Corinth Basket Nezi Field, context 5485

Collection:		Corinth
Type:		Basket
Name:		Nezi Field, context 5485
Area:		Nezi Field
Context Type:		Wall
Title:		Late Byzantine wall in Room bounded on west by wal
Category:		Cut
Notebook:		1101
Context:		5485
Page:		0
Date:		2008/05/14
Stratum:		15-20% inclusions of pebbles, pottery, small pieces of tile
Description:		The soil color is dark yellowish brown. The soil compaction is loose. It is sandy silt. Structure materials: Limestone, roof tile. Material size: Limestone: 0.63x0.40x0.30, tile: 0.10x0.02. Material finish: Squared. Material construction: see notes. Material bonding: mud.
Notes:		Formally W36 We are phasing this wall because we would like to get the room with three Bothroi down to the date of the surrounding rooms (12th century). This wall was partially removed in the 1961 excavations (NB 229, p. 180) because they wanted to excavate the bothros below in (Bothros I). That bothros dated to Late Frankish based on pottery, so this wall is Late Frankish or later. The bottom of the wall is exposed by the cut of the bothros but is still concealed on the east, west and north faces so cannot be removed yet. We have plans to excavate the martyr abutting the east side and the strip of soil on the west face between this wall (5485) and wall 5284. This wall is made up of large squared limestone blocks and so can be differentiated from the later (5490) phase on top of only the south part of it (later phase also cut by Bothros I excavations). Later phase has smaller blocks. The north end of this wall (5485) was cut by a robbing trench excavated in the 1961 excavations (NB). It is the same wall as wall 5479, continuing north of the robbing trench. The north part of this wall (5485) where the top is exposed is flat and even and may have served as a threshold for the later phase 5490, although there are no marking for a door. However, the north face of wall 5490 is finished, suggesting a door frame. The top of wall 5485 slopes down to the south slightly, but enough to suggest that it is deliberate and not the result of erosion into Bothros I. Only two dimensions were taken for tile because no tile was fully exposed. Masonry appears to be coursed, possibly regular coursed, but not enough is exposed to make this conclusion. Revised 15/5/08 ACF: Susequent excavation of robbing trench 5510 exposed a lower/earlier wall beneath 5485. This lower/earlier wall appears to be in line with wall 5411 to the west, and is a continuation of 5519 to the east, (although robbed out in the middle). Revised 12.6.06 ACF: Rather than being an earlier phase of 5490, we now believe this is a foundation and 5490 is superstructure. 5485 has a finished top face which makes a good threshold in the part where 5490 does not overlie it. The edge of 5490 is finished like one would expect for a door frame. The top of 5485 is too flat and even to be the top of a wall, but fits better with the hypothosis that it is top course of foundation, used also as threshold. Now that more of the wall has been exposed by excavation (the east face is fully exposed) we can see that the masonry style is regular coursed. UPDATE, 7.05.09, KS: After completing the excavation of 5490 (superstructure), we are now excavating its foundation 5485. This structure is being excavated now because it is the next latest structure in the area and we would like to see what earlier contexts or structures may be revealed by this excavation. Last season, a martyr (5606) was left along wall 5485 so that future excavations could better understand the stratigraphy and also to avoid contamination. It should be also noted that a southern portion of 5485 had already been removed by the 1960s excavation in order to excavate the bothros underneath. It was believed in the previous season and seems likely that there would have been a threshold bounded by 5485 on its west, which had been robbed out. This doorway would have connected this room with the one directly to the north, where Scott Gallimore and Willl Bruce are excavating this season. The next move may be to excavate fill 5599 (=6334) the fill between 5485 and 5284. This fill would have been excavated last season but it was too hard to get to since it is wedged between two walls.
Context Pottery:		Fineware. ww, plate. 1 bodysherd. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. measles, slipped slip paintedaffito (1140-1160), bowl. 1 rim. ; Coarseware. stamnos2 bodysherds. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. slipped plain glazed (1100-1300), bowl. 1 rim. 2 bodysherds. ; Fineware. late sgrafitto, plate. 1 rim. ; Fineware. slipped plain glazed (1100-1300), pitcher. 1 bodysherd. ; Fineware. pre-medieval1 bodysherd.
Pottery Summary:		8 frag(s) 0.03 kg. (13% saved) fineware.
		79 frag(s) 1.4 kg. (0% saved) coarseware.
		16 frag(s) 0.12 kg. (0% saved) cooking ware.
Context Artifacts:		iron nail head and shank round 1; Bone- Not in Table - 1 example(s).; Bone- cranial,maxilla with teeth of Capra aegagrus hircus (Sheep/Goat) - 1 example(s).; Bone- innominate of Capra aegagrus hircus (Sheep/Goat) - 1 example(s).; Bone- rib of Capra aegagrus hircus (Sheep/Goat) - 1 example(s).; Bone- ulna of Sus scrofa (Wild Boar or Domestic Pig) - 1 fragment(s). ; Bone- vertebrae of Capra aegagrus hircus (Sheep/Goat) - 1 example(s).
Period:		Late Byzantine (1059-1210 AD)
Chronology:		second half of 13th
Grid:		267.13-266.12E, 1025.49-1027.9N
XMin:		266.12
XMax:		267.13
YMin:		1025.49
YMax:		1027.9
Site:		Corinth
City:		Ancient Corinth
Country:		Greece
Masl:		84.89-85.5m.
References:		Report: Nezi Field 2008 by Anne C. Feltovich, Catherine W. Person and Emily M. Rush (2008-05-05 to 2008-06-14) Report: Nezi Field 2009 by spongberg hammond lima (2009-05-20 to 2009-05-21) Images (4)