field. Guy Sanders (director) and Rossana Valente (field director) supervised. The blue excavation team consisted of Katherine Harrington and Jana Mokrišová (recorders), Athanasios Notis (foreman and pickman), Athanasios Sakellariou (pickman), Christos Sakellariou (barrowman), and Panayiotis Rontzokos (shovelman). ;     ; The excavation area was initially bounded by the Giambouranis House (also referred to as the Turkish house; NB 252, NB 262, 1015.90N) to the north, Wall 540 (264.20 E) to the east, Wall 366 (1006.90 N) to the south and the baulk of Nezi field (255.50 E) to the west. However, the northern boundary was extended in course of the excavation by the discovery of N-S drain to the northernmost point of the drain (1017.20 N), and after the removal of the wall 540 the eastern boundary was moved to 263.50 E.; ; The goal of this session was to remove final traces of Byzantine occupation in the excavation area and to further explore the Late Antique levels with the hopes of better understanding the Late Roman/ Late Antique occupational activities in the area. In addition, we also re-examined the sequence of Middle and Late Byzantine walls in the area. ; ; Late Antique (5th-7th century CE); ; We reached the Late Antique levels in most of the excavation area, except possibly any remaining fill in Cut 1040 (N-S 1016.46-1014.59, E-W 259.47-258.59), a robbing trench running N-S next to the eastern wall of the Turkish house, which may continue deeper. Additionally, we believe that there might be an extension of this robbing trench on the south side of Cut 870 in an area that was not investigated during this session (under Context 927). ; ; An ovoid hearth, with a schist and tile bottom, was revealed in the southeastern part of the excavation area (N-S 1012.49-1011.56, E-W 262.46-261.57), but was subsequently excavated by Mohammed Bhatti and Daniel Diffendale. The fill within the hearth contained a single illegible coin (no. 2013-144), a possible minimus dated to the 5th-6th century CE, and Late Roman coarse wares. ; ; The most significant Late Roman activity in the excavation area is the series of tile destruction fills dumped in the western side of the excavation area (immediately west of Cut 870). The earliest and the largest fill, Deposit 1080 (N-S 1015.83-1011.22, E-W 258.48-255.73), yielded a large amount of broken tile, charcoal, as well as over 200 kg of pottery and a significant amount of glass, metal, and animal bone. This is clearly a dump consisting of a large amount of cooking wares, storage vessels (e.g. amphorae), as well as glass tableware, which seems to be an assemblage of a wealthy household or households. Special objects include three bone plaques with incised concentric circles, possibly belonging to a single wooden box (MF-2013-6a-c), an iron buckle (MF-2013-4), a bronze tack (MF-2013-5), and several rare forms of African Red Slip Ware (C-2013-3, C-2013-4). Most of the 56 coins found in this layer were illegible. Some coins, however, provide a useful terminus post quem for the dating of this layer. One such coin, 2013-128, might date to after the 491 CE reform of Anastasius due to the possible presence of denomination mark. Similarly, Coin 2013-139 may also bear a denomination mark. However, the identification of these coins is tentative due to their poor preservation and will need to be verified by Orestes Zevros.  Several other 5th century CE coins (nos. 2013-91, 2013-96, 2013-113) and an interesting possibly counterfeit coin of “barbaric style” dating to 383-402 CE (no. 2013-123) were also found in the context. Ceramic evidence was more useful in dating this context. Most of the pottery from dates to late 5th century CE. However, the context has very few early 5th century sherds, and the lamps and African Red Slip forms present in the context suggest a slightly later date of 500-525 CE. ; ; Above the tile fill in the southern part of this area, two parallel curvilinear walls (S1068 and S1069), 0.45 m apart, rested on a deposit containing much dissolved mudbrick (Context 1073; N-S 1013.60-1011.79, E-W 257.53-255.71). The inner Wall 1068 was made of two courses of limestone cobbles (with the second course represented by only one stone) and a reused marble fragment (A-2013-1), while the outer Wall 1069 had only one preserved course. One section of both walls was covered with a localized concentration of mudbrick, clay, and stone (Context 1047). We originally identified this concentration as a structure, but later we concluded that it was probably a dump of building material or a dense filling between the two walls. The walls run into the western scarp, and unfortunately not enough was preserved to determine their function.   ; ; Above the northern side of the large destruction Context1080, there was another dense fill, Context 1058 (N-S 1015.65-1013.46, E-W 258.47-255.65), which was relatively tile-free, but contained a large amount of coarse and cooking pottery, many of which had joins. While this is not as clearly a destruction level since it did not contain much tile or other building material, there is no clear use-surface above or below it, and the presence of large pieces of charcoal and the joins in the pottery suggests that this may also have been a dumped destruction fill. Some rare pottery types and lamps from this context were saved, including a lamp from the workshop of Chionis (L-2013-1) dated to the late 5th/early 6th century CE, which seems to correspond well with the date based on the remaining pottery. ; ; The fill of Context 1046 (N-S 1015.80-1013.35, E-W 255.60-257.91), yet another layer rich in tile, ceramic, and bone, was smaller in extent and thinner than Context1080, but it included a similar range of materials. The pottery forms seem to be later and are dated to the second half 6th century CE. Similarly, the glass from this deposit contained a number of tubular ring goblet feet, which were introduced in the second half of the 5th century CE and were made with new technology. These were absent from Deposit 1080, which contained only vertical stemmed goblet feet. Thus, here we have two different types of technology represented in two separate deposits. According to Athenian Agora XXXIV, however, the two types may slightly overlap chronologically. Therefore, these two deposits may either represent two chronologically separate events, or may reflect the presence of two separate, but contemporary, households who both dumped material in the same area. Significant other finds include a large ovoid marble fragment, which may be a finial or part of a balustrade. ; ; The interpretation of the nature of the activities in this area is made difficult by the presence of large pit Cut 870 in the middle of the excavation area as well as the presence of the Turkish house to the north and the western baulk of the excavation area, all of which truncated the dumped fills. Given that the pottery dates for each of the three layers described above, it is difficult to determine whether these dumps are related to a single destructive event in the wider neighborhood or represent a series of independent events. One possibility may be that this area lay behind a N-S wall which once filled Cut 1040, which we believe to be a robbing trench. Thus, this may have been a convenient exterior dumping ground used over time. Another possibility may be that a large destructive event, such as the earthquake of 522, afflicted the area causing several households to dump their debris in one single area as a part of a general clean-up project. However, at this point we are reluctant to connect these deposits to a single historical event without further study of the pottery from these levels. Above these dumped fills were a series of leveling fills, which may have been laid down in order to reuse the area for new purposes at the end of the Late Roman period. ; ; The remaining Late Roman activity was located in the northwestern part of the excavation area. A well preserved section of a drain, Structure 1026 (N-S 1017.17- 1014.96, E-W 260.14- 259.75), ran N-S at the northern edge of the excavation area and was parallel to the robbing trench 1040. It appears to have been truncated by the building of Wall 918. The drain dates before the middle of the 6th century CE, based on stratigraphy, but since the structure itself and the fill it rests upon were not yet excavated, this date remains preliminary. The drain may have been connected to the well—excavated in the 1960s—located just north of it, immediately to the east of the Turkish house and may have been part of the drainage system of structure related to the wall we theorize filled Cut 1040. ; ; The latest Late Antique activity in the area is present in thin deposits preserved below Wall 540 on the east side of the excavation area. The wall, which dates to the early 12th century, was left pedestalled during the 2012 season (top H. 86.56m, bottom H. 85.98m). Excavation continued on both sides of the wall, and after its removal we were able to correlate this season’s deposits to some of those excavated in 2012. ; ; The pedestal below Wall 540 was preserved in three sections, interrupted by two robbing trenches, Cut 980 and Deposit 985. We excavated the two northern sections and Daniel Diffendale and Mohammed Bhatti excavated the southern section. Each of the two northern sections of the baulk below the wall contained two tile destruction levels, separated by a layer of leveling fill. This clear sequence allowed us to find equivalent layers of the baulk across the robbing trench of Wall 918/992 (filled by Contexts 975 and 985), which separated our two sections of the baulk. ; ; The lowest layers of the pedestal were excavated as Deposits 990 and 991 (990 N-S 1016.20-1014.64, E-W264.68-263.66; 991: N-S 1014.62-1011.63, E-W 264.59-263.76) and correspond to Structure 936 (dated to mid 6th- early 7th century CE), a compact floor surface excavated in 2012. They also relate to Deposit 1035, excavated by Bhatti and Diffendale. Given the narrowness of the pedestal, we cannot add much to the interpretation of this surface at this point. The possibility of further succession of floors below this level was suggested by George and Valente in 2012 report, but was explored by Bhatti and Diffendale during this season. ; ; The earliest tile destruction layer, Contexts 989 and 984, are equal to Contexts 934 and 929 excavated in 2012, due to their roughly equivalent elevations and presence of tile. This allows us to confirm that this tile destruction layer ran under the wall, as theorized by Valente and George in 2012. Our tile layer must have been part of a larger dump of tile, possibly resulting from the clean-up of a destroyed building elsewhere, or—as theorized in 2012—from the collapse of a roof. We were not able to equate the other layers of the pedestal (including the later tile layer) to levels excavated in the previous season, unfortunately. This may be due to a disturbance from the foundation trench of the wall or other activity in the area after the Wall 540 was built, which preserved the later tile layer under the wall, but removed it to the east and west. The layer intervening between the two tile dumps and the later tile dump itself date to the late 6th/early 7th century CE, while the top-most level of the baulk (Contexts 974 and 986) dates to the 7th century CE. ; ; ; Middle to Late Byzantine (802-1210 CE); ; During the mid-10th to late 11th centuries CE, there was a very large pit in the middle of the excavation area (Cut 870, N-S 1014.56-1011.63, E-W 261.89-258.43), which was previously identified as a bothros by George and Valente in 2012. This pit seems to have been filled over a period of time, with the cut and first preserved fill (Context 1002) dated to the late 10th-early 11th centuries and the latest fill (Context 844, excavated in 2012) dated to the late 11th century. This extremely large and deep cut may have functioned as a disposal bothros during this period. The bothros seems to have been filled by the time that the Late Byzantine walls in the area were built, so we are currently unable to associate it with any architecture. However, it must have existed in an exterior space at its time of use.; ; There seems to have been a flurry of building activity in this area during the late 11th and early 12th centuries. Wall 747/1087 seems to have been erected first, in the late 11th-early 12th centuries (1087: N-S 1010.81-101.11 E-W 258.29-255.75; 747: N-S 1010.80-1010.40, E-W 264.15-263.30).  During the 2012 season, the foundation trench (Cut 809) for Wall 1087 was partially excavated, but we removed the final layer of fill within the cut during this season, as Context 1086 (N-S 1011.38-1010.62, E-W 258.24-255.68), and we also exposed further foundations of the wall during cleaning. We are uncertain what space was defined by this wall in its earliest phase, but during a later phase in the early 12th century, it appears to have been abutted by the slightly later N-S Wall 540. Therefore, it seems that the space to the west of Wall 540 was divided into a northern and a southern section by Wall 747/1087. However, we cannot be certain whether these spaces were interior or exterior and we do not yet have evidence of any further walls defining the space.; ; Wall 540 (N-S 1015.20-1007.26, E-W 264.76-263.68), which consisted of two faces of roughly worked small boulders with cobbles and rubble in the interior, was removed during this season, allowing us to clarify its relationship with several other walls in the area. We are now certain that two E-W walls in the area, Wall 918/992  (N-S 1015.10-1014.57, E-W 266.12-259.56) and Wall 945 (N-S 1011.69-1010.89, E-W 264.50-260.95), were out of use by the time that Wall 540 was built, because Wall 540 was constructed over the robbing trenches of each of these walls. Perhaps these walls were removed in preparation for the building of Wall 540 or as part of a larger rebuilding project in the area. ; ; Recommendations for the future:; 1.    Excavate any remaining fill in Cut 1040 and investigate the possibility that this robbing trench continued on the south side of Cut 870. This would shed light on our theory that the wall which once filled this cut was related to the dumping ground to its west. ; 2.    Continue investigating the area bounded by Walls 992 and 945 to the east of Cut 870 in order to continue exploring the Late Roman levels. Special attention should be paid to any evidence of dumped destruction fills. ; 3.    Remove Drain 1026 and the fill below it to clarify the date of the drain. ; 4.    Consider excavating part of Wall 747/1087 for chronological purposes. ; 5.    Clean the bottom of Cut 870 to better understand the material exposed at its bottom and take closing levels, which we were unable to do during this session.","","","","","Corinth","","Report"
"Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2012 by George, Charles Valente, Rossana (2012-06-26 to 2012-06-27)","2012 Session 3 Team Blue Final Summary","","Nezi Field 2012 by George, Charles; Valente, Rossana (2012-06-26 to 2012-06-27)","","Charles George, Rossana Valente; Nezi Field Excavations; N: 1015.90 N, S: 1006.90 N, E: 264.20 E, W: 255.50 E; 28 May – 22 June, 2012; ; This is a final summary of the third season of excavation (28th May – 22th June) in 2012 in the northwest area of Nezi field. Guy Sanders (director) and Heather Graybehl (field director) supervised. The blue excavation team consisted of Charles George and Rossana Valente (recorders), Athanasios Sakellariou (pickman), Athanasios Notis (pickman), Christos Sakellariou (shovelman), and Pavlos Sennes (barrowman).; Excavation began in the area bounded by the Giambouranis house (NB 252, NB 262, 1015.90 N) to the north, Wall 540 to the east (264.20 E), Wall 366 to the south (1006.90 N), and the balk of Nezi field (255.50 E) to the west. The lack of preserved architecture, except the partially preserved Wall 747, led us initially to interpret our area as exterior space associated with the Byzantine room to the south, bounded by Wall 366 and Robbing Trench 497 to the north (1006.00 N), Wall 365 to the south (1002.10 N), Wall 332 to the east (262.07 E) and Wall 306 to the west (258.01 E). The goal of this session was to further explore the Byzantine habitation layers found during earlier excavations in the area (2008 and 2009, sessions 1st and 2nd 2012), with the hope of better understanding the use of space in this area during Frankish and Byzantine times and also of reaching Late Roman material by the end of the season.; ; Late Antique (5th-7th AD); ; We have reached Late Antique contexts in the northeast of the area which are overlaid by Wall 540, dated to the late 11th c. For this reason, we cannot see the eastern ends of the contexts, and we suggest close cooperation and contact with the Pink Team’s excavations of the area east of the wall.; We have identified a mid 6th- early 7th c. AD floor (S 936, removed as 957), which seems to continue under wall 540, and we argue that it is equal to a floor in the Pink Area (S941). This context contained two fifth century nummi (coin no.  2012-159, 160), with five fifth century nummi (coin no. 2012- 162-166, 169) also found in what we interpret as the continuation of the floor to the north (959), and two fifth century nummi (coin no. 2012-161, 164 ) found in a suggested floor surface below S 936 (958). The excavation of the floor has revealed another possible floor, which itself was laid over another possible floor surface. This may suggest that we have a stratification of floors indicating several successive habitations during the Late Antique period. The section of the floor called 959 seems to be laid on an E-W wall (S 918), therefore dating the wall earlier. It is unclear when and under what circumstances the wall later was robbed out. However, further excavation in the area and removal of wall 540 should elucidate the relationship. ; ; Above floor S 936 is a tile destruction layer (934), which is likely equal to the tile destruction layer across wall 540 on the Pink Team’s tile destruction layer 929. The elevation of Pink 929 is roughly equivalent to that of Blue 934 and part of Blue 931, a leveling fill directly above the destruction layer. As supporting evidence for this relationship is an AFRS form 99, which has joining fragments both in Blue 931 and Pink 929.; ; Vast quantities of sherds of Late Antique pottery have been found in the fill of a Late Byzantine lime pit (the eastern part of pit is 878 and western part is 917), an ovular Byzantine pit (888), and adjacent cleaning contexts and leveling fills (895, 906, 907, 908). Also, a Late Antique glass bottle (MF 2012-50) and jar (MF 2012-51) have been found in the lime pit (917). While we have interpreted these all as redepositions, the large size of the glass sherds and the size and density of the pottery suggest that the Late Antique material in these fills does not show signs of frequent redeposition.; ; Late Byzantine (1059-1210 AD); ; The most important feature identified as Late Byzantine is the western portion of wall called 747, which dates to the late 11th c. The excavation of the fill to the east of western wall 747 has revealed a finished surface to the wall and an apparent end to the foundation beneath the wall. We think that in this space East of Western wall 747 there was an entrance. As the Western and eastern portions of wall called 747 are on the same axis, despite the gap and differences in construction, we maintain that they are contemporaneous and of the same structure. We still hope to determine whether there was an interior space north or south of the wall. North of 747 may have been exterior as suggested by the massive pit there (C 870, fill 844 and 868, W-E 258.43-261.89, S-N 1011.63-1014.56), which we have identified as a bothros, since it contains a mix of pottery ranging from the Geometric Period to the late 11th c.; ; Western Wall 747 seems to be surrounded by several leveling fills that are also dated to the Late Byzantine period. These leveling fills are both north (854, 855, 857, 858, 859, 863, 868, 869, 875, 876, 925, and 927) and south (897 and 904) of Wall 747. These leveling fills characterized by a yellowish brown soil, are poorly sorted, and there are not many material inclusions. Small quantities of pottery are found across these contexts. These small contexts are overlaid in several areas by various lenses of leveling fill, often consisting of harder-packed and different colored soil, but the pottery dates from all of these contexts suggest that they are all part of a relatively contemporaneous leveling of the area. None of these contexts has a precise date for the Late Byzantine period; we can relate this context to the Late Byzantine leveling activity of this area mainly by stratigraphic relationships. In the middle Byzantine dumped fill of a robbing trench along the W Scarp (950), we have found a likely-Christian clay bread mold (MF 2012-47). These fills seem bounded by Wall 747 in the south but extend as far as the Northern Balk.; ; We have found a lime pit (C 882, W-E 257.54-260.87 S-N 1008.88-1010.10, filled by 878 and 917) directly south of Western Wall 747. All the preserved sides of this pit are covered with lime. It is possible that the walls of this cut were intentionally covered with lime, for building purposes. For example, the lime pit may have been used for the construction of walls 747 and/or 540, which both also seem to date to the late 11th c. In a later action, this cut was filled by a dumped fill (878 and 917). The filling of this cut, dated to the late 11th c, is a secondary deposition of large quantities of Late Antique pottery (5th – 6th C). Excavation of the oven (S 910) and the area between the oven and the pit will elucidate the issue and will provide confirmation as to the western boundary of the pit, which is not yet certain.; ; Last but not least in importance is pit 888 (W-E 262.21-263.10, N-S 1009.06-1007.06). Partially excavated during session 1 (888=680), this pit seems to be a bothros. Its dumped fill, dated to the 11th C, seems to be a secondary deposition of much earlier material including large quantities of Late Antique (5th – 6th C)  pottery, Late Antique coins (2012 22-29, 105-126), and a 2nd-3rd c. incised intaglio (MF 2012-33). ; ; Frankish (1210-1458 AD); ; During the Frankish period E - W Wall 747 was partially robbed out. As noted during session 2, certain fills (833, 744) excavated in the robbing trench for this wall were distinguished both in materials excavated and soil composition, and should be considered the first robbing episode of this structure. ; S of this robbing trench, we excavated a Frankish pit dated by the pottery to 1270 (C 926 filled by 883, 884, 885, 887, 889, W-E 261.88-264.03, S-N 1010.35-1008.90). The pit was particularly rich in finds, including luxurious items such as gilded bone bands (MF 2012-43, 45), incised bone knife handles (MF 2012-48), and gilded bronze flower-shaped clamps (MF 2012-53A, 53B, 54, 55) as well as stone- and metal- working tools such as a lead cupellation bowl (MF 2012-38) and an iron chisel (MF 2012-40). Also found was a pecten shell used by pilgrims travelling on the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela (MF 2012-34).; ; Below the pit, we came on the head of a well, a cistern, or a manhole (S 902 W-E 262.23-262.71, S-N 1009.55-1010.05). The structure is lined with plaster, and goes down 2.35 m, without any visible fill except for a small accumulation of debris, much of which is from our excavation of proximate contexts. The hole seems to have been intentionally closed with blocks. That it is a manhole is suggested by the slightly ovular shape of the hole, but it appears to be self-contained in all horizontal directions, which makes it more likely that it was a cistern or a well. That it is a well is suggested by the nearly intact water jug that was found at the bottom of pit 889, just centimeters away from the hole. Further excavation is needed to ; Another Frankish pit (C 871, filled by 860, W-E 255.51-256.95, S-N 1011.92-1013.63) was excavated during the second quarter of the 13th C, as its dumped fill suggests. This pit, located next to the W scarp of the excavation area has been interpreted as a bothros. Interestingly, the N side of the pit scarp is full of tile. A few large, unworked stones (possibly mined bedrock) are visible at the bottom on the E side. ; These pits may have been created for the purpose of storage. Generally Frankish pits were made along walls, as the surface of the wall offered an easy ready-made boundary for the pit. Our Frankish pits C 871 and C 926 correspond to this interpretation as do two Frankish pits excavated by the Pink Team (C 847, C 867).; ; Early Modern (1831-1945); ; Context 880 is the only context that has been dated to the Early Modern period, specifically Turkish II. We have interpreted the Turkish finds as contamination from the robbing trench for wall 747 (759), and therefore we interpret the context as a disturbance of the Frankish pit (C 926).; ; Recommendations; ; We recommend to future excavators the following:; ; 1.    Take down Wall 540. We are now certain that the Late Antique floors in the northeast of our area (S 936, 939, and those stratigraphically below) continue under the wall and into the Pink area (see above). The excavation and dating of the wall would remove an obstacle to excavating in the area and would be helpful for dating in the area. Lastly, there are many walls in the Blue (S 747 and S 918) and Pink areas that misalign by as few as 0.10-0.30 m, and the excavation of the wall would help in seeing more clearly whether they are related and how.; ; 2.    Excavate oven S 910 and the surrounding contexts in order to determine the relationship between the oven and the Byzantine lime pit to the east (C 882). ; ; 3.    Excavate floors S 911 and S 912 to discern their dates as well as the relationship between the two floors and between the floors and the surrounding area; ; 4.    Take down the contexts east of 949 and then proceed to finish its excavation. Digging in this area is important for understanding the boundary between the Late Antique material to the east and the 11th c. lenses of fill 844 to the west.; We hope that in the future, interior and exterior areas will be able to be identified, and that the Late Antique levels, now appearing in the NW, will become apparent throughout the area.","","","","","Corinth","","Report"
"Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2007 by Lina Kokkinou and Angela Ziskowski (2007-05-21 to 2007-06-09)","Byzantine to Early Modern period in the southern end of Nezi Field","","Nezi Field 2007 by Lina Kokkinou and Angela Ziskowski (2007-05-21 to 2007-06-09)","","EXCAVATION SUMMARY; We, Angela Ziskowski and Lina Kokkinou, from May 21 to June 9 2007 continued the excavation in the northern edge of the Nezi field, in the same excavation area opened by Lydia Herring, Josh Langseth, and Kris Lorenzo in the previous Corinth excavation sessions of 2007. We worked under the supervision of Guy Sanders, Ioulia Tzonou-Herbst, James Herbst, and Alicia Carter. We excavated with workmen Kleomenis Didaskalou, Vasilis Papanikolaou, (pick men), Vasilis Kollias, Iannis Oikonomou (shovel men), Andreas Oikonomou, and Vangelis Kollias (barrowmen). ; Our purpose was to continue the survey of the previous sessions, which extended as early as the Frankish strata, and to form a better opinion about the Frankish activities in the Nezi field and begin exploring earlier (Byzantine) activities in the area. Nevertheless during our work we also discovered traces of Early Modern activities.; ; ; BYZANTINE (610 to 1210 AD); We did not have enough time to work adequately with the Byzantine strata. We dug only a few baskets dated in Byzantine period and therefore it is too soon to form a final opinion about the Byzantine activities at the Nezi area.  However, it appears that a substantial grey, ashy layer (at least 6 meters in diameter) of Early or Middle Byzantine material will be exposed in 2008 which could very well represent some sort of industrial area (heavy burning) and would explain the large number of nails and iron lumps which were being excavated in this area this season. Nevertheless, on the basis of the evidence so far there was some activity in the Byzantine era in the southernmost part of the excavation area (1001.00N – ca 1006.00N) between ca 266.5 E and 274.00 E (B149, B161, B207, B215, B219, B 225, and 226). It is difficult to interpret B149 and B161 because they seem to extend further to the south of the limits of the excavation, and need to be evaluated in following sessions.  B226, a small oval depression seems to be directly above the substantial grey ashy layer which will be exposed in the 2008 excavation season which will most likely date to the Early (610-802 AD) or Middle Byzantine (802-1058 AD) periods.  B219, which is part of the fill of the foundation trench for the N-S wall at 269E, though small and incomplete, probably dates the construction of the N-S wall at 269E in the Middle Byzantine period on the basis of the pottery evidence. This wall was exposed in the previous sessions with B129 and B131 and was considered Frankish due to a coin of W. Villehardouin that was discovered in the fill covering the wall (B129). The presence of this coin can be explained by the use of this earlier wall by the Franks.  During the Late Byzantine period (1059-1210 AD) a small part of this wall that maybe included a threshold, was robbed (B207, B215). ; In addition, this N-S wall continued and was connected to an apsidal structure (that may have been added later based on limited exposure of the construction features) in the north (at 1008.60 N).  We excavated both the wall of this structure and the area within it.  While layers directly above the apse dated to the Late Byzantine or Byzantine NPD (B 176, 179, 213, 214), the construction of the apse clearly dates to the Middle Byzantine (B 206, 216, 217, and 222).  The upper layer of soil within the apse dated to the Frankish period (B 204), but the lower levels varied from Frankish to Middle Byzantine (B 208 and 209).  I suspect the reason for this is twofold; first, the lower levels of the interior of the building (I hesitate to call them floors since they were not level nor was there a deposit of material on them) are truly Byzantine and secondly, the area within the apse was partially excavated before wall itself which could have contaminated some of the material inside the structure.  ; Layers (B 218, 220, and 221) from the western edge of the apse and the western N-S wall (running along 266.00 E) of this building were dated to the Frankish period and will be dealt with in that section.; ; ; FRANKISH (1210-1458 AD); A significant amount of our work was dedicated in the area between N-S wall at 266E (revealed with B 65, B115, B117, B131, B137, and B139) and N-S wall at 269E (revealed with B129 and B138), and in the area West of the N-S wall at 266E. ; Courses of the western wall (running along 266.00 E) of this building were exposed in the north beyond the E-W crosswall (1006.00 to 1007.00 N) (B 218 and 220).  Moreover, it seems that the crosswall extended further to the west and under the western balk of the excavation (B 221) and may have been the northernmost point of the original structure.  However, the construction of the apse dates to the Byzantine period while most of the two N-S walls were exposed in Frankish levels.  Thus we are excavating a lower, earlier level of the apse (giving it an earlier date), it may be part of an earlier building onto which the later Frankish building levels were set, or it may simply be explained by the fact that the ground slopes downward from south to north.  ; Regarding the area between the N-S wall at 269E and the N-S wall at 266E, it became evident that at least in the Frankish period, the area was used as a room and that it was covered by a roof. As stated above, the N-S wall at 269E must have been constructed in Middle Byzantine period (802-1058 AD). There is no evidence yet about the use of the room in the Byzantine period (excluding the apse area which may be a separate structure), because we did not excavate below the Frankish strata in this area. This wall continued to be used by the Frankish population as the east wall of a roofed room. The west wall of the room was N-S wall at 266E.  The roof of the room suffered probably multiple destructions around the middle of the 13th century AD (B184, B210). We were able to trace the red floor of the room below the destruction in some areas of the room.; After the destruction of the room (B184, cut = B 191) a pit or well was created in the central West area of the room. This pit/well was used as a rubbish area for bones, tiles, stones etc. The digging of the pit/well was not completed in this session and its date is not secure (Frankish or Ottoman). ; It is very possible that the area west of the N-S wall at 266E and its threshold is also a room, because with B196 we discovered part of a wall and its robbing trench that runs in the N-S direction and is almost parallel to N-S wall at 266E. This wall stands immediately to the east of the western limit of the excavation at 263E. The hypothesis that the area between the two walls is a room is supported by the discovery of a small area of red soil, possibly a floor immediately to the west of the threshold of N-S wall at 266E. For definite conclusions about the activity in this area we have to extend the excavation area further to the west and also to study carefully the area to the north, where B141 and B142 were done.; A small partial roof destruction limited to the southeast of the threshold of N-S wall at 266E and dated to the first half of the 13th century AD can either belong to a roof of the area west of N-S wall at 266E, or to a roof of the room east of N-S wall earlier that that of B184. This small part of the roof could have slipped and fallen from the roof of a room  west of N-S wall at 266E in the area east of N-S wall at 266 E, then unroofed. It could also have fallen vertically down from a roof covering a room east of N-S wall at 266E.; East and north of the structure discussed extensive layers of fill were excavated exposing very few features.  These baskets of fill extended from 265.00 to 279.00 E and 1001.00 to 1013.82 N (B 172, 181, 200, 202, and 212).  In the southeastern corner of the excavation (274.00 to 279.00 E and 1002.00 to 1006.00 N) there were a number of layers that were clearly clay surfaces (B 165, 167, 175, and 185).  These layers consisted of a hard, packed clay on whose surface many finds laid.  Earlier in the season, channels (B 68) were exposed running across this space and it was suggested that these may have been irrigation channels.  However, it is now believed that it was not garden fill deposited in this area.  In addition, a small pit (B 183 and cut 186) was cut into these clay surfaces.  The material of this pit was dated to the second half of the 13th century, the same date as the clay surfaces.  Moreover, the relatively straight edges of the north (discussed below) and west edges of these surfaces suggest that they may have been at the edge of a building, if not necessarily inside.  ; In addition, a possible robbing trench was cut into the northern edge of these clay surfaces (B 173 and cut 182).  With the flat, clay surfaces jutting against this trench’s southern edge, it very well may represent the robbing of an E-W wall.  This trench (B 182) is also cut by another trench (B 111) which runs N-S.  Further consideration and excavation will be necessary to understand this area.; Even further to the north of this trench, we removed a martyr between a pit-like area (B 104) and a small wall (B 170).  We then removed the small cobble wall (B 199), dated to the second half of the 13th century, which was collapsing off the north edge of the Nezi excavations.  ; Throughout the central area of the excavations (269.00 to 274.00 E and 1001.00 to 1011 N) we removed a thick layer of soil that can be best described as silty (B 188, 223, and 227).  This soil contained little pottery (in comparison to other areas of fill here) and many bones.  Since there is a depression in the Nezi field at this point, it is reasonable to suppose that this soil was washed into place by rain or flooding.  Below it we were exposing a black/grey ashy layer which will be excavated at the beginning of the 2008 excavation season.  ; Above this silty soil, we removed one small clay patch (B 224) that jutted against the N-S wall which runs along 269.00 N.  In addition, two pits were cut through these levels.  The first (B 151 and cut 187) (at 271.00 to 272.00 E and 1002.00 to 1002.50 N) was exposed by B 140.  The second (cut B 193) was a substantial pit (270.00 to 271.80 E and 1007.00 to 1009.30 N) exposed by B 145 (the layer directly above B 188).  This pit (B 147, 148, 150, 153, 159, 160, and 163 = martyr) was dumped with fill that varied substantially in date although the latest material was dated to the Frankish period.  We stopped digging at B 160 after determining that it has cuttings into the bedrock for a well and that to continue any deeper would be dangerous and logistically difficult at present.  ; ; EARLY MODERN (1831-1949); This session’s survey did not add much to the evidence we had from the previous sessions about the Early Modern activities in the Nezi field (a property boundary wall, an ash pit, agricultural activity). In the Early Modern period part of N-S wall at 264E, which was revealed in B52 and B54, was robbed, as the pottery found in the robbing trench of the wall confirms (B 197, B 198, B 201).  In addition, a layer of soil (B 180) over a portion of this wall, which was left at higher level and not robbed as parts both south and north of it, suggesting it may be a different wall crossing this one) also dated to the early Modern period.; ; ; CONCLUSIONS; We have begun to uncover layers of Byzantine material in the Nezi excavations.  It appears that the lower levels of the walls and the interior fill of the only building exposed all belong to this period.  Moreover, the final days of excavation exposed a grey, ashy layer over a large area of the field which will almost certainly date to the Byzantine period once it is excavated next season.; The majority of the excavations carried out during this session were securely dated to Frankish contexts.  During this period we see a space being actively used in the southwest corner of the excavations, which may or may not be an interior room but further investigation will be required to determine this.  Also, human activity is visible within the structure.  At some point in the 13th century there are multiple destructions, after which a large pit is cut into the floor of the interior of the building.  ; Outside of this building, one finds several hard, clay surfaces in the southeastern corner of Nezi field.  These surfaces exposed finds laying flat upon them.  The trench cut to the north of them and the fact that the western edge of them is relatively straight suggests that they may indeed be floors of some sort.  In addition, the whole Nezi area north and east of the building seems to have been primarily covered in layers of fill under which a large silty layer had washed through the area.  This silty area seems to be dividing the Frankish and Byzantine deposits suggesting a possible period in which it was not used.  The numbers of iron nails and large iron lumps found throughout this area and the large ashy deposit made visible by the removal of this silty soil all suggest, in my opinion, that we are coming onto an exterior space used heavily for industrial purposes.  ; Several additional cuts (which may represent robbing trenches for walls) and deep pits make up the only other features in this area.  The large number of pits also suggests that this was an outdoor area.  ; Finally, the only significant evidence for the early Modern period in this session’s excavation include a number of layers which were removed from a robbed out wall that was exposed in the northwestern corner of the excavation.  I suspect that the wall itself dates to the Frankish period and it was robbed out during the Early Modern period.","","","","","Corinth","","Report"
"Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2010 by Paga, Jessica (2010-04-07 to 2010-04-23)","2010 Session I Final Report: Area North of 1961 Byzantine House","","Nezi Field 2010 by Paga, Jessica (2010-04-07 to 2010-04-23)","","North of Nezi 2010; Yellow First Session Report (Jessica Paga); ; ; The following summarizes the results of excavation in the area directly North of the 1961 Byzantine House, in the space bounded by North-South wall 5677 on the West (E. 261.83), East-West wall 5562 on the South (N. 1040.23), and North-South wall 5431 on the East (E. 276.78).  The Northern boundary of the area under investigation is delineated by the scarp of the excavations and backfill from the late 19th c., later excavations in the area to the South of the South Stoa by Oscar Broneer in the 1930s, and the subsequent excavations in the 1960s (N. 1045.51).  ; ; The excavation of this area was supervised by Dr. G.D.R. Sanders (director) and Martin Wells (field supervisor).  Our pick man was Panos Kakouros, our shovel man (and occasional pick man) was Kleomenes Didaskalou, our wheelbarrow man was Vassilis Kollias, and our sieve man was Agamemnon.  Jessica Paga was recorder for the first session, from 7 April – 23 April, 2010.  This area was last excavated in 2008 by Thanos Webb, Amit Shilo, Christina Kolb, and Sarah Lima.; ; Our primary objectives in excavating this area included defining the relationship of this area to the Byzantine House to the South, removing the Frankish levels in order to investigate the Middle and Late Byzantine uses of the area, and clarifying the possible connections and relations between this area and that directly South of the South Stoa.  The boundary between the Byzantine House and our area is the E-W wall 5562 (which has not yet been phased, but which clearly has two periods of construction).  One of the main questions regarding the relationship of our area to the Byzantine House is whether this is an exterior or interior space.  The removal of the Frankish levels required dismantling several walls and excavating several deposit contexts.  In removing the Frankish levels, we were hoping to answer questions about the Middle and Late Byzantine use of the area.  The area to the South of the South Stoa is riddled with later walls, pits, and areas of backfill.  Our primary goal here was to clarify what had been previously excavated (e.g. what was backfill, what were the parameters of earlier investigation) and what were “untouched” or unexcavated strata.  Due to the disparate nature of the Frankish levels and the physical divisions of the area by various North-South walls (e.g. 5677, 5561, 5394, and 5430) and pits/robbing trenches (e.g. robbing trench 5802, bothros 5595), we excavated this area in two parts.  The Western half, which we investigated first, consists of the area bounded by N-S wall 5677 on the West, E-W wall 5562 on the South, robbing trench 5802 on the East, and the Northern scarp as defined by the 2008 excavations (e.g. the scarps of 5689 and bothros 5629).  The Eastern half, which was investigated second, consists of the area bounded by N-S wall 5430/5431 on the East, E-W wall 5562 on the South, N-S wall 5561/6821 and bothros 5595 on the West, and the Northern scarp as delineated by earlier 19th and 20th c. excavations.  In the final two days of session I, we turned our attention to the central area between the Western and Eastern halves: an area bounded by robbing trench 5802 on the West, bothros 5595 on the South, N-S wall 6821 on the East, and the Northern scarp as defined by the earlier excavations.  This central space represents the link between the Western and Eastern halves of the area.; ; ; THE WESTERN HALF; ; Excavation in the Western half of the area was conducted from 7 April – 14 April, 2010.  The latest feature still extant in this area was Frankish E-W wall 5678.  This wall abutted, but was not bonded with, N-S wall 5677, possibly implying that it was co-terminus to or post-dated wall 5677 (N.B. wall 5677 has not yet been phased).  Wall 5678 was dated to the 3rd ¼ of the 13th c. based on pottery.  One coin was recovered during the dismantling of the wall (2010-001), from the reign of Alexius I (1092-1093 C.E.).  It is possible that the wall as it existed prior to excavation was actually only the foundation rubble; at the very least, most of the demolition of wall 5678 involved the removal of the foundation rubble and fill, with only a few upper stones indicating possible visible wall courses.  Wall 5678 cut the 2008 deposits 5712, 5531, 5515, and 5524.  The wall also cut the 11th-12th c. external floor surfaces 6698 and 6696, as well as the layers of fill below them.  The wall further cut the 10th-11th c. marble tile floor (5710), which is extant on the North and South of the foundation trench for the wall.  Wall 5678 was possibly truncated or robbed out by the activity to the East, evidenced by robbing trench 5802.  The sequence and nature of events at this intersection is unclear without further examination.; ; On either side of wall 5678 and cut by it (North and South), there was an external floor surface, indicated by a compact surface with small to medium sized pebbles and tiles laid horizontally (6698 and 6696, although see the excavation notes for the problem with 6696).  The nature of the pebbles and use of tile implies an exterior, rather than interior, space.  The optical similarity between the surfaces cut by wall 5678, as well as their similar inclusions and compaction, suggests that they represent a single unified space.  This floor dates to the 11th-12th c. and represents a clear use of the area during the Late Byzantine period.  At this time, the area to the North of the 1961 Byzantine House was exterior to the primary living space, but possibly still associated with the house and nearby activities.  Underneath the floor were several deposits of fill and accumulation (most likely both natural and man-made), all datable to the 10th-11th c.  This possibly indicates a period of abandonment or lack of precise use during the transition from the Middle to Late Byzantine periods.  Prior to this hypothetical period of abandonment, a marble tiled floor was laid (5710), most likely dating to the 10th c. (N.B. the floor has not been excavated; dating is based on the stratigraphic relationship between the marble floor and the fills that postdate it).  ; ; The positive sequence of events for the Western half of the area begins with the concrete subfloor and marble tile floor, laid alongside N-S wall 5677, probably during the 10th c.  This marble floor runs up to the East face of N-S wall 5677, but does not extend as far South as E-W wall 5562.  The Northern and Eastern limits of the floor are unknown.  The floor itself was laid in an opus sectile and lozenge pattern, with alternating white marble and blue schist stones.  The lozenge pattern tiles seem to form a border around a missing central feature.  The function of this floor and space is unclear without further excavation, as is its possible relationship to the 1961 Byzantine House to the South.  A concrete subfloor underlies the marble floor and is traceable in many places where the marble tiles are no longer extant.  This subfloor was cut along the South by an irregular line, possible denoting the later foundation trench for wall 5562.  Following the abandonment of the marble floor phase, several layers of fill accumulated across the surface.  At the present moment, this fill represents a possible period of abandonment or disuse during the end of the Middle Byzantine and early Late Byzantine period.  At some point in the 11th – 12th c., in the Late Byzantine period, this fill was overlaid with an external floor surface.  This floor surface was subsequently cut in the 12th c. by a built pithos (5504), as well as a bothros (5629).  The pithos and bothros also cut the marble floor and the concrete subfloor.  At the end of the 12th c., a robbing trench (5802) also cut the external floor surface (and possibly the marble tile floor).  In the 3rd ¼ of the 13th c., a Frankish rubble wall (5678) was installed, cutting both the external floor surface as well as the earlier marble floor.; ; ; THE EASTERN HALF; ; Excavations in the Eastern half of the area were conducted from 14 April – 23 April, 2010.  The Eastern area itself was artificially divided into two halves: the Western area delineated by N-S wall 5561 and N-S wall 5394, and the Eastern area delineated by N-S wall 5394 and N-S wall 5430.  As with the Western half, the Eastern half was characterized by later rubble walls.  Our first action in this area was to dismantle the Frankish (2nd ½ of the 13th c.) N-S wall 5430, which was the latest feature still extant.  This wall was built on top of an earlier N-S wall, 5431, both of which abut E-W wall 5562, but do not bond with it.  Contexts 6723, 6733, and 6809 were further evidence of the Frankish use of this area.  6733 possibly represents a clayey surface, associated with N-W wall 5430.  The precise nature of the Frankish use of this area remains unclear, as does the relationship between the Frankish levels on the Eastern half and the Frankish E-W wall 5678 on the Western half.; ; Prior to the Frankish occupation of this area, there were several periods of Middle and Late Byzantine use, as represented by several deposits of fill on top of an ashy layer of soil (6747).  This fill is later than the 10th-11th c. fill that covered the marble tile floor and underlaid the external floor surface in the Western half of the area, and therefore probably is not related to the same period of disuse.  The ashy soil layer covered, and thereby post-dates, three walls: E-W wall 6764, N-S wall 6765, and E-W wall 6775.  The ashy soil also covered a stratum of compact clayey soil (6777), dated to the Late Byzantine period (12th c., npd).  This compact clayey deposit possibly represents a surface, slumping to the East and South due to soil disruption below.  The clayey surface is related to feature 6807, an arrangement of tiles, set horizontally into a bed of yellow clay, all of which was covered by an accumulation of nearly pure ash (6778).  Taken together, the ash, clayey surface, and tiles might represent a Late Byzantine hearth.  Mitigating this hypothesis is the fact that the ash contained very few traces of charcoal, there was a general lack of pottery within the deposit of ash and the clayey surface, and there were no traces of burning on the tiles or stones of N-S wall 5394 and N-S wall 6789 (the tile feature abutted and partially ran underneath wall 5394; it runs directly up to wall 6789).  It is possible that there was industrial activity occurring nearby and the ashes were dumped in this area; this would explain the lack of localized burning and absence of materials within the deposit.; ; In addition to the Late Byzantine “hearth,” the 12th c. occupation of this area included the use of a rectangular pit, created by the intersections of N-S wall 5431, E-W wall 6764, N-S wall 6765, and E-W wall 6775.  These four walls created a long, narrow space (L. 1.80m, W. approximately 0.32m), that was filled with very loose and soft soil (6759, 6770).  The soil contained several ash lenses, possibly representing a connection with the ash associated with the “hearth.”  Near the bottom of the fill of this pit (6759, 6770), several cook pots, one 12th c. white ware plain bowl, and large quantities of bone were deposited (including part of a human skull).  This rectangular area appears to have been used as a receptacle for the disposal of goods during the Late Byzantine period.  It is possible that the N-S wall 6765 and the E-W wall 6775 were built specifically for this disposal pit, but that hypothesis remains uncertain without further excavation of the area.  ; ; The positive reconstruction of this area is complicated by the fact that the relationship between the ash deposit and “hearth” feature and the rectangular pit is unclear.  They all date to the 12th c., but it is not clear if they were being used simultaneously.  All three deposits might be linked to the industrial activity postulated within this broader area.  After the area fell into disuse, several layers of accumulation and fill built up, until the clayey surface of the Frankish period was installed, along with N-S wall 5430.; ; To the West of this activity, the situation is likewise imprecise.  The western part of the Western half is delineated by N-S wall 5561 (and earlier N-S wall 6821) on the West, and N-S wall 5394 (and earlier N-S wall 6789) on the East.  The latest layers of this area were, like those to the East, Frankish, dating to the early 13th c.  Most likely, the Frankish occupation of this area was the same as that to the East and West.  The Frankish contexts in this area overlaid 11th-12th c. strata.  At some point in the 11th or early 12th c., a stone feature was built (6820), running parallel to E-W wall 5562.  This feature might be a Western continuation of E-W wall 6764, or it might represent an independent structure of unknown function.  The 11th c. occupation of the area is represented by several deposits underlying N-S wall 5561 (12th – early 13th c.).  These deposits (e.g. 6812, 6814, 6805, 6815, 6816) are layers of accumulation or fill on top of earlier N-S wall 6821 (this wall has not yet been phased).  Possibly related to these deposits of 11th c. activity, are two external floor surfaces (6819 and 6825), identified as such due to the small to medium pebbles embedded in their surfaces, as well as horizontally-laid tiles.  The later floor, 6819, is optically identical to the external floor surfaces excavated in the Western half (6698 and 6696), although possibly slightly earlier in date.  These external floor surfaces represent our clearest evidence of linked activity and occupation throughout the Western and Eastern halves of the area.  ; ; The positive reconstruction of events in this area begins with the N-S wall 6821, of uncertain date.  This area subsequently is filled by various 11th c. deposits, including an ash deposit (6814), potentially related to the ash deposits further to the East.  In the late 11th c., an external floor is laid, which was later cut by 12th c. bothros 5595, late 12th c. robbing trench 5802, and Frankish pit 5758.  Co-terminus or later with the external floor surfaces, a stone feature (6820) was installed, of uncertain purpose.  These strata and features represent the Middle and Late Byzantine period of use in this area.  The connection between these areas and the 1961 Byzantine House to the South remains unclear, as the Byzantine House at this point was covered and filled with backfill.  It is also unclear at the present moment what is happening further to the East, in the direction of the road.  To the North, the relationship between the South Stoa and the Byzantine and Frankish activity here is similarly unclear, although there is general evidence of industrial activity along this area.; ; ; CONCLUSION; ; The Frankish occupation in this area is characterized by several rubble walls (E-W wall 5678, N-S wall 5430) and deposits.  The Frankish activity is dispersed throughout the area and not localized in one particular section.  The Late Byzantine period immediately preceding the Frankish period, is primarily identifiable in the various late 11th and 12th c. floor surfaces (6696, 6698, 6819, 6825), which, in some places, are associated with rubble walls.  The Late Byzantine walls, in general, are built with fewer pieces of spoliated stone than the Frankish walls, and also tend to be constructed with smaller stones and in more regular courses.  The Late Byzantine occupation of this area included industrial or cooking activity of some sort, as indicated by the various deposits of ash, cookware, and bones, particularly in the Eastern half of the area.  The arrangement of walls and stone features in the Eastern half, along with the material finds from this area, potentially indicates compartmentalized disposal activity.  The Middle Byzantine period of occupation in this area is thus far indicated by layers of fill on the East and a marble tile floor on the West.; ; The relationship between this area and the 1961 Byzantine House to the South has been made somewhat clearer by the excavations of Session I.  In the Western half of the area, at least, the connection between the Byzantine House and the marble tile floor can be postulated (the construction date for the Byzantine House is late 10th-early 11th c.; the marble tile floor is co-terminus).  ; ; ; SUGGESTIONS FOR SUBSEQUENT EXCAVATION; ; 1.     Continue excavating the deposits between N-S wall 6821 and N-S wall 6789.  Contexts 6791 and 6810 revealed a relatively compact, reddish stratum that covers most of this area.  Excavation of this area will help clarify the nature of the stone feature 6820, as well as better define the parameters of the two N-S walls.; 2.     Define the Northern baulk as it continues to the West.  The Eastern edge was revealed by the excavation of context 6809, but it is important to continue tracing this line of backfill and cuts made in the 1930s, in order to prevent contamination.  ; 3.     Continue excavating context 6787, which was paused, mid-excavation.  This is a stratum of loose fill between E-W wall 6764 and N-S wall 6789.  Further excavation of this layer could reveal more of E-W wall 6764 or expose a foundation trench for N-S wall 6789.; 4.     Resume excavation of the pit between walls 5431, 6764, 6765, and 6775.  Contexts 6759 and 6770 revealed a stratum of loose soil with lenses of ash and charcoal, and with lots of inclusions of pottery and bone.  Excavation in this pit will help to clarify the nature of the Late Byzantine activity in the area.; 5.     Investigation of the area around the “hearth” (6807) might reveal more information about the nature of the activity in this area and the ashy deposits.; 6.     Continued excavation of the central area, between the Western and Eastern halves, would help to unify the two areas and better our understanding of the overall activity.  The floor surfaces 6819 and 6825 revealed a stratum of loose fill, somewhat similar to that revealed by the external floor surfaces to the West (e.g. fill 6701, 6699).","","","","","Corinth","","Report"