| Collection: | Corinth | |
| Type: | Basket | |
| Name: | Temple E, Southeast, context 308 | |
| Area: | Temple E, Southeast | |
| Title: | Fill of grave under column capital | |
| Category: | Deposit | |
| Notebook: | 1108 | |
| Context: | 308 | |
| Date: | 2014/05/15 | |
| Lot: | Lot 2014-035 | |
| Stratum: | Lots of plaster, especially at surface, many tile fragments and much disarticulated small human bone; ceramic common as are rounded to subrounded coarse to medium pebbles and a few rounded cobbles, very little glass and very little charcoal. | |
| Description: | Top slope of the context is level. The soil color is dark reddish brown. The soil compaction is firm. The soil is moderately sorted. | |
| Notes: | On 14/5/14, the cut for the grave to the north of the threshold grave (2014-04) was investigated and its boundaries determined, as was the small bench-like structure (302) to its west which lies directly along wall 21. The fill is hard and red, with much human bone and tile and clay inclusions, separating it from the exterior fill. This context refers to the removal of the top layer of grave fill in this grave. However, actual excavation of this context did not proceed until 15/5/2014, as I was removed from this area to take over excavation of another grave for the majority of the day. 15/5/14 : Today I first proceeded to make one pass at the fill in the grave with a small pick to determine whether the grave cut actually underlies the bench-like structure. The column base was therefore taken out after taking a top elevation (123.30 | 1073.19 | 85.50) and then a bottom elevation for the block was taken prior to beginning work (123.41 | 1073.27 | 85.37). After 1-2 passes of the grave fill, it appears as though the grave cut aligns well with the edge of the bench-like structure to the west (302) and that though the matrix is indistinguishable under it from that within the cut, no inclusions appear to traverse this boundary. Excavation will therefore proceed tomorrow following this structure as a western boundary for the cut. 100% of this context was dry sieved, with Panagiotis and Angela sieving for me. Almost a bucket of pottery was retrieved, including a number of fairly large sherds from under the column capital which might join. Most of a box of human disarticulated remains was also recovered, as was a little glass, a few iron nails, a fragment of Lapis Lacedaemonius rod and a fairly large fragment of painted plaster. Much plaster and some pebbles was embedded in the surface and lower in this layer of fill, making the ground hard enough that a small pick was necessary to excavate with. 16/5/14 : Excavation continued today with a few passes, after which time it appeared to me that the cut surface aligned with the structure 302 was not as clear and that I should remove the bench-like structure to determine whether I had been incorrect in claiming the grave was later than the structure. In fact, the grave cut appears to extend under the stones of the bench now that they are removed and abuts the wall instead. After consulting with Jody, it seems to make sense that the heavily concreted upper surface of this grave was the latest in the grave fill activities, wherein after the grave cut was filled, a bench was placed along the wall on top of the grave and then a final load of grave fill was placed against the bench construct, possibly to level the surrounding ground surface. If this final leveling fill, forming a hardened crust later, had been created using the same backfill dirt pile as the rest of the grave fill, this would account for the similarity in the matrix and my inability to discriminate between the fills, as well as the fact that the cut surface by the structure appears real. A sample was taken from the east side of this context for water sieving and makes up about 5% of the context. This sample can be used to examine the possibility of distinct grave fill episodes, as well as test for the presence of grave goods in the matrix surrounding the primary inhumation. The remainder of the dirt was sieved 100% by Panagiotis. A large amount of human bone was retrieved, all crumbly, in various states of preservation and disarticulated, probably as a result of the grave fill being composed of disinterred grave contents. Glass, ceramic, tile, painted plaster, and a fragment of a tool (____________) were also retrieved, as was a nail close up against the 302 structure (123.12 | 1073.50 | 85.18). This context was closed at the end of the day, with the dirt under the structure removed as a separate context although it probably represents the same burial activity as that which underlies the hard crust of 308 at the grave surface and which was removed was 308 as well. I also appear to have hit a new layer of grave fill, which is more mottled with smaller, more varied inclusions, which will be removed as a separate context next week, and possibly contains the inhumation. It also appears heavily bioturbated, as a small hole was broken into a large subterranean air pocket in this next layer of grave fill. Note added by K. Petrole, 2017/04/27: marble vessel rim inventoried as MF-1996-49E now joins with MF-1996-49F (number lapsed) thanks to frgt. Found in 2016 (context 935). | |
| Context Pottery: | Fineware. zeuxippus sgraffito, slipped painted (1240-1260), bowl. 2 bodysherds. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. archaic maiolica, slipped (1270-1325), pitcher. 2 handles. (saved to lot) .; Coarseware. cone pitcher. 1 rim. 1 bodysherd. (saved to lot) .possibly late medieval; Fineware. metallic ware, unslipped (1275-1335), pitcher. 4 bodysherds. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. pre roman11 bodysherds. ; Fineware. Frankish4 bodysherds. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. Byzantine2 bodysherds. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. late sgraffito, slipped style VII (1250-1300), plate. 1 rim. (saved to lot) .; Coarseware. matt painted, stamnos. 3 handles. 16 bodysherds. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. Roman2 bodysherds. ; Fineware. late sgraffito, slipped style VII (1250-1300), bowl. 1 rim. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. glaze painted slipped (1250-1320), bowl. 1 rim. (saved to lot) .no overglaze; Fineware. RMR, slipped (1275-1325), bowl. 1 bodysherd. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. slipped plain glazed (1100-1300), pitcher. 2 bodysherds. (saved to lot) . | |
| Pottery Summary: | 34 frag(s) 0.09 kg. (65% saved) fineware. | |
| 398 frag(s) 3.1 kg. (5% saved) coarseware. | ||
| 92 frag(s) 0.5 kg. (0% saved) cooking ware. | ||
| Context Artifacts: | glass, clear, green, bottle rim, 1 similar to MF 7626; marble basin, rim 1 (saved to lot); opus sectile 1 (saved to lot); glass, clear, colorless, bs 6; glass, clear, green, jug base, 1 as Jalame cat. 248; glass, clear, green, bs, 2; marble, lapis lacadaemonia, round bottle stopper, 1; iron, nails, square shanked, 7; plaster, white 2; iron, lumps, 4; iron, strip, 1; wall plaster, painted, red, 4; glass, clear, colorless, prunted beakers with applied threads, rim, 2 | |
| Period: | Turkish I (1458-1680 AD) | |
| Grid: | 123.9-123.05E, 1072.22-1073.88N | |
| XMin: | 123.05 | |
| XMax: | 123.9 | |
| YMin: | 1072.22 | |
| YMax: | 1073.88 | |
| Site: | Corinth | |
| City: | Ancient Corinth | |
| Country: | Greece | |
| Masl: | 85.36-85.5m. | |
| References: | Images (4) Object: A 2014 4 Object: MF 1996 49e |
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