Corinth Basket Nezi Field, context 5282

Collection:		Corinth
Type:		Basket
Name:		Nezi Field, context 5282
Area:		Nezi Field
Context Type:		Fill
Title:		Degraded Cement Fill Beneath Vessels
Category:		Deposit
Notebook:		1101
Context:		5282
Page:		0
Date:		2008/04/17
Lot:		Lot 2008-030
Stratum:		5% small to large carbon pieces; 50% small to large degraded white building materials; a few burned sherds
Description:		Top slope of the context is uneven. The soil color is mixed. The soil compaction is firm. The soil is poorly sorted. It is sandy silt.
Notes:		The soil in this context is mixed. It is predominantly white because of degraded building materials, ranging from small pebble size all the way to a couple large cobble sized pieces of concrete. There are occasional medium to large black ashy patches (ranging up to ca. 0.15 by 0.20 m.). There are also some small to large red patches, similar to surrounding decayed mudbrick layers (e.g. 5278). The complete vessels partially uncovered in context 5250 sit on this context. Along the S of this context, a vertical scarp rises. The scarp has a blackened boulder at its E side. The scarp shows a horizontal layer of red 12 cm. thick, a layer of white clay below 10 cm. thinck and another layer of red is partially visible below the white. One band in the white clay seems to have been a floor. This context seems to represent a fill of redeposited destruction debris, since it contains lots of ash and degraded building materials as well as burned sherds. (It is possible, though, that the boulder mentioned above may have been blackened by burning in situ rather than the action of contact with redeposited ash and carbon). The destruction layer does not, however, extend across the entire room to the south. It stops at the scarp to the south and is cut by the foundation trench to the north (it may continue underneath W5344 and into the north corridor area). It also appears to be cut by the placement of the large ashlar blocks (W5347). Removal of the cemety layer has revealed a very uneven layer of hard red mudbrick remains with many ashy deposits. The cementy context continues under Vessel 1, which we are now removing. Two tiles sit over the cementy soil at an angle, as if to support Vessel 1. All the other tiles in this area lie horizontally. We have also removed Vessel 2, which was not complete. We are taking 2 samples for flotation from this context. Sample 1 is from the center-east of the context. Sample 2 is from immediately around the vessels in the W of the context. Removal of Vessel 2 caused one of the handles of Vessel 3 to come off. The handle had been broken in situ, probably by the pressure of the soil. Vessel 4 was only a large sherd, one of a few piled around Vessel 3. Vessel 3 was only found as the neck, handles, and mouth. It was balanced upright on a small stone with another stone immediately to the N, possibly serving as a prop. The other sherds piled around the base of this fragment may also have been serving as props. (Later addition: these sherds were probably part of it -- much of the vessel has been reconstructed by museum staff.) Vessel 5, which was removed after Vessels 1 and 2, was complete except for its broken mouth. It was standing mostly upright, leaning N-NE at a 45 degree angle. Vessel 5 was sitting on the small stone and sherds mentioned above as N of Vessel 3. Complete removal of this context has revealed that it cuts a layer of clay N of where the vessels were lying. This layer of clay looks very much like the clay floor revealed in the scarp to the S. Therefore, the vessels cut destruction debris and an earlier floor. However, the elevation of the clay floor seen in the scarp is 85.46 but the elevation of the clay N of the vessels is 85.36. Traces of clay are visible at the bottom of the scarp, and this clay might be better assocated with the clay to the N. Further excavations would be necessary to establish a relationship. Although the vessels sit on this context, we are going to inventory them as part of context 5250, which surrounded them.
Context Pottery:		Cooking ware. beaker. 2 rims. 1 handle. 8 bodysherds. (saved to lot) .; Coarseware. Nied771 handle. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. pre-Roman2 bodysherds. (saved to lot) .
Pottery Summary:		3 frag(s) 0.01 kg. (100% saved) fineware.
		25 frag(s) 0.12 kg. (100% saved) coarseware.
		32 frag(s) 0.16 kg. (100% saved) cooking ware.
Context Artifacts:		iron lump 1 (saved to lot); bones - 1 envelope (saved to lot); tile 2 (saved to lot); carbon - 1 box (natural substances drawer) (saved to lot); glass slag red-brown 6, black 2 (saved to lot); crucible 1 (saved to lot); lamp type 27 base 1 (saved to lot); plaster 1 (saved to lot); bronze lump 2, small strip 2 (saved to lot)
Period:		Middle Roman (2/2 2nd c-4th c AD)
Chronology:		4th cent. NPD
Grid:		278.22-277.25E, 1018.7-1019.4N
XMin:		277.25
XMax:		278.22
YMin:		1018.7
YMax:		1019.4
Site:		Corinth
City:		Ancient Corinth
Country:		Greece
Masl:		85.24-85.52m.
References:		Report: Nezi Field 2008 by Nathan T. Arrington and Andrew (Drew) W. Sweet (2008-04-07 to 2008-04-23) Image: digital 2008 0041 Object: C 2008 3