Corinth Report: Northeast of Theater 2022, Trench 15B and 14B, by Cwikla, Taylor and Hunter, Allisen (2022-05-09 to 2022-05-27)
Collection:   Corinth
Type:   Report
Name:   Northeast of Theater 2022, Trench 15B and 14B, by Cwikla, Taylor and Hunter, Allisen (2022-05-09 to 2022-05-27)
Title:   Northeast of Theater excavations, Trenches 15B and 14B
Area:   Northeast of Theater
Site:   Corinth
City:   Ancient Corinth
Country:   Greece
Corinth Report: Northeast of Theater excavations, Trenches 15B and 14B, by Taylor Cwikla, Allisen Hunter (May 9 – May 27)
Collection: Corinth
Type: Session Summary
Context: NET Context 26, NET Context 27, NET Context 28, NET Context 29, NET Context 1, NET Context 2, NET Context 3, NET Context 4, NET Context 5, NET Context 6, NET Context 7, NET Context 8
Area: NET
Site: Corinth
City: Ancient Corinth
Country: Greece

Taylor Cwikla, Allisen Hunter
ASCSA Corinth Excavations
Excavation Summary
NET
The following is a summary of the excavations carried out in the area northeast of the theater during the May 9-May 27 session of the 2022 season. Taylor Cwikla and Allisen Hunter were supervisors focused on excavations taking place in two areas. The “marble room” southwest of the 2018 and 2019 excavations and north of the 2020 excavations of the marble room from 32 E - 28 E and 1395 N – 1390 N and the room north of Wall 24 from 32 E – 28 E and 1395 N – 1398 N. Our objective this session was to expose the marble floor in 15B to meet the lower area excavation of 16 B. Once this was accomplished, our objective was to continue the exploration of the length of Wall 19 and the original extent of the “Marble Room”. The director was Christopher Pfaff, the associate director was Ioulia Tzonou, the pick-man was Konstantinos Arberores, the shovel-man George Tsakalakis, and the barrowman Helias Delistathes. The dry sieve was operated by Panayiotis Didaskalou.

The ”Marble Room” in 15 B
Excavations continued in Deposit 26 in the northeast section of the marble room from 16B bordered by Walls 19 to the east and 24 to the north. The bench from 16B continued into 15B along wall 19 until it was partially damaged for 84 cm until it abuts Wall 24. Wall 24 was determined to be constructed later than the original structure based on the bisection of the room, which was confirmed after the exposure and continuation of the bench and Wall 19 into 14 B, the lack of interlocking stone construction between Wall 24 and Wall 19, and the presence of crossed hatch marks in the mortar of Wall 24. A small aperture measuring 10 x 18 x 126 in Wall 24 was uncovered to the eastern section of the wall and continues through the structure to be visible also from 14B. The hole has been speculated to have been used for scaffolding, but the aperture’s position in relation to the wall seems to minimize this likelihood. Both Walls 19 and 24 showed multiple phases of building. Closer to the bench level of Wall 19, the bricks are more evenly sized and larger in width and length. Closer to the surface, the bricks become less defined and are of a smaller and thinner construction. At one interval of Wall 19 in 15 B, one large square block within the higher brick level can be seen on top of a large, horizontally placed rectangular block within the lower brick level. A similar construction can be seen to the south of the “marble room” in 16 B. The wall was made of two rows of bricks. On the south side of Wall 24, Wall 19 is slightly lower, and to the north, Wall 24 features one top layer of pedales and hatch mark mortar, likely due to a later repair. Wall 24 features multiple layers of construction, and its base is composed of a single layer of horizontally placed large, rectangular blocks. Above these are three layers of long, thin rectangular bricks and four layers of pedales. This wall was made of four rows of bricks.
Deposit 26 contained a general fill that continued to just above the level of the anticipated marble floor where fill became a sandier, less compacted brown silt that featured less pottery than previously excavated deposits. The deposit was compact and contained multiple boulders of both unworked and worked building material as well as vast amount of pottery. On the first day of our excavation, midway through Deposit 26, a portion of a marble leg, possible connected to the Apollo head, was uncovered. Multiple pieces of marble revetment were also unearthed throughout subsequent contexts. While ceramic finds diminished in size and regularity as excavations approached the marble floor, building materials increased in both size and frequency until the final, sandier layer above the marble floor, in which inclusions largely vanished. One Corinthian limestone paving stone was uncovered measuring 74 x 75.5 x 8 to the northwest of the trench. Most of the bricks and stones within the fill were also concentrated along Wall 24. Deposits 26 and 27 composed the same general fill described above but were artificially delineated once excavation reached the top level of the bench. Dividing the fill into a new context served the secondary function of breaking up the sheer amount of ceramic materials recovered for the sake of clarification. Deposit 26 sees the disappearance of any Byzantine ceramic material. The general fill from Deposits 26 and 27 dates to the 7th century based on the typologies of the extensive ceramic materials.
The layer directly above the marble floor, Deposit 28, featured several small marble fragments that were likely displaced from the marble floor itself and may be reintegrated into the context of the geometric design. The marble floor was fully uncovered and continued the pattern of the floor visible in 16B, with large polychromic rectangular blocks and circular elements. The floor plan of 15B abandons the otherwise contiguous marble design along Wall 24 and shows evidence of rearrangement of the marble flooring, which likely accompanied the installation of Wall 24 since the structure’s altered floor plan interrupted the floor’s established geometric design. This altered design could alternatively reflect general mending done over the course of the use of the marble room. The marble floor is largely preserved in situ and although portions of it are fragmentary, a significant amount of its broken pieces remain in place. The marble has not been cleaned and will not be until the full extent of the room has been uncovered as directed by conservator Nicol Anastassatou.

The room North of Wall 24
Upon uncovering the marble floor in 15 B, excavations began in a new unit to the north, labeled 14 B. The goal of excavation in 14 B was to follow Wall 19 to see how far north it extended and to determine if the “marble room” of 16 B and 15 B continued beyond the later Wall 24. The first two deposits consisted of topsoil, with the first having been cleared mechanically prior to the start of the broader area excavation. The second layer of topsoil, deposit 2, was cleared this session and included an irrigation pipe, deposit 3, and a diagonally-cut ashy fill, deposit 4. The pipe was removed and the “diagonal ditch” was confirmed as a continuation of 17 B 13, excavated in 2020, 16 B 7, excavated in 2021, and 15 B 8, excavated in 2022. Silt in the diagonal fill of Deposit 4 was flecked with lime and carbon. Deposit 5, fill below topsoil, is coeval to Deposit 6, but the two were separated by the diagonal ditch of Deposit 4 and were thus distinguished, though the southern areas of both deposits yielded notable cement inclusions. Wall 19 was found to continue from 15 B into 14 B and measures 1.765 m in length. Some layers of mortar were preserved on the exterior of the wall to the east. Wall 24 was also found to be wider than originally believed as it continues into 14 B and features more mortar on top of the wall within the context of 14 B. Wall 24 has a width of 126 cm and a length of 1.765 m until it is cut in a straight line 25 centimeters east of the original wall cutting seen in 15B which measures at 73 cm. The cutting on the north extended for 177 cm and the wall did not possess its full width until a depth of 125 cm below the wall level was reached. To the west of the trench the corresponding height and thickness of the wall was found but notably more damaged. The same straight line cut was, however, still visible. Building materials in Deposit 6 appear to have originally belonged to Wall 24. Deposit 7 began at the top of Wall 19 and featured substantial building materials, including several bricks with mortar and fragments of marble revetment. One 65 x 43 x 26 marble block with a channel measuring 13 wide was found amongst the large brick and rock inclusions. Two large boulders, 69.5 x 55 x 41, and 60 x 49 x 30, were removed and three more are visible in the north baulk. Deposit 8 continues the general fill with an increase in marble, including two joining pieces of cyma reversa molding.
It is likely that Deposits 26 and 27 from 15 B correspond to Deposits 7 and 8 from 14 B, as they share a comparable depth, nature of fill, and dating for the respective ceramics. It should be noted, however, that the plentiful ceramic content of Deposits 26 and 27 was not paralleled in Deposits 7 and 8, which instead featured abundant building materials both worked and unworked.

The end of the second session interrupted excavation of Deposit 8, which will be continued with the new session. Upon final review of the excavated contexts, more large boulders were revealed in the northern baulk, and a distinct line in Deposit 8 may indicate the proximity to a floor level, either earthen or a continuation of the marble floor visible in 15 B.

It has been confirmed that the “marble room” originally extended further north, and the design of the marble floor was contiguous from 16 B to 15 B until the established pattern was interrupted by the later addition of Wall 24. Wall 24’s preserved thickness has now been documented and continued excavation of 14 B will further elucidate the potential repurposing of the larger “marble room” complex. Further goals for consecutive excavations include determining the full extent of the complex, particularly east to west, the uncovering of the floor in 14 B to determine if the marble floor plan continues below Wall 24 and how the later wall may affect the overall design, particularly as it reveals the structural continuation to the west. It will also be interesting to see whether or not excavations extending to the west will reveal more ceramic output in comparison to the masses of building materials that have been concentrated in the presently excavated corner of 14 B.