"Collection","Type","Redirect","dc-subject","dc-title","UserLevel","Id","dc-publisher","dc-description","Chronology","Icon","dc-creator","Name","dc-date"
"Corinth","Report","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","Roads and Courtyard of NW Passage, Session 2","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Bram ten Berge and Katerina Ragkou (2014-05-05 to 2014-05-26)","","Bram ten Berge, Katerina Ragkou; Session II; Temple E Southeast Excavations (TESE); N: 1071.69   S: 1058.97    E: 103.11    W: 94.50; May 5, 2014 – May 26, 2014; ; Introduction; This is the final summary of the second session of excavation in 2014 in the Frankish quarter, Temple E Southeast  (TESE). Excavations occurred in the NW passage and focused on the roads west of Unit 2 and on the courtyard between Units 1 and 2, in an area roughly shaped like an ‘L’. The area west of Unit 2 was bounded to the north by a modern water pipe (1073.00 N; NB 839), to the west by an excavation scarp west of Wall 8  (also known as NB 866, Wall 4) that lay on the grid at 94.00 E, to the south by the north wall of the courtyard of Unit 1 (1058.07 N), and on the east by the west wall of Unit 2, Room 3A (also known as NB. 830, Wall II) on the grid at 108.91 E. Our excavations in the courtyard area were bounded to the north by the south wall of Unit 2, Room 3A, to the east by the west wall of Unit 2, Room 3, and to the south by the north wall of Unit 1, Rooms 8 and 9.  ; For the first week work concentrated on the roads of the NW passage west of Unit 2, Room 3A. In the second week we moved to the courtyard. In week 2 we sectioned off the eastern part of the courtyard (N: 1064.52; S: 1058.51; W: 103.00; E: 108.85) and concentrated on its western part. In the final week our focus returned to the roads of the NW passage west of Unit 2, Room 3A. Guy Sanders (director) and Jody Cundy (field director) supervised. The area supervisors were Bram ten Berge and Katerina Ragkou (recorders), and the workmen were Thanasis Sakellariou (pick man), Christos Sakellariou (shovel man), and Vasilis Kolias (wheelbarrow man). Excavations began on May 5, 2014 and the final day of excavation of this summary was May 26, 2014.; The goal of excavation this session was to clarify the activities and chronology of the Frankish quarter, in particular the outdoor activities immediately bordering Units 1 and 2. An additional goal has been to prepare our area for future consolidation and conservation in order to open it for the public.; Frankish Period ; The removal of the levelling fills 381 and 392 revealed the top of a N-S wall 310 (N-S: 1063.88-1060.79; E-W: 99.51-99.25). The wall was out of use at least by the time road 358 = 363 (late 13th century, npd), which covered its top, was laid down. The bottom of the wall is visible in the profile of a large pit (bothros 5, NB 880) at an elevation of 85.29, approximately half a meter beneath the leveling fills that covered its top (381, 392). We have not excavated its foundation trench and thus cannot be sure about its construction date (the pickman identified a possible foundation trench for the wall that has not been excavated). The full extent of this wall is not yet known. Directly to the N and in alignment with wall 310 are the remains of an early wall beneath the west wall of Unit 2, Room A (structure 51: N-S: 1070.18-1068.50; E-W: 99.50-98.89), which sits at a similar elevation and has the same E-W coordinates. ; Abutting wall 310 is road 358 = 363 (N-S: 1070.12-1064.11; E-W: 98.58-97.39 (358); N-S: 1071.22-1065.04; E-W: 97.72-94.95 (363)), which was laid down by the late 13th century (npd). This was a well-built road with a flat surface and a uniform consistency. The road preserves a rectilinear trench (cut 357: N-S: 1070.70-1068.69; E-W: 96.61-95.80) that may reflect the removal of a N-S wall, contemporary with Wall 310, for the expansion of the road to the W. This hypothesis seems corroborated by the surface of road 358 = 360 which slopes upwards on its western edge against this rectilinear trench. Subsequent to the removal of this wall, a substantial number of leveling fills and/or repairs (levelling fills 348, 378, 381, 385, 392, 394, 400, 402, and 407) were deposited to create a flat and uniform road surface. ; Subsequent to these leveling events a drain (structure 332: N-S: 1067.62-1060.80; E-W: 101.26-96.00) was constructed which cut one of the leveling fills (fill 348). It runs in a NW-SE direction punching through Wall 310 to continue into the courtyard between Unit 1 and Unit 2. The drain was constructed by means of a first course of medium and large boulders of limestone and fieldstone (ca. 0.20-0.35 (l.) x 0.20-0.30 (h.)), followed by a second course of smaller stones and tiles (ca. 0.10 (l.) x 0.10 (h.), and capped by capstones that consisted of medium and larger sized boulders (0.43 x 0.31 x 0.10), angular cobbles (0.18 x 0.12 x 0.10), and architectural spolia (fragments of a well-head (0.56 x 0.32 x 0.40) and a column base (0.58 x 0.39 x 0.2)). The full extent of the drain is not yet known as it continues its course eastward into the unexcavated deposits in the courtyard. Likewise, it is unclear whether it continued westward beyond its robbed out portion (N-S: 1061.09-1059.72; E-W: 100.98-100.20). ; Subsequent to the construction of the drain a new N-S wall was constructed (structure 291: N-S: 1069.31-1068.32; E-W: 95.62-94.60) that constituted the new western boundary of the road. The bottom elevation of the robbing trench for this wall (fills 287, 290, 294) is 85.24, approximately 0.70 m beneath the earliest Frankish road we excavated (358 = 363: bottom elevation: 85.96 and 85.92). The remains of the wall do not go further down, suggesting that its bottom lies at this elevation. Although the extent of the wall is not yet clear, it appears to be in alignment with the east wall of Units 3 and 4 that bounded the road further to the south. It may have some connection with Wall 8 (also known as NB 866, Wall 4) immediately to the south, although it is unclear what, if any, this connection might be. Likewise, its connection with the drain is not yet clear.; After Wall 291 went up a new road was laid down (226 = 239: N-S: 1071.20-1064.90; E-W: 98.32-95.70 (226); N-S: 1069.95-1063.71; E-W: 97.53-95.41 E (239)) whose western edge sloped up against this wall at W. 95.70. Like its predecessor, this was a well-built flat and uniform road that consisted of pebbles, cobbles, and tiles, mixed with sandy silt. After the expansion the road was now approximately three meters wide. It is unclear whether the road was bounded at this time by an east wall. It is possible that an earlier wall beneath Wall 51 W. of Unit 2, Room A, bounded the road. But if, as we suggest above, this lower wall was connected with Wall 310, it would have been out of use by this time. Future excavations will have to determine the extent of this lower wall. ; At a later date (by the late 13th century npd) road 226 = 239 received a number of leveling fills and repairs likely due to wear and damage as a result of high volumes of traffic. After these leveling events a vaulted chamber (structure 229: N-S: 1067.23-1065.51; E-W: 99.72-97.90) was built, the construction of which cut these leveling fills (deposits 209 and 212). A later road 36 = 190 overlay the top of the vault. The removal of this road revealed the cemented top of the chamber. We could not perceive the construction cut, however, since the vault was built right up against it. It is clear that the construction of the vaulted chamber preceded the construction of Wall 51, since the construction cut for this wall cut road 36 = 190, while the vaulted chamber was overlaid by this road. A coin of Villhardouin (2014-17) found in the foundation trench of Wall 51 (deposit 60) gives a post quem date of 1245 for the construction of the wall. This in turn is a post quem date for the construction of Unit 2, Room 3A. The precise relationship of the vaulted chamber with Wall 51 and with the earlier wall beneath Wall 51 is not yet clear. The vaulted chamber is roughly square in plan. The dimensions of the chamber are 1.76 m (l.) x 1.55 (w.) x 1.28 (h.). The diameter of the vault is 1.08 m, while its height is 0.68 m. The purpose of the vaulted chamber remains uncertain. Perhaps it was used for storage, as a cellar, or as a basement space. A similar chamber to the south is associated with Unit 1.; After the construction of the vaulted chamber, a new road (193: N-S: 1071.58-1067.61; E-W: 98.58-94.85) was laid down, abutting the vault. This was another well-built flat and uniform road that consisted of pebbles, cobbles, and tiles, mixed with sandy silt. It was subsequently followed, by the late 13th century (npd), by road 36 = 190 which was laid over the top of the vaulted chamber. This was likewise a well-built flat and uniform road consisting of the same materials as the roads preceding it.; By the late 13th century the capstones of the drain were robbed out (robbing trench 406: 1061.32-1060.31; E-W: 103.00-101.52; fills 312 and 314), and the drain ceased being used after the late 13th/early 14th century, which constitutes the post quem date (pottery) for the use phase of the drain. Unfortunately, we cannot narrow down these dates. Likewise, it remains unclear when Wall 291 was robbed out, as we do not know the level that the robbing trench (deposits 287, 290, 294) was cut from (the top of the cut is no longer preserved due to a modern pit dug during the 1995 excavations: basket 57 NB 839).; During the Frankish Period the roads of the NW passage supplied access to an open-air courtyard situated between the church complex (TESE Unit 2) and the commercial and domestic space of the complex to the south (TESE Unit 1). In the period we excavated (late 13th century) this space appears to be walled off on its north, south, and east sides. The courtyard was open to the road and the surfaces that communicated between the courtyard and the road (deposits 252: N-S: 1062.91-1060.14; E-W: 102.10-97.77; 381: N-S: 1068.91-1063.50; E-W: 99.21-97.50) were uniform and constructed with the same materials (pebbles, cobbles, and tiles, mixed with sandy silt). There was a passageway to the SE of the courtyard giving access to the eastern part of the church complex and the shops of Unit 1.; The courtyard seems to have been a highly frequented space that received much traffic and activity, as evidenced by the succession of multiple surface layers dated to the late 13th and early 14th century. These surfaces typically consisted of round and angular pebbles, and small fragments of tiles, mixed with sandy silt. The courtyard appears to have functioned as a meeting-place and to have served multiple functions. So, in the late 13th to early 14th century there seems to have been a bench in front of the north wall of the courtyard (structure 147: N-S: 1064.72-1064.43; E-W: 105.67-104.98). During the late 13th century (npd) there is possible evidence of burning through the discoloration of the soil (surfaces 273, 330, 340, 345). It is possible that this burning was associated with cooking activities carried out with portable hearths (deposits 144, 152, 158, 170). A large bell-shaped pit (cut 80: N-S: 1063.80-1062.93; E-W: 101.88-101.03), which seems to have been dug in the late 13th century, and whose purpose remains uncertain, contained a substantial number of animal bones and cooking wares, which may serve to corroborate the presence of cooking activities in this area during this period. Moreover, the removal of the courtyard surface 345 (N-S: 1064.54-1061.82; E-W: 103.02-99.21) revealed two postholes that may indicate the use of temporary stalls or other temporary structures. Finally, situated against the east wall of the courtyard is a semi-circular stone structure (structure 94) that we did not excavate and whose purpose remains uncertain. It should also be noted that the removal of courtyard surface 345 revealed what appears to be the robbing trench for the south wall of Unit 2, Room A. Future excavations will have to further investigate this trench.; In conclusion, the NW passage of the Frankish quarter was characterized by a series of superimposed roads dating from at least the 13th century (and probably earlier) to the early modern period. These roads have a N-S orientation and run from our area southward towards Unit 1, facilitating traffic and communication between the different Units of the Frankish quarter. The roads also offered access to the courtyard area between Units 1 and 2, and to the western part of Frankish Corinth beyond it. The roads received high volumes of human and animal traffic during the Frankish Period, as evidenced by the presence of multiple leveling fills and what seem to be several repairs. The road offered access to an open-air courtyard between Unit 1 and Unit 2, which seems to have been a highly frequented space with multiple functions, one of which was as a meeting place and a place for cooking activities. The late 13th century was a period in which much building activity took place in the NW passage in an apparently short amount of time, with the removal of Wall 310 and a conjectured contemporary wall, the construction and robbing out of a drain (332), the construction and robbing out of Wall 291, the construction of a vaulted chamber (229), the construction of the W. Wall 51 of Unit 2, Room A, and in the courtyard the construction of a large pit (cut 81) and a semi-circular stone structure (structure 94). ; Early Modern (1831-1949 AD); Prior to World War II, Mrs. Kosmopoulou excavated in the area to Neolithic levels (grid square 83G; B. 81, NB 839, p. 139). Her trench was subsequently backfilled. This backfill is the material collected in our deposits 241 and 246 (N-S: 1070.21-1069.40; E-W: 95.58-94.67; N-S: 1070.29-1067.26; E-W: 95-58-94.77), associated with the robbing trench of Wall 291. ; Modern Period (1950 -); Our excavation area is bounded to the north by the construction of a modern water pipe in 1995. Throughout our excavation area previous excavations were conducted during the 1992 through 1995 seasons and during the first session of the 2014 season. During the 1995 excavations the bothros north of the vaulted chamber was dug as Basket 32, NB 839. The excavators underdug this bothros, with the result that the cut was no longer fully preserved. We removed the remaining pit fill. As stated above, during the same excavations a modern pit was dug that removed the top of the cut for the robbing trench of the drain. During the same season bothros 3 (NB 880) was excavated and subsequently backfilled. The removal of deposit 390 revealed the top of this backfill. ; Recommendations for future excavation; a)    Continue to explore the continuation of drain 332 into the courtyard ; b)    Continue to remove the courtyard layers around bell-shaped pit (cut 80) to clarify its construction date.; c)    Continue to remove the surface layers across the courtyard to further clarify its continued use.; d)    Continue excavation to the south of Wall 291 in order to investigate its continuation to the south and its construction date. ; e)    Investigate Wall 310 in order to establish its construction date and use phase.; f)    Investigate Wall 51 and the earlier wall beneath it, in order to clarify their connection with the vaulted chamber and to elucidate the chronology of Unit 2.","","","","Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Bram ten Berge and Katerina Ragkou (2014-05-05 to 2014-05-26)",""
"Corinth","Report","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","Early Roman to Middle Byzantine Strata in area of Room F, North of Nezi field","","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2007 by Ioannis Sapountzis (2007-05-18 to 2007-06-07)","","INTRODUCTION; For three weeks Ioannis Sapountzis worked in the area designated “North of Nezi,” conducting cleaning operations and new excavation. The area where cleaning and excavation took place is located between E 278.30 to the east and E 271.60 to the west, N 1015.32 to the south and N 1022.90 to the north, and it is to the immediate north of the area known as “Nezi field.”  Ioannis Sapountzis was the trenchmaster, Athanasios Magourakis the pickman, Panagiotis Stamatis the shovel man and Christos Bolevas the barrowman and sieve operator.  Alica Carter was the supervisor and G. D. R. Sanders the director of the excavations.; ; The objectives of the work in the above said area were to initially clarify the situation as it was left by the 1961 excavations and then proceed into the investigation of the various structures and features that exist, in order to provide a better chronology for them, but also to be able to place them within the space around them.; ; The area was partially excavated in 1961.  Besides that only one cleaning basket (B 5002) was excavated in the above mentioned area by Heidi Broome-Raines in the second training session of 2007.  Therefore for the most part the area has remained untouched since 1961. Some of the terminology that was applied in the 1961 archaeological record, mainly the names of walls and other features, was reused by I. Sapountzis.; ; Excavation and cleaning started in the room that is located to the north of room F, E half (E 271.70-E 276.50, N 1020.70-N 1022.30).  Wall 24 (NB 228) (E 271.60-E 274.5, N 1022.30-N 1022.90) that formed the northern wall of this room was removed. Two phases of wall 23 (NB 228) (E 271.15-E 276.60, N 1020.15-N 1020.90), which formed the southern wall for the above said room were also removed?. Then excavation and cleaning proceeded into room F, E half (E 271.60-E 276.75, N 1015.80-N 1020.35). Part of the foundation trench for a pithos (E 273.25-E 274.20, N 1019.15-N 1020.05) that was initially excavated in the 1961 season was dug. The extension of wall 20 (NB 228) (E 272.05-E 273.45, N 1015.80-N 1018.12) was also excavated.  Finally wall 21 (NB 228) (E 277.60-E 278.50, N 1016.12-N 1021.45), which connects wall 19 (NB 228) and cuts through the probable extension of wall 23 (NB 228) was also removed.; ; EARLY ROMAN; The only early Roman contexts were excavated in B5109 and B5110.  They were dated based on pottery.  Both of them were located in the room north of room F, E half, and they were interrupted on the E by wall 21 (NB 228), and B5110 was interrupted in the S by wall 23 (NB 228).  Upon excavating them, B5110 revealed a layer which contained ashes in its matrix, and which was later on linked with room F, E half, in B5141.  Since B5141 had a middle Roman date, it is most likely that B5109 and B5110 were reused fill of some kind, probably as a subflooring for the room to the north of room F, E half.; ; MIDDLE ROMAN ; Against the east face of wall 22 (NB 228) in the room to the north of room F, east half, a foundation trench was excavated (B5106).  The date on this foundation trench was based on the pottery.  However the excavation of B5106 should be considered incomplete since due to the narrowness of the trench the pickman was forced to stop.  Also in the same room, another cut was excavated (B5105) against the N side of wall 23 (NB 228).  It was initially thought that B5105 was a foundation trench for an earlier phase of wall 23 (NB 228), however the excavating crew was unable to trace its full extent to the east and the west, and therefore it is possible that this is simply some pit.  The only other middle Roman context (B 5107) excavated in the room to the north of room F, east half, was a deposit lying on top of an early Roman context (B5109 and B5110) which subsequently was positioned on top of a late Roman context (B 5140).  Therefore B5107 is considered to be out of order stratigraphically, and is most likely reused fill as part of subflooring.; ; In room F, east half, part of the foundation trench for the large pithos was excavated (B5118).  To the N it bordered with an earlier phase of wall 23 (NB 228) and to the W with wall 20 (NB228).  The bottom of B5118 does not represent the end of the foundation trench for the pithos. It was simply decided to stop this basket at this point because excavating any deeper could cause the already cracked pithos to collapse and thus endanger the working crew.  This is however an important context since it potentially dates the placement of this pithos within the room.  The dating of this context was based on pottery and on a middle Roman coin, 2007-398.; ; A possible robbing trench for the upper courses of wall 20 (NB 228) was excavated by B’s 5123, 5144 and 5145.  It is thought that wall 20 (NB 228) could have been robbed out of its upper courses in order to create a leveling area for a floor within room F, east half.  The dating of this hypothetical robbing trench is based on pottery and a coin of Valentinian I or Valeus (Coin 2007-396).; ; The latest phase of wall 23 (NB 228) which separates room F, east half, and the room to its immediate north, was removed (B5156, B5136).  The wall consisted of large and medium sized worked stones, field stones, large cobbles, a marble fragment (either part of a fountain or a perrirhanterion), and a fragment of a lintel block.  To its east wall 23 (NB 228) is cutting through a north to south wall (E 276.60-E 277.40, N1016.05-N 1020.40), and to its west it is cut by wall 22 (NB228). Upon the removal of the latest phase of wall 23 (NB 228), what potentially could be another phase was noted on its east side and it was subsequently removed by B5137.  Both phases of wall 23 (NB 228) mentioned here were dated to the middle Roman period based on pottery.  ; ; The second phase (B5137) noted above is a bit problematic, since it is of the same construction technique with the previous phase, removed in B’s 5156 and 5136, but below it instead of another phase of wall 23 (NB 228) there was leveled ground.  This area below B5137 is believed to belong to a foundation trench for a third phase of wall 23 (NB 228).  This foundation trench was excavated in B5141 and it is located in the south side of wall 23 (NB 228) within room F, east half.  To its west it is bordered by the foundation trench of the pithos (B5118) and to the east by the wall which connects wall 23 (NB 228) with wall 19 (NB228) (E 276.60-E 277.40, N1016.05-N 1020.40).  It is very possible that the foundation trench for wall 23 (NB228) and the foundation trench for the pithos (B5118) are the same context, since they share similar matrices and have the same dates based on pottery.  The foundation trench for wall 23 (NB 228) has not been fully excavated since a change in the matrix of the soil was noted, and it was therefore required to change the basket. However, due to time constraints, the rest of the foundation trench has remained unexcavated.  The foundation trench for wall 23 (NB228) is dated based on pottery.; ; LATE ROMAN; In the room to the north of room F, east half, that is bordered by wall 23 (NB 228) on its south side, wall 22 (NB 228) on its west side, wall 24 (NB 228) on its north side, and the probable continuation of wall 21 (NB 228) on its east side, a significant amount of coins was recovered, 119 in total.  The majority are of a late Roman date with some that belong to the middle Roman period.  They were mostly concentrated on the east half of the room.  B5092 had the largest concentration, 62 in total, all of which were of a late Roman date (Coin 2007-254 is just one example).  B5092 together with B5093, B5089 and B5086 revealed a large deposit of roof tile fragments which spread from wall 22 (NB 228) to ca. 0.75 to the west of wall 21 (NB228).  This deposit was excavated as B5096 and it also contained 48 coins, the majority of which belonged to the late Roman period.  This tile layer is believed to be a leveling course for a floor and not an actual destruction layer. The reasoning behind this is the following.  The roof tile fragments were all very small pieces, ca. 0.05 by 0.12, and normally when a roof collapses there are some larger pieces which survive, and in this deposit there were none.  Not all of the tile fragments were lying flat on the ground, which means that they were dumped in this room instead of collapsing from the roof.  Together with the roof tile fragments there was a large number of medium sized cobbles, which do not seem to belong to any of the construction techniques of the surrounding walls.  The date of all of the above baskets, with the exception of B5093, is late Roman, and this is based on pottery and the majority of the coins recovered from this area.; ; Wall 21 (NB 228) which is interrupted on its south end by wall 19 (NB228), and on its north end appears to be cutting through an extension of wall 23 (NB228) only to fall apart at ca. 0.90 of that, was removed in B5126. The decision was made upon noting that the wall was sitting on earth, and therefore following a stratigraphic sequence it made sense to remove it.  Wall 21 (NB228) was constructed of large orthostate blocks, spaced in between with smaller worked stones, field stones, and mud.  This construction technique can be seen elsewhere in the “N of Nezi” area.  It measured 5.33 in length, 0.65 in width, and had a maximum preserved height of 1.15.  Wall 21 probably formed the west wall of what is referred to as room E (NB 228).  A large number of coins (33) were retrieved from the dirt that formed the bonding material for the wall and from the floor on which wall 21 was placed (14 coins from B5130).  The majority of the coins are of a late Roman date (such as 2007-411), with some middle Roman ones (such as 2007-433).  Wall 21 (NB228) was dated as late Roman based on pottery and coins.  The floor on which the wall was resting (B5130) was also dated as late Roman based on pottery and coins.; ; MIDDLE BYZANTINE; After excavating B 5089 in the room to the north of room F, E half (E 271.70-E 276.50, N 1020.70-N 1022.30) it was noted that a layer which contained numerous tile fragments was continuing underneath wall 24 (NB 228).  It was therefore decided to remove wall 24 before excavating the tile layer.  Wall 24 (B 5093) was constructed with a mix of worked and field stones, all of which were average sized. It was randomly coursed and its faces had a mix of fair faced and rough faced stones.  It measured 2.95 in length, 0.65 on its maximum preserved width, and 0.35 at its maximum preserved height. To the W it was interrupted by wall 22 (NB 228) and to the E it was destroyed.  If it were to continue to the E it would probably merge with wall 21 (NB 228).  On its N side due to excavation work that took place in 1961 another wall (E 271.65-E 275.00, N1022.80-N 1023.40) could be detected on which wall 24 was partially positioned atop.  Upon the removal of wall 24 the upper course of this lower wall was exposed.  Wall 24 was partially incorporated in this upper course, but it also lay on the leveling layer created by the roof tile fragments.  Wall 24 is dated to the 11th century AD on the basis of the pottery that was retrieved from its matrix.  It is very possible that wall 24 together with wall 22 and the upper most phase of wall 23 (NB 228) created a room.  What is important to note is that out of these three walls only wall 24 was resting partially on the roof tile layer, and therefore wall 22 and the upper phase of wall 23 could be earlier than wall 24.; ; B5133 is the only other context with a middle Byzantine date.  B5133 is thought to be a foundation trench for the west end of wall 28 (NB 228) (E 277.00-E 278.30, N1022.30-N 1022.75).  The bottom of B5133 does not represent the bottom of the foundation trench, but excavation had to be stopped because it was becoming too narrow for the pickman to proceed.  Since this area has not been excavated since 1961 it is very likely that this is a contaminated deposit, therefore the middle Byzantine date is not a certain one, and middle Roman is another suggestion made by the director.; ; CONCLUSIONS; Some of the features excavated during this final session remain incomplete, and will therefore be part of the problems to be solved by future excavators.  In the room to the north of room F, east half, there is an unfinished foundation trench excavated in B5106.  This is the foundation trench for the west face of wall 22 (NB 228), and it was stopped because it was too constricted for the pickman to work.  So far the material from there has placed it in the middle Roman period. Completing the excavation of this foundation trench could provide a date of construction for wall 22 (NB 228).  ; ; Another unfinished foundation trench is in the area that is formed by wall 28 (NB 228) to its north, the probable continuation of wall 23 (NB 228) to the east, and wall 21(NB228) to the west.  In this area the foundation trench for the south face of wall 28 was partially excavated.  Completing the excavation of this trench could provide some useful dates for the construction of wall 28 and the structure that it creates to its immediate north.; ; In room F, east half, the foundation trench for the placement of the large pithos was also partially excavated.  Until this point it provided with a middle Roman date for the placement of the pithos, but excavating it in its entirety is crucial in order to get a precise date for the use of this pithos.  This is very important, since it was noted in the beginning of the session by the director that this pithos could potentially date to the 5th century BC, and thus if it is in use during the middle Roman period, then it is possible to get very useful information about the use and reuse of pithoi in antiquity.; ; Finally the foundation trench of the south face of wall 23 (NB 228) was partially excavated and provided a middle Roman date.  Since it is bordering with the foundation trench for the bordering of the pithos, and they share the same dates, it will be important to excavate this context since it can provide useful information regarding the pithos and its relation to wall 23 (NB228).; ; Excavating below the floor on which the tile layer was lying on in the room to the north of room F, east half, is crucial in order to further investigate the existence, or not, of middle and late Roman coins.  The concentration of such coins within a very limited space is very interesting, and further study of them in combination with other material culture, and the surrounding architecture could provide some useful information about activity in the N of Nezi area during these periods.","","","","Nezi Field 2007 by Ioannis Sapountzis (2007-05-18 to 2007-06-07)",""
"Corinth","Report","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Forum | South Stoa east","South Stoa Shop I Rear","","Corinth:Report:South Stoa east 2016 by An Jiang and Catharine Judson (2016-04-05 to 2016-04-21)","","An Jiang, Catharine Judson; 2016 Corinth Session I; South Stoa Excavation, Shop 1 Rear ; Coordinates: N: 1092.3, S: 1084.7, E: 355.9, W: 349.6     ; Excavation Dates: April 5-21, 2016; ; Introduction; This is the final report of the first session of the Corinth excavation for 2016 in Shop 1 Rear in the South Stoa. Guy Sanders (director), James Herbst (architect) and Danielle Smotherman (field director) supervised. An Jiang and Catharine Judson (area supervisors) recorded. The workmen were Panos Kakouros (pickman) and Marios Vathis (shovelman and sieve), Vassiles Kollias and Giannes Oikonomopoulos (wheelbarrow). Photogrammetry has been carried out for every context of the room since April 11, 2016. ; ; In Shop 1 Rear, the area of excavation was bounded by the four walls of the room: Wall 457 to the east (N 1106.511; S 1086.5; E 356.4; W 348.667), Wall 458 to the south (Greek phase; N 1086.379; S 1084.15; E 355.829; W 351.808), Wall 459 to the west (to be measured in Session II), and Wall 461 (N 1092.747; S 1090.634; E 353.638; W 349.193) to the north. The coordinates of the interior space of the room are: NE corner E: 353.85, N: 1092.3; NW corner, E: 349.6, N: 1090.8; SW corner, E: 351.8, N: 1084.7; SE corner, E: 355.9, N: 1086.5. ; ; The goals of the excavation in this room are to determine the chronology of the activities in the room during the use of the Stoa (where these levels are preserved); to investigate the pre-Stoa activities in this area; and to prepare the area for consolidation, conservation, and presentation to the public. The dates during which we excavated are: April 5-21, 2016.; ; Shop 1 Rear was previously excavated by Oscar Broneer in the 1930s and 1940s. The bulk of excavation was carried out in March of 1934 (Corinth NB 139). Broneer began by removing “fill and rough masonry” across the entire area. On March 3, he records removing rubble foundations (c.70 cm thick) from this specific room. These walls may have been Byzantine in date, based on vague references to the general area in the notebook during this part of March. On March 20, Broneer excavated a trench along the entire length of the west wall between crosswalls Wall 371 to the south and Wall 461 to the north. This trench is identified both by the old excavation photos (Corinth 1.IV, pls.6.2, 7.1 and 27) and by the modern material we found in the fills along the western wall (Contexts 298 and 310). In this area, Broneer reports finding “little except some Early Helladic and Neolithic potsherds and a few Greek sherds” (p.116). On March 21, he reports that the fill close to the west wall goes deep below floor level, and that this produced primarily Early Helladic and Neolithic pottery. This may refer to the very deep sounding that we excavated as Cut 301/Context 298. Broneer also excavated in the SE corner of the room on March 21, and along the east wall on March 22, reporting Neolithic fill, Neolithic and Classical sherds, and several coins (late Classical/Hellenistic [Corinth P/T?], 1 coin of Demetrios Poliorketes, 1 coin of Manuel I). The coin of Manuel I came from the level of the toichobate (NB 139, p.122), and possibly indicates the level of Byzantine occupation in this area that was cleared away by Broneer. The trench dug along the eastern and southern walls was probably an excavation of the foundation trenches. Broneer revisited this area in 1946, but appears to have done little but cleaning in this room, based on his description of work in the notebook (Corinth NB194).; ; Prehistoric; Late Neolithic and Early Helladic pottery is present in contexts across the center and southern part of the room, typically mixed with later (generally Hellenistic) pottery. There is an especially high concentration of prehistoric pottery found in layered fills in the central area of the room (especially contexts 424, 438, and 436). The presence of this pottery and associated finds (e.g. obsidian and chert blades, EH spindle whorl [MF-2016-17]) indicates the presence of prehistoric activity in this area of the site. This is also confirmed by the presence of prehistoric levels in the space of Shop 2 Rear immediately to the east. None of the contents of these deposits are in their primary (prehistoric) context, however: all deposits with prehistoric pottery also contain later material and are indicative of later activities in the area rather than prehistoric ones. The mostly likely scenario is that, during the construction of the Stoa, foundation trenches were dug into prehistoric levels and the resulting soil was immediately redeposited as a fill level in the room’s interior with little time for Hellenistic ceramic contamination (especially Contexts 424, 436, and 438). Other contexts (e.g. Context 411) also contain prehistoric material but in lower concentrations, and are more likely the result of later filling and leveling operations within the space after the initial construction of the Stoa walls and the fill event represented by the almost pure prehistoric contexts.; ; Based on the appearance of the section in the scarp of Cut 301 compared to contexts in Shop 2 Rear, and the depth that Broneer dug to against Wall 459, it is likely that Broneer (like the builders of the Stoa) cut into prehistoric activity levels. The Neolithic and Early Helladic pottery that he mentions in both the western part of the room and in the southeast corner probably represent the spread of prehistoric activity levels across the space as well as the redeposition caused by Hellenistic construction. A matte-painted terracotta figurine in the museum comes from his excavations along the east wall (MF 13360). ; ; The pottery demonstrates that prehistoric occupation of the area ran from at least Late Neolithic through Early Helladic II. LN matte-painted and grey burnished ware, and EH red and black slipped wares are the most representative pottery types for the deposits in question. Characteristic shapes include LN fruitstands (cf. C-2016-8, C-2016-10), a LN ritual vessel (C-2016-11), a LN shoulder bowl (C-2016-9), EH bowls with incurved rims, and EH sauceboats. ; ; Classical; There are some traces of Classical activities in the room. Two deposits of fill (Contexts 456 and 478), located in the southern area of the room, date to the 4th and 5th centuries BC respectively, based on pottery. It is currently unclear what sort of activity these deposits represent, as there are no preserved surfaces dating to this period in this part of the room. One whole vessel containing traces of blue pigment was excavated in Context 456 (C-2016-5), but was resting on stones within a fill level rather than on a surface.; ; The exact type of activity in the Classical period in this room is difficult to establish, because we currently have too few excavated contexts that can be securely associated with this period. Context 478 and the associated Cut 497 may indicate the location of any stratified Classical activity in the area of the room, but the pottery from 478 is heavily prehistoric and likely represents redeposited prehistoric fill. Broneer probably also excavated part of this same deposit next to the Wall 457, as he mentions a mixture of Neolithic and Classical pottery from this specific area. His trench cuts through the deposit and exposes it in cross-section. ; ; Based on the quantities of Classical pottery present in other excavated contexts across the room, this period does not appear to form a major phase of occupation in this area. ;  ; Hellenistic; Pre-Stoa phases of activity in the late 4th and early 3rd centuries are most likely represented by a possible floor (or at least well-consolidated surface), removed as Context 449. This context dates to the 4th century BC. Its connection with the 4th century fill Context 456 in the southern part of the room is unknown, as the two deposits are spatially separated and different in appearance and formation. Two pits were dug into Context 449, and probably were meant to hold pithoi (Cuts 389 and 382). These pits were dug into the top of the surface, and therefore are likely contemporary with this 4th century surface.  ; ; The construction of the Stoa, currently dated to c.280 BC by Sarah James' 2015 excavations, is marked in the interior of the room by the redeposition of fills (Contexts 424, 436, and 438) in the center of the room (discussed above in the Prehistoric section). Their redeposition in the large cut through the consolidated surface (Context 449) suggests that this surface was highly disturbed during/by this construction project. The remainder of this surface and the pits cut into it in the northern part of the newly formed room were not covered over as part of the Stoa construction, however, and may have remained in use for some time. The pithoi in pits 389 and 382 may have been removed in conjunction with the Stoa construction. Pit 407 was also dug into the surface (Context 449) during the first half of the 3rd century BC and may mark the point at which it went out of use as a surface. Additional leveling fills were added across the southern part of the room sometime in the 3rd century BC (Contexts 411 and 398). Context 398 sealed the contents of Pit 407 (Context 403) and therefore indicates that there were multiple phases of leveling and remodeling within the room, most likely associated with the construction of the Stoa. ; ; Shortly after the construction of the Stoa, Wall 371 (L 2.5 m, W 0.50 m; N 1087.0, S 1085.8, E 353.7, W 351.3) was constructed in order to subdivide the interior space of the room. This wall was constructed in two successive, but closely dated, phases, sometime in the later 3rd century BC (post-275 BC, Context 374). This represents a restructuring of the use of the space. Probably linked with this is the gradual infilling of the two pits next to the northern wall, which had been left open after the construction of the Stoa and the probable removal of their pithoi. Context 383 (the western pit) was filled in by the late 3rd century BC, and Context 376 was filled in by the early 2nd century BC, based on the pottery (Context 376 is dated primarily on the basis of C-2016-7, a bowl with outturned rim). The coins from both pits corroborate but do not narrow this dating, as they provide a terminus post quem of the mid- to late-3rd century BC for both contexts (Context 383: 2016-78 [Ptolemy II, 285-246 BC], Coin 2016-85 [Argos, 352-228 BC], Coin 2016-86 [Argos, 352-228 BC]; Context 376: Coin 2016-63 [Argos 350-228 BC], 2016-64 [Demetrios Poliorketes, 306-283 BC], 2016-67 [Corinth P/T Group VIII, 287-252 BC]). In addition to large numbers of coins, the pits contain high concentrations of pottery and other small finds, including metal fragments (MF-2016-19: bronze handle), lamp fragments, roof tiles, ostrich egg shell (cf. MF 3957, ostrich egg shell from Broneer’s excavations against east wall), bronze rings, and pebble cement fragments. These two pits were covered and closed with a layer of fill covering the NE corner (Contexts 367, 390). The pottery from this fill event provides a terminus post quem date of the late 3rd century BC, but the fill layer was likely laid down sometime in the early 2nd century BC, based on the contents of Context 376. This fill also contains a high concentration of coins, including a Classical coin from Cleonai (2016-50, 471-421 BC), a late Classical/Hellenistic coin from Argos (2016-56, 400-200 BC), and several Corinthian P/T Type VII coins (2016-88, 2016-89, 2016-90, 2016-92: 303-287 BC). ; ; Roman; There is limited evidence for the Early Roman modification of the Stoa in this space. Pit 361 and its associated fill 364 date to the 1st century BC and are sealed by Context 360, dating to the Late Hellenistic or Early Roman period. This pit likely represents a change in function of the space, and is the first dateable act of deposition after the early 2nd century BC that we can reconstruct in the room. A thin deposit of fill (Context 346) also dates to the Early Roman period, and lies across the entire area of the room. This represents a further modification of the space after the closing of Pit 361. The date of this context is based on the pottery, but this deposit also contains 16 coins mainly dated to the earlier Hellenistic period (2016-44 [Thasos, 300-200 BC], 2016-33 [Demetrios Poliorketes, 306-283], 2016-38 [Antigonos Gonatas, 277-239 BC], 2016-36 [Lokris, 338-300 BC], several Corinthian P/T). There is one much later coin in this context, however (Coin 2016-39, Late Roman minimus), which may either pull down the date of the context dramatically or be later contamination. This level is the latest stratified deposit across the majority of the room.; ; Middle Roman activity in the room is only represented by Cut 334 and associated fills (especially Contexts 332 and 337) in the NE corner. This may be a rubbish pit associated with some construction event in the area, as many of the small finds in these contexts are broken building materials (tiles, marble revetment, cement, plastered blocks, wall plaster fragments, pebble cement flooring). The squared shape of the cutting may indicate that this originally had some other function than for trash dumping, however. ; ; We speculate that the later Roman use levels of the room were removed in the post-Roman period (Broneer mentions Byzantine walls in this area) or during early excavations without any comment in the notebook, and all that remained were traces of various filling operations from Roman construction.; ; Modern; The latest activity in the interior of the room is modern backfilling and trampled fills. Cuts 301 and 316, and Contexts 287, 297, 298, and 310 represent Broneer’s activities, including both excavation and backfilling. The bottom of this modern excavation and backfilling has not been clearly identified in the area of Context 298, since we stopped digging along the west wall after the first week of the session. One of Broneer’s goals in this area was presumably to expose the entire eastern profile of Wall 459 in the area of Context 298. This deposit exposed four courses of the wall, with at least one more likely still buried, as known from the excavations in Shop 2 Rear. In addition, the construction of the stone patch (Context 326) in the NE corner of the room also probably belongs to this period because of the modern material found in it. All excavation in the area took place in the 1930s and 1940s. The terminus post quem for the backfilling of the western soundings in the room is provided by coin 2016-6, a 1954 drachma. In all areas of modern excavation, a number of modern glass, metal and plastic objects were found, including a complete modern medicinal bottle (MF-2016-16).; ; Conclusion; The excavation activities of this session have raised more questions about ancient activities in the room than they have answered. The primary problem that is raised by the types of contexts in Shop 1 Rear so far excavated is that there are no clearly identified floor levels, and therefore no clear idea of activities within the room during different use phases. Most of the deposits represent fill events rather than occupation phases. Various construction phases also severely disrupted earlier levels and therefore caused a high degree of fragmentation of deposits within the space of the room. Nonetheless, we are able to link at least some of the contexts with the construction of the Stoa and therefore can mark chronological points of change to the space (pre-Stoa, Stoa construction, mid- to-late 3rd century restructuring, Early Roman, Middle Roman), even if their function is not always clear. ; ; Future goals; 1. To determine the spatial boundaries and nature of prehistoric occupation in this space, and how it relates to similar deposits in Shop 2 Rear.; 2. To investigate the type of activities in the room in the Classical period (occupation, redeposited fill, etc.).; 3. To determine the date of the construction of the Stoa walls and how this construction relates stratigraphically to other phases of occupation (e.g. relationship with prehistoric levels, Classical levels, Roman levels).; ; ; Appendix; List of Inventoried Objects:; C-2016-2 Corinthian A Stamped Amphora Handle (context 346); C-2016-5 [pottery with blue pigment] (official name TBD) (context 456); C-2016-7 Bowl with Outturned Rim (context 376); C-2016-8 Late Neolithic Fruitstand (context 411); C-2016-9 Late Neolithic Shoulder Bowl (context 478); C-2016-10 Late Neolithic Fruitstand (context 411); C-2016-11 Late Neolithic Vessel: Leg (context 411); MF-2016-9 Bronze and Iron Boss (context 390); MF-2016-12 Bronze Stylus (context 360); MF-2016-14 Conical Loomweight Type X (context 411); MF-2016-15 Conical Loomweight Type IX-X (context 367); MF-2016-16 Modern Glass Medicinal Bottle (context 287); MF-2016-17 Early Helladic Spindle Whorl (context 424); MF-2016-19 Bronze Vessel: Handle (context 383); ; List of Coins (64 in total):; 2016-2 (context 284) Byzantine (Manuel I?); 2016-6 (context 287) Modern 1954; 2016-21 (context 298) Possibly Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-23 (context 320) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-24 (context 320) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-25 (context 330) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-26 (context 330) Antigonos Gonatas (277-239 B.C.); 2016-27 (context 337) (not a coin); 2016-28 (context 337) Greek, illegible; 2016-29 (context 337) Argos (c.350-228 B.C.); 2016-30 (context 337) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-31 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-32 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-33 (context 346) Demetrius Poliorketes (306-283 B.C.); 2016-34 (context 346) Epidauros; 2016-35 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-36 (context 346) Lokris (c.338-300 B.C.); 2016-37 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-38 (context 346) Antigonos Gonatas (277-239 B.C.); 2016-39 (context 346) Roman minimus (5th – 6th A.D.); 2016-40 (context 346) Greek, illegible; 2016-41 (context 346) Greek (Macedonian king?); 2016-42 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-44 (context 346) Thasos (c.300-200 B.C.); 2016-45 (context 346) Greek, illegible; 2016-46 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-47 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-48 (context 364) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-49 (context 364) Greek, illegible; 2016-50 (context 367) Cleonai (c.371-321 B.C.); 2016-51 (context 367) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-52 (context 367) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-53 (context 367) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-54 (context 367) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-56 (context 367) Argos (c.400-200 B.C.); 2016-57 (context 367) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-63 (context 376) Argos (c.350-228 B.C.); 2016-64 (context 376) Demetrius Poliorketes (306-283 B.C.); 2016-65 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-66 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-67 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident Group VIII (c.287-252 B.C.); 2016-68 (context 376) (not a coin); 2016-70 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-71 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-72 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-74 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-78 (context 383) Ptolemy II Euergetes (285-246 B.C.) golden coin; 2016-79 (context 383) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-80 (context 383) (not a coin); 2016-81 (context 383) Megara (c.307-293 B.C.); 2016-82 (context 383) Greek, illegible; 2016-83 (context 383) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-84 (context 383) Greek, unclear; 2016-85 (context 383) Argos (c.352-228 B.C.); 2016-86 (context 383) Argos (c.352-228 B.C.); 2016-87 (context 383) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-88 (context 390) Corinth Pegasus/Trident Group VII (c.303-287 B.C.); 2016-89 (context 390) Corinth Pegasus/Trident Group VII (c.303-287 B.C.); 2016-90 (context 390) Corinth Pegasus/Trident Group VII (c.303-287 B.C.); 2016-91 (context 390) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-92 (context 390) Corinth Pegasus/Trident Group VII (c.303-287 B.C.); 2016-93 (context 390) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-98 (context 398) Corinth Pegasus/Trident Group VII (c.303-287 B.C.); 2016-118 (context 449) illegible; ; List of Contexts (51 in total):; 284 Cleaning of dark soil near west wall; 287 Removal of pebbly matrix in western half of room; 297 Dark soil SE corner of cut exposed by 284; 298 Dark soil next to west wall of room; 301 Cut of 298 into 310; 310 Red Soil in NW + SW corners of room; 316 Cut filled by 310; 320 Clay across northern center of room; 326 Patch of stones in NE corner of room; 330 Dark stony soil in NE corner; 332 Red stony soil in NE corner; 333 Cut filled by 330; 334 Cut filled by 332; 337 Cobbles filling cut 334 under deposits 330 + 332; 342 Fill cut into clay surface in room center; 344 Cut filled by 342; 346 Clayey layer in center of room; 360 Clay patch next to southern crosswall; 361 Cut filled by 360 + 364; 364 Fill of cut 361 below deposit 360; 367 Clay patch next to N wall; 371 Late crosswall in S of room—top course; 374 Foundation course of structure 371; 376 Fill of pit abutting N wall; 382 Cut filled by 376; 383 Pit abutting N wall; 389 Cut filled by 383; 390 Clayey patch between Broneer and square cutting in east of room; 394 Soil under western block of wall 371; 396 Small pebbly patch next to N wall; 398 Pebbly matrix in S of room center; 403 Small bothros; 407 Cut filled by 403; 411 Pebbly layer S center of room; 421 Cut filled by 396; 424 Pebbly matrix in center of room; 427 Patch of wash on E Broneer scarp; 436 Small clay patch; 438 Cobbly layer in center of room; 449 Clay deposit in N center of room; 456 Clayey deposit in S of room; 457 N-S wall/ E wall of Shop 1 (Greek); 458 E-W wall/ S wall of Shop 1 (Greek); 460 E-W wall/ N wall of Shop 1 front; 461 E-W wall/ N wall of Shop 1 Rear; 468 N-S wall / E wall of Shop 1 (Roman); 469 E-W wall/ S wall of Shop 1 Rear (Roman); 478 Layer of black soil below 456; 493 Cut filled to S by 411, 424, 438; 494 Cut filled to N by 424, 438; 497 Cut filled by 478","","","","South Stoa east 2016 by An Jiang and Catharine Judson (2016-04-05 to 2016-04-21)",""
"Corinth","Report","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","2015 Session II, Frankish activity in Unit 2, Room 9","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Danielle Smotherman and Tim Brannelly (2015-05-04 to 2015-05-22)","","Danielle Smotherman; Timothy Brannelly; Temple E, Southeast Excavations; Session II; Unit 2, Room 9; N: 1086.73, S; 1079.10 N, E: 132.85 E, W: 126.83 E; 4-22 May 2015; ; 2015 Session II, Frankish activity in Unit 2, Room 9; ; This is the final summary of the second session excavation for 2015 in Room 9 of Unit 2 in the Frankish quarter, Temple E Southeast. Guy Sanders (director) and Larkin Kennedy (field director) supervised. Danielle Smotherman and Timothy Brannelly (area supervisors) recorded. The workmen were Thanasis Sakellariou (pickman), Christos Sakellariou (shovelman), and Panagiotis Rontzokos (barrowman, sieve). ; Excavation work focused on Room 9. In Room 9, the area of excavation was bounded by the walls of the room: the East wall (Wall 659: N. 1087.97; S. 1079.86; E. 133.18; W. 130.68), the North wall (Wall 700: N. 1087.11; S. 1086.23; E. 126.99; W. 130.93), the West wall (Wall 720: N. 1086.14; S. 1079.21; E. 128.46; W. 126.48), and the South wall (Wall 729: N. 1079.62; S. 1078.48; E. 132.11; W. 128.35). Excavation in room 9 was done in order to clarify the dating and the relationship between the walls of this room to the other areas of Unit 2 in preparation for the area being presented to the public as part of the Frankish Quarter. Especially of interest was the relationship between the church and the construction of Room 9. ; ; Excavation in Room 9 was begun in Session I 2015, prior to that it had not been excavated since 1996 (NB888 P1-46). The final two days of Session I excavation, 27th and 28th of April, were spent in Room 9. In Session II, Room 9 was excavated 4th-22nd May 2015. The majority of the excavation time in Session II was dedicated to the removal of a very large pit cut into the space, which produced an enormous amount of soil, pottery, bones, and small finds. On the 11th of May, there was a significant amount of rain, which necessitated putting aside soil to dry on the morning of the 12th prior to sieving and created a backlog on the sieve. This soil was not completely sieved until the 15th.  The large pit has been a massive endeavor and the team has been greatly aided by Angela Stamati (sieve), Vasillis Kollias (barrowman), Kostas Arberoris (acting as shovelman), Wesley Bennett (sieve, pottery, small finds), Kurtis Tanaka, and Emilio Rodriguez-Alvarez (sieve).; ; Unit 2, Room 9, excavated 4/5/2015-15/4/2015; ; Frankish Period (AD 1210-1458):; All contexts excavated in the Session II excavation in Room 9 date between the late 13th and 14th centuries by pottery and coins. ; During the third quarter of the 13th century, it is most likely that the space of Room 9 was outdoor. A courtyard surface (Context 772) is preserved in the eastern half of the room, cut by several pits. That courtyard surface is securely dated to the second half of the 13th century by three William Villehardouin coins (coins 2015-227, 2015-228, and 2015-230) all of the CORINTVM type that date AD 1250-78. The courtyard surface was prepared by a leveling fill (Context 792) that was probably put down at one time, even though the pottery represents a mix of periods, because the fill is homogenous throughout. The fill contained three minor finds: a marble stopper (MF-2015-18), a fragment of a glass bracelet (MF-2015-17), and a glass tessera with gold leaf (MF-2015-34). The leveling fill was above an earthen surface, which was not excavated this season. The fill is also securely dated to the second half of the 13th century by three definite William Villehardouin coins, two CORINTI (coins 2015-266 and 2015-313), the other a CORINTVM (coin 2015-312), and two other coins that are most likely also Villehardouin CORINTVM or CORINTI (coins 2015-316 and 2015-320).; ;  A large pit (Context 733/717/726/747, L. 5.7 m, W. 3.1 m, N. 1083.88; S. 1079.99; E. 130.80; W. 127.50) was dug into the courtyard surface during the fourth quarter of the 13th century and filled with a mix of pottery, animal bones, industrial rubbish such as iron crucibles, part of a glass kiln, and domestic refuse including crochet hooks. The middle layer in the pit, Context 726, contained a stamped amphora handle from Zakynthos (C-2015-1), and the following minor finds: an iron weight (MF-2015-11), an iron door handle (MF-2015-10), an iron knife (MF-2015-35), an iron blade (MF-2015-38), a square iron buckle (MF-2015-36), a pierced bronze disc (MF-2015-37), a bone die (MF-2015-30), a bronze pendant (MF-2015-33), a glass bead (MF-2015-39), a silver pendant (MF-2015-9), and a silver necklace with a coral pendant, silver cross, bronze cross, and glass bead (MF-2015-21). The top level of the pit, which spills outside of the cut of the pit, included a pilgrims’shell (MF-2015-19) and a bronze earring (MF-2015-40). The pit most likely represents a trash dump that may not reflect the use of nearby spaces. Excavation of the pit also revealed the side of a cistern, which was not excavated this session as it remains under nearly a meter of fill in the eastern half of the room. ; ; Numismatic finds in the pit were numerous with a total of 40 coins found, several of which securely date to the Frankish period. In addition to several Byzantine coins, several of which belong to Manuel I, AD 1143-1180 (coins 2015-143, 2015-161, and 2015-204), Context 726 yielded several Frankish coins belonging to William Villehardouin as well as several French Royal coins also belonging to the 13th century. Coins 2015-124 and 2015-127 are Villehardouin CORINTI coins, Coin 2015-139 is a Villehardouin CORINTVM coin (both dated c. 1250-1278). Coin 2015-138 is a French St. Martin of Tours coin utilizing the imagery of the castle Tournois, which Villehardouin also used on some of his coins, dated to the 13th century, while coins 2015-145 and 2015-201 belong either to the reign of Louis VIII or Louis IX and are dated 1223-1270. In addition, coin 2015-149, although illegible, is most likely either a French royal or a Frankish Villehardouin coin. Likewise, Context 747, the lower sense of the large pit, yielded a similar assortment of coins, albeit a smaller number. Several of the coins from Context 747 were unfortunately illegible, but are most likely Frankish, including coins 2015-184 and 2015-186. The only secure Villehardouin coin from context 747 is Coin 2015-164, a CORINTVM type. Furthermore, the deposit at the bottom of the pit (Context 773), which, according to pottery, is actually not part of the pit and represents the level to which the pit was cut, has a date of the fourth quarter of the 13th century, indicating that the pit must have been cut and filled during the later part of the fourth quarter of the 13th century. Context 773 also yielded a single Villehardouin CORINTI coin (Coin 2015-215), which may have found its way into this lower level when the pit was cut. For a list of all the coins by their respective contexts and with their dates, see the attached chart. It is worth noting that none of the coins postdates William Villehardouin and 1278.; ; In the fourth quarter of the 13th century, the area ceased to be used as a trash dump and became an indoor space. The first wall definitely constructed in the space of Room 9 was the North wall (Wall 700: N. 1087.11; S. 1086.23; E. 126.99; W. 130.93). The pottery from the foundation trench for the N. Wall, Context 706, indicates a date of the fourth quarter of the 13th, and the three Villehardouin CORINTVM coins from the trench, Coins 2015-111, 2015-112, and 2015-113, can be dated 1250-1278, thus confirming the date from the pottery. A leveling fill which covers the foundation trench also dates to the late 13th century by the pottery (Context 696) and indicates the beginning of the indoor use of the space. The floor itself was excavated in 1996 (NB888 B38 P42; NB888 B41 P45-46), at a higher elevation. The East wall (Wall 659: N. 1087.97; S. 1079.86; E. 133.18; W. 130.68) and its respective foundation trench (Contexts 673/672) is only generally dated to the early 14th and late 13th centuries by the pottery. The West wall (Wall 720: N. 1086.14; S. 1079.21; E. 128.46; W. 126.48) rests on the bottom of the large pit (Contexts 733/717/726/747), which could have served as the foundation trench for the wall in the late 13th century and was partially robbed out in the later 13th/early 14th centuries, so the foundation and the robbing out of the wall may be very close in time (Contexts 664/663). Excavation thus far has not indicated a date for the South wall (Wall 729: N. 1079.62; S. 1078.48; E. 132.11; W. 128.35), but it may be contemporary with Wall 720 because they do meet at the SW corner of the room along with Wall 156. It is not clear how the walls bond, so their stratigraphic relationship is in question. In general, the corners of the room are obscured or the walls appear to rest against one another without clear stratigraphic relationships: the Northwest corner of the room is obscured by a robbing trench (Walls 700 and 729), the Northeast corner includes touching walls (Walls 659 and 700), the Southeast corner is disturbed by the pit in the corner (Walls 659 and 729), and the Southwest corner (Walls 720 and 729) meet. It is possible that the relationship at the corner of 729 and 720 could be clarified by further excavation, but it is not clear at the current level of excavation. Wall 729 was later extended to the west by Wall 156, which dates to the mid- to late-13th century (cf. Bennett Session I summary), indicating that Room 9 was an interior space prior to either the creation of an enclosed passageway north of the Church or prior to the enclosure of the southern end of Room 8.; ; Multiple layers of fill, unevenly distributed in the room, were excavated and represent multiple depositional activities in the space during the late 13th - early 14th centuries, dated generally by the pottery (Contexts 652, 674, 676, 679, 683, 685, 699, 694, 704, 712, 715). These layers of fills appear to be contained within the walls, with only the unexcavated earthen surface appearing to go under the east wall (Wall 659).  In part, some of these could be leveling fills to raise the floor level, possibly to the 14th century floor level excavated in 1996, a small portion of which was excavated in Session I (NB888 B38 P42; NB888 B41 P45-46; Contexts 628 and 634). Among the levels of fill, a bronze hinge comes from a layer of ashy fill (MF-2015-32, Context 652), a lead mending strip was recovered from Context 712 (MF-2015-20), a lead seal was recovered in the trench 692/695 (MF-2015-31), and another bone die in the fill directly above the pit (MF-2015-29, Context 685). It is possible that the space went out of use for a short period of time when two small and relatively shallow circular rubbish pits (Contexts 660/665 and 661/666), a small post hole (Context 689), and a larger rectangular trench of unknown use (Context 695/692, L. 1.87 m., W. 1.0 m., D. 0.20 m., N. 1083.60; S. 1083.00; E. 129.50; W. 127.68) were cut into the fill.; ; Above the tile floor removed in 1996, the previous excavators also encountered a layer of destruction debris, primarily tiles, which was originally dated to the late 13th-early 14th century and now thought to be 14th century in date (NB888 B32 P36, NB888 B37 P41) providing evidence for when the room went out of use. ; ; Early Modern:; The pit in the center of Room 9 is a later intrusion (NB888 B18 P22-23; NB888 23 P26; NB888 B24 P27; NB888 B25 P28). It was excavated in 1996 to a total depth of 0.80 m and the material of the fill dated primarily to the 18th and 19th centuries, with some earlier materials included (a 12th century coin, Coin 1996-150, and some 16th century pottery). The final lense in the pit contained 13th century pottery, but this most likely indicates material disturbed by the cut of the pit rather than the date of the pit itself. This pit cut through a portion of the large pit (Contexts 733/717/726/747) excavated in Session II. ; ; Future goals:; 1.    Full inventory of all the minor finds from Room 9. As time was limited, not all minor objects were fully inventoried by the end of Session II, although all were noted. These objects can provide more information on the use of the space in the late 13th-early 14th centuries. ; 2.    Try to find a foundation trench for the South wall (Wall 729) of Room 9 to help clarify the construction dates of the wall as well as to identify the relationship between Wall 729 and Walls 270, to the North, and 156, to the West. ; 3.    Explore the cistern under the courtyard, the side of which was revealed by the excavation of the large pit, and which needs to be excavated and filled prior to the final consolidation of Room 9. ; 4.    Further excavate the room to get a better understanding of its function prior to becoming an indoor space and its relationship to the church. ;  ; APPENDIX I: COINS; ; Context 639; Coin 43 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); ; Context 647; Coin 49 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 51 (sieve)    Frankish (1223-1250); Coin 53 (sieve)    Frankish (1200-1299); ; Context 652; Coin 56 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 57 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 62 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 63 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 64 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 65 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); ; Context 663; Coin 75 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); ; Context 676; Coin 91 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); ; Context 679; Coin 93 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 94    Illegible; Coin 95    Frankish (1223-1270); ; Context 683; Coin 96 (sieve)    Not a coin; ; Context 688; Coin 97 (sieve)    Frankish (1223-1270); ; Context 692; Coin 98 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); ; Context 696; Coin 100 (findspot)    Frankish; Coin 106 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); ; Context 704; Coin 109 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); ; Context 706 (foundation trench for Wall 700); Coin 111 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 112 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 113 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); ; Context 715; Coin 130 (sieve)    Frankish ; Coin 117 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 132 (sieve)    Not a coin; ; Context 717 (top of large pit?); Coin 118 (findspot)    Greek (400-300 BC); Coin 119 (sieve)    Frankish (1223-1270); Coin 120 (findspot)    Byzantine; Coin 121 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1184); Coin 122 (sieve)    Greek ; Coin 123 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 125 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 126 (sieve)    Frankish; ; Context 720 (Wall, under a loose rock); Coin 212 (findspot)    Illegible; ; Context 726 (large pit); Coin 124 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 127 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 128 (findspot)    Roman Imperial; Coin 129 (sieve)    Frankish; Coin 137 (findspot)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 138 (findspot)    Frankish (1235-1278); Coin 139 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 141 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 143 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 144 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 145 (findspot)    Frankish (1223-1270); Coin 149 (findspot)    Frankish (1223-1270); Coin 152 (sieve)    Byzantine (1150-1190); Coin 153 (sieve)    Byzantine ; Coin 154 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 155 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 156 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 159 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 160 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 161 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 162 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 194 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 201 (sieve)    Frankish (1223-1250); Coin 203 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 204 (sieve)    Illegible; Context 747 (large pit); Coin 163 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 164 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 180 (sieve)    Byzantine (1082-1118); Coin 181 (sieve)    Byzantine (1075-1080); Coin 183 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 184 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 185 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 186 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 187 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 196 (sieve)    Byzantine (1078-1081); Coin 199 (sieve)    Byzantine (1070-1095); Coin 202    Not a coin; ; Context 772 (courtyard paving); Coin 227 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 228 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 229 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 230 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 231 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 232 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 261 (sieve)     unread; ; Context 773 (level at bottom of large pit); Coin 213 (sieve)    Byzantine; Coin 215 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); ; Context 792 (leveling fill under courtyard paving); Coin 261    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 262 (findspot)    Greek Imperial (193-217); Coin 266 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 268 (findspot)    Byzantine (1081-1118); Coin 270 (findspot)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 291 (sieve)    Roman Imperial; Coin 293 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 309 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 310 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 311 (sieve)    Roman Imperial; Coin 312 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 313 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 314 (sieve)    Roman Imperial; Coin 315 (sieve)    Roman Imperial; Coin 316 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 317 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 318 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 319 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 320 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 321 (loose dirt in Wall 659)    Frankish (1250–1278)","","","","Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Danielle Smotherman and Tim Brannelly (2015-05-04 to 2015-05-22)",""
"Corinth","Report","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","Final Summary, Session I (Unit 2, Church Nave)","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Maggie Beeler and Morgan T. Condell (2014-04-07 to 2014-04-28)","","Maggie Beeler, Morgan Condell; Session 1; Temple E, Southeast Excavations; N-S 1074.64-1071.50; E-W 126.00-122.70; April 2014; ; This is the final summary of the first session of excavation in 2014 in the Temple E, Southeast excavations at Corinth. Guy Sanders (Director) and Jody Cundy (Field Director) supervised. The area supervisors consisted of Maggie Beeler and Morgan Condell (recorders), and the workmen were ThanasisNotis (foreman and pickman), Tasos Tsongas (pickman), Angela Stamati (shovelwoman and barrowwoman), MariosVathis (barrowman), and PanosRonzokos (shovelman). ; ; The excavation area was the NW quadrant of the church nave in the complex known as Unit 2.  This was previously excavated during the 1990 field season (NB 831, NB 835). The excavation area was bounded to the north by the north wall of the church (Structure 20, N-S 1075.11-1074.52, E-W 129.51-122.06) and its robbing trench, and to the west by the narthex cross wall (Structure 21, N-S 1074.44-1067.99, E-W 123.52-121.98) and the later threshold (Structure 22, N-S 1072.09-1070.55, E-W 123.31-122.25) built into it. The northwest pier base (Structure 23, N-S 1073.63-1072.29, E-W 125.25-124.03) also fell within the excavation area. Because the excavation area was sectioned in order to facilitate future micromorphological analysis within the church, the eastern (E 126.0) and southern (N 1070.50) boundaries were established to align with the grid. ; ; The goal of this session was to locate the earlier floor of the church, since the raised threshold in the narthex cross wall was a later addition associated with a later floor, in order to gain a better understanding of the use phases of the church and when it went out of use.; ; Frankish Period (1210-1458 A.D.); ; The earliest phase of activity is represented by two graves cut into a fill that has yet to be excavated.  Grave 2014-06 (Cut 137, N-S 1073.85-1072.58, E-W 125.95-125.22, filled by Context 129), which abuts the eastern face of the NW pier base (Structure 23), was an oval pit grave (L 1.27, W 0.73, Depth 0.61m), which contained the skeleton of a single primary adult inhumation.  Skeleton 136 (Bone Lot 2014-06) was in extended supine position with both arms crossed over the abdomen, with its head to the N end of the grave facing S, head and shoulders propped up with a stone and earthen fill.  Material from the fill of the grave included a fragment of a Protomaiolica Slipped Painted plate and a fragment of a Metallic Ware Unslipped pitcher, both of Frankish date.  Four coinswere found, three of which are quite early.  2014-49 and 2014-53 are Greek, and 2014-54 is Roman Imperial.  The fourth coin (2014-57) is illegible.  Other material from the fill included a number of fragments of clear glass, including one with applied threads.  These finds suggest a terminus post quem for the fill of the grave in the Frankish period.; ; Grave 2014-03 (Cut 126, N-S 1072.68-1070.59, E-W 125.75-125.00, filled by Context 112) was a oval pit grave (L 2.09, W 0.75, Depth 0.74 )located in the southeastern portion of the excavation are.  It contained the skeleton of a single primary adult inhumation. Skeleton 127 (Bone Lot 2014-03) was in extended supine position with both arms crossed over the abdomen, with its head to the N end of the grave facing S, head and shoulders propped up with a deposit of earth and tile.  Pottery from the fill of the grave included a fragment of a Glaze Painted I Slipped pitcher and several White Ware sherds, all of Byzantine date.  Two coins were found, one of which was illegible (2014-45) and the other is a Byzantine coin of Leo VI (date:886-912 A.D.) (2014-37).  Though the pottery and coin dates suggest a terminus post quem in the Byzantine period, we suspect that this grave belongs to a later period, as it cut into the same fill and at the same elevation as Grave 2014-06, which has a terminus post quem in the Frankish period.  This may be further supported by fragments of a clear glass goblet with ring foot and two clear colored glass fragments, one with applied thread and one with applied prunt from a prunted beaker, which were found in the fill and suggest a Frankish date.; ; These two graves were overlaid by a shallow fill extending over the eastern portion of the excavation area, including the eastern half of the NW pier base (Context 105, N-S 1074.68-1070.59, E-W 125.98-124.46).  The pottery from this fill included a sherd of a plain White Ware plate, a fragment of a Slipped Plain Glazed bowl, both of Frankish date.  A coin was also found (2014-33), however it is a Roman Imperial coin from the House of Constantine Dynasty, and therefore is not diagnostic for the context.  Fragments of glass were also recovered from the fill, including 2 fragments of clear colorless glass with applied threads.  The material from the fill suggests a terminus post quem in the Frankish period.; ; Another grave was found in the southwest portion of the excavation area along the narthex crosswall, just east of the later threshold (Structure 22).  Grave 2014-04 is cut into an as yet unexcavated fill.  It is unclear whether Grave 2014-04 is cut into the same fill cut into by Graves 2014-03 and 2014-06, since an as yet unexcavated baulk lies between them, which was created when we further sectioned the excavation area.  Grave 2014-04 (Cut 188, N-S 1072.21-1070.45, W 123.20, filled by Context 99) is a subrectangular pit grave (dimensions to be determined), which contained the skeleton of a primary adult inhumation (Skeleton 121, Bone Lot 2014-04), with a secondary deposit of disarticulated human remains (Bone Lot 2014-12) including many long bones and four skulls (three were excavated and assigned Bone Lots 2014-07,08,09) overlaying its lower legs.  Skeleton 121was in extended supine position with both arms crossed over the abdomen, with its head to the N end of the grave facing S-SW, head and shoulders propped up with tiles and earth, with a tile positioned vertically along the eastern side of the skull.  Skeleton 121 appears to be complete, except for the feet, which were disturbed when this grave was truncated by Grave 1990-41A-C to the south.  The grave was not fully excavated due to heavy rain at the end of Session I, such that the bottom and eastern extent have yet to be determined.  The top of the skull of a small child was exposed in the NW of the grave, and may represent another burial or further disarticulated remains.  Material from the fill of the grave included one fragment of a Sgrafitto IV bowl, as well as the base of a Green Glazed Painted bowl (with joining fragments in Context 52, C 2014 6).  Part of a gold and pearl earring (MF 2014 3) was found near the left leg of Skeleton 121.  Two coins were found in the fill, one of Byzantine date (2014-58).  The other (2014-68) is a coin of Charles I or II Anjou (1278-1289 A.D) minted at Clarenza,.  Several fragments of glass were also found in this fill, including one with applied threads.  The material from the fill of the grave suggests a terminus post quem in the Frankish period.  The grave was overlaid by a shallow fill (Context 83, N-S 1072.34-1070.64, E-W 124.08-123.23) that ran east of the narthex crosswall, extending south from the rubble feature abutting Wall 21, which remains to be explored in future excavation.  An overturned undecorated marble column capital was embedded in this fill, and may have served as a marker for the grave.  This fill also contained one fragment of a Metallic Ware Unslipped pitcher, and two sherds of Glaze Painted IV slipped ware, as well as several fragments of clear glass, one with embedded thread, one with applied thread, and several fragments that may have belonged to a lamp (cf. MF 1992-36).  This material suggests a terminus post quem in the Frankish period for this fill.; ; Turkish I Period (1458-1680 A.D.); ; The entire excavation area was overlaid by a deposit of differentiated lenses of fill (Contexts 25, 52, 61, 67, 69, 70, 74, 77, 81), which we believe to be part of the same activity.  This fill is dated to the Turkish I period by a sherd of Posgrafitto ware(early 16th c.) found in Context 52.  Other material that was common to all of these differentiated lenses included fragments of clear glass, and a large concentration of Frankish pottery.; ; This fill underlies the remains of a cement bedding for a later floor (Context 47, N-S 1072.81-1071.78, E-W 126.01-125.10), portions of which we found in situ in the eastern portion of the excavation area.   This cement bedding would have been laid on a tile leveling fill, represented by Contexts 14 & 49 (N-S 1072.82-1070.99, E-W 125.74-124.74).  This preserved cement floor bedding was exposed during the 1990 field season, and extended discontinuously across the church, particularly to the E and S.; ; Evidence for a decorative floor is represented by numerous fragments of Cosmati style floor and marble architectural elements (Lot 2014-001).  These include cemented fragments of gray and white marble along with black and red cut stones found within multiple contexts, including the fill of all three graves as well as the fills above them (Contexts 83, 99, 112, 129, 52, 105).  We hope that further excavation will clarify the relationship between these Cosmati floor fragments and the preserved cement floor bedding (Context 47).; ; The Turkish I fill was also cut by two pits along the N boundary of our excavation area, abutting the exposed scarp of the robbing trench of Wall 20.  The cut for the pit in the NW corner (Cut 44, N-S 1075.42-1073.96, E-W 124.09-123.25, filled by Context 32) was difficult to determine because it was highly disturbed.  This is due in part to erosion from long exposure, but also due to previous excavation in this area (NB 835, Basket 53, pp.97-98), which identified but did not fully excavate a grave pit of which this may be a part.Material from the fill of the pit included disarticulated human bone and evidence for heavy bioturbation, as well as fragments of glass, painted plaster, and a small amount of pottery including a fragment of a Late Sgrafitto Slipped Style VII bowl and a Slipped Plain Glazed bowl, as well as Roman and Pre-Roman material.; ; The second pit, located further E along the scarp of the robbing trench (Cut 45, N-S 1074.65-1074.26, E-W 125.48-124.35, filled by Context 28), may also have been associated with burial activity, given the high frequency of disarticulated human remains.  It appears to have been truncated and disturbed by the robbing of Wall 20.  Material from the fill of the pit included a coin (2014-43) which was illegible.  The pottery included a fragment of a Slipped Plain Glazed bowland a Neolithic burnished bowlsherd.  Other material included several fragments of clear glass, and one shoulder fragment of an early 4th c A.D. lamp with a black painted vine scroll design.; ; Due to the poor preservation of the cement floor bedding, it is unclear whether these pits predate it, or cut into the later floor surface.; ; Recommendations for Future Work in this Area:; ; 1.    Determine extent of Cut 188, and complete the excavation of Grave 2014-04.; 2.    Remove the baulk created by sectioning of the excavation areato clarify the relationship of the fill cut by Grave 2014-04 and the fill cut by Graves 2014-03 and 2014-06.; 3.    Two grave cuts run underneath this baulk and were partially revealed by removal of Context 105.  These should be excavated.; 4.    Investigate the NW corner, underneath the upturned column capital to determine whether a burial is located there.; 5.    Determine the nature of the rubble structure running along the Narthex crosswall (Structure 21).; 6.    Continue excavating fill inside of church, with the hopes of clarifying the phases of its use and architectural history.","","","","Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Maggie Beeler and Morgan T. Condell (2014-04-07 to 2014-04-28)",""
"Corinth","Report","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","Final Report Unit 2, Rooms 4 and 6. Session I 2015","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Rodríguez-Álvarez, Emilio, Lorenzová, Alžběta with additions from Larkin Kennedy (2015-04-21 to 2015-04-28)","","Introduction:; This is the final report for the first session of excavations in the 2015 season for Rooms 4 and 6 of Unit II in the area of Temple E SE. Room 4 was last excavated by A. Rohn in July and August of 1997 (See NBs. 895 and 907). Room 6 was last excavated by S. Rous and R. Worsham in April of 2014, although the southernmost part of it was last excavated by J. Rife and B. Olsen in April of 1996 (See NB. 864 p.57-119). Dr. Guy Sanders (Director) and Larkin Kennedy (Field director) supervised. Alžběta Lorenzová excavated in Room 4 while Emilio Rodríguez-Álvarez excavated in Room 6.; ; Excavation in Room 4 aimed at exploring any undisturbed graves remaining after the 1990s excavation. In two places, cleaning revealed the bottom of the cut from previously excavated graves 1997-43 (1069.70-1070.70N; 114.35-116.10E) and 1997-13C (1069.25-1069.90N; 114.65-116.25E), as well as the tile bedding for the heads of the skeletons interred in those graves, but not any undisturbed material (cf. NB 895). Alžběta Lorenzová excavated the one undisturbed grave (2015-02) abutting the rubble baulk at the north wall, about 2.25m away from the west wall and 2.20m away from the east threshold of the room. The south side was further bounded by a baulk (1070.80-1070.60N; 118-27-117.57E).; ; Excavation in Room 6 took place in three specific spots, the south side of NB 864 pit #10, the surface of the south side of the room, and a deposit in the west of the room along the wall (Wall Structure 58), all of which had been identified previously as possibly containing human skeletal remains. The general area of the excavation was delimited by the west wall of the room (Context 58; formerly Wall 13 of NB 864) (1076.94–1083.30N, 117.20–118.12E), and by the east wall of the room (Context 59; formerly Wall 11 of NB 864) (1077.48–1084.33N, 119.64–121.55E) and the associated robbing trench (removal detailed in NB 864). The south boundary was effectively a pedestal surrounding the reused Hymettian orthostate at the entrance to the narthex of the church to the south (1076.5N). The north boundary was arbitrarily established in a line at 1080.20N as excavation focused on the south segment of the room, much of which had remained unexcavated in the course of previous examinations of this area. However, despite its reduced size, work did not take place on the whole surface of the demarcated area.; ; ; Goals of the excavation:; Room 4 and Room 6 are grouped in this report since they share common research goals as well as the same problems in addressing them. Although excavation was carried out in the northern and central portion of Room 6 during the 2014 season, the defined area, as well as the whole of Room 4, were last excavated in 1996 and 1997 respectively. The goal for both rooms was to explore a series of features visible on the surface that had the potential of being unexcavated burials cut into the otherwise exposed surface visible in both rooms. As excavation methodology in the 1990’s made use of a grid system with baulks, current consolidation efforts in the Frankish quarter required further excavation according to open area excavation methodology, including the removal of baulks between areas excavated in the 1990’s (e.g. Context 595).; ; Frankish Period (AD 1210-1450); ; Room 4:; During the Frankish period, Room 4 was used as a cemetery. In the 1990s more than 200 skeletons were excavated in relation to this phase of activity (Williams, Snyder, Barnes, Zervos 1998, p. 239). Interments were placed in E-W trenches through the floor of the room, with graves 1997-43 (1069.70-1070.70N; 114.35-116.10E; Context 896; cf. NB 895: 172-175) and 1997-13C (1069.25-1069.90N; 114.65-116.25E; Context 897; cf. NB 895: 83-86) each the western-most burials in two such parallel trenches. Grave 2015-02, a tile grave (Contexts 592, 615, and 623; Cut Context 630; 1071.30-1070.95N; 117.10-116.01E), underlies Graves 1996-17, 1996-28, 1997-4, 1997-5, and 1997-46 (NBs 864, 895). This rectangular grave, oriented E-W, was the earliest (H 85.29m) and easternmost in an E-W trench along the north wall of Room 4. The tiles, mainly broken terracotta and one stone, were arranged in a tent coffin (Context 615; 1071.21-1070.67N; 117.30-116.03E) 1.18 m long x 0.40 m wide. This small size indicates the grave was intended for a small child. At the west end several boulders may also have formed part of the structure. Plaster was present between some tiles and many fragments of white painted plaster have been found in the whole grave, suggesting the coffin was at least plainly decorated. The tiles were arranged in two layers, with flat tiles on the inside (max. dim.: 30x0.24x0.03m) and curved tiles on the outside (max. dim.: 0.18x0.16x0.0.25m). Even though the position of the tiles indicated an undisturbed grave, no skeleton was present in the grave fill (Context 623). In the west end of the grave was a curved pillow tile (at an elev. of 84.53m), propped up from the grave cut with stones and fill. The upper grave fill (Context 592) contained few human bones, most likely related to other, previously excavated burials in the room, and yielded a fragment of gouged sgraffito bowl dating to the second quarter of the 13th century, providing further evidence for the Frankish use of this area as a cemetery.; ; Room 6:; In the later part of the 13th century, a refuse pit (partially excavated as pit #10 in 1996) was dug in the southern portion of Room 6.  It measures 0.90 x 0.45 m. The depth is unknown yet since the excavation conditions of Context 595 (fill of the cut that remained unexcavated in 1996) required work to be ended before exhausting it. This pit also cuts through an earlier pebble surface of the room which remains unexcavated.; ; After a period of compaction (related to Floor 6 excavated in former seasons), this area was used for burial activity during the late 13th to early 14th centuries (1996-6, Grave 2014-02, Context 621). A cut by Structure 58 during this time period (Context 633; 0.98 x 0.23 x 0.33 m), though presenting a rather irregular shape that required further analysis, contained an accumulation of disarticulated bones (Context 621), both animal and human, though oriented in a NW-SE axis parallel to the wall. A shallow burial (1996-6, NB 864 p.112-113) overlaid this context, the fill of which seems to correspond with the matrix and inclusions from Context 621 (a very soft soil with a mixture of infant and animal bones). The bone pile removed as context 621 is therefore probably related to Grave 1996-6 or Grave 2014-05 (Rous and Worsham 2014).; ; Conclusions:; Room 4:; The nature of Grave 2015-02 conjures more questions than answers. The burial was not disturbed, possibly truncated only on the very edge of the cut, yet not even a disarticulated skeleton has been found. Finds from upper levels were most likely related to other burials (young adult and adult teeth have been found, irrelevant to the currently investigated grave due to the small size) and are probably the result of animal disturbance. The fact the grave was intended for a child is very interesting in combination with the missing corpse. One possible explanation is that this was a symbolic burial. Cenotaphs are common for soldiers who died battling in distant lands and whose families built a mock tomb to honour their memory. Since this grave is way too small for an adult, the child could have died at sea (possibly in a shipwreck), or in the mountains – in both cases it is nearly impossible to retrieve the body for a proper burial. Another option is that the child could have been victim of a highly contagious illness and in that case cremation would be the safer option for the community. The author does not dare explore possible religious reasons to explain the absence of a corpse.; ; A mock child burial can be considered exceptional. In medieval times, child casualties were common, and common folk would most likely not put the effort and money into building a cenotaph for approximately a 3 year old. On the other hand, although upon examining the size of grave 2015-02, one would instantly call it a child burial, it may have been intended for the cenotaph of an adult, since it would serve only as a symbolic tomb and not as the actual grave. While common for soldiers, cenotaphs may also have been used for merchants during the medieval period, and especially in connection with the Frankish area in Corinth, which was probably wealthy according to other material finds. Therefore it could be a mock burial for a member of a mercantile family who disappeared on one of his journeys. ; ; The above interpretations are based entirely on material remains of the grave 2015-02 (which were very poor in cases of pottery and other small finds), and general characteristics of Room 4 and the Frankish area. Speaking of the graveyard in Room 4, one particular question comes to mind: why, in a heavily used cemetery with over 200 cadavers scattered over the whole room in nearly any position so they could all fit into such a small space, remained an unused grave? If the community using this burial ground have had no problems moving and manipulating the earlier burials, why was this one left undisturbed? It does not seem it was separated from the other graves in any unapproachable manner; was it then left forgotten? Since this grave was earlier than the others, maybe the community had not resolved to disturbing older burials at that point of Room 4 usage, and only started that practice when the number of the dead increased – this observation may be supported by the fact the cemetery was actually subdivided and organized in sections, each for a different family (Williams, Snyder, Barnes, Zervos 1998, p. 242). Relationship between social and economic circumstances and the nature of burials in Room 4 allow yet another view of grave 2015-02 and would deserve further study.; ; Lastly the dates must be discussed. The church and the row of rooms (A-D) N of the church, starting with Room D (the Frankish “Room 4”) in the east, were constructed in the first third and damaged by the end of the 12th century (Williams, Snyder, Barnes, Zervos 1998, p. 237). At the beginning of the 13th century this section of Unit 2 was partially restored, but the most significant change happened in the mid-13th century, when only the church and Room D continued to be used, serving the new purpose of a grave chapel (Snyder, Williams 1997, p. 21). Destruction of Room 4 is to be dated to around 1300, most likely connected with a great earthquake (Williams, Snyder, Barnes, Zervos 1998, p. 239). Grave 2015-02 probably dates to the very beginning of the Frankish usage of Room 4: the coffin contained a marble tile, and perhaps this stone slab was originally part of the nearby church that underwent reconstruction by the mid-13th century; another grave, excavated in 1997, thus being in the immediately following level after grave 2015-02, contained a similar marble slab (Williams, Snyder, Barnes, Zervos 1998, p. 240). Upon considering the stratigraphical relationships, the overall chronology of the room, and the little pottery that was useful for establishing at least a terminus post quem, grave 2015-02 probably falls to the mid-13th century.; ; Room 6:; The limited amount of time devoted to excavation this session and the state of the area restricted the outcome of the work. The transition in the excavation methodology from the Wheeler-Kenyon method to Open Area and the time span of almost two decades between interventions in the area made necessary a careful study of former notebooks and reports before resuming work.  However, and despite these issues, this limited intervention has been able to link past and present results in the area and provide a more coherent picture of the stratigraphic sequence. ; ; As of the end of Session 1, there are two clearly identifiable layers visible in Room 6. The study of NB 864 seems to indicate that these layers were defined in the past as Floor 5 (Basket 56), a compact dark yellow soil characterised by the presence of major inclusions of shards and stones, and Floor 6 (Basket 62),  a compact light yellow soil with no visible inclusions (NB 864, p.117). These surfaces were dated respectively to the 1260-1270 and the middle of the 13th c. The effects of weathering, however, prevent us from establishing a more direct connection, since many of the surfaces and the boundaries of these baskets could have been lost by exposure to the elements. Context 611 could be the surface defined as Floor 7 (NB 864, p.117) that was exposed but left unexcavated in 1996.; ; The results of this intervention reinforce the chronological interpretation of Floor 6, which covered the burials excavated in the room, given by S. Rous and R. Worsham. They excavated in 2014 a portion of what they interpreted as Floor 6 (Context 90) and dated by pottery to the late 13th–early 14th centuries. Although the original excavators in the 90's dated this floor, based also on pottery finds, to the middle decades of the 13th c., the fill of Grave 2014-02 (late 13th to early 14th centuries) and of Context 621 (4th q. of the 13th c.) support a much later use of the area for burial. Wall 58, against which the later graves were excavated (e.g. Grave 2014 02, Context 621), was constructed not later than the 4th quarter of the 13th century. ; ; Pit # 10 and the burials of the area seem to belong, based on the material recovered, to the same period. The mixture of human and animal bones in Context 621 could be interpreted as an almost simultaneous use of the space for burial and garbage deposition. A possible interpretation of these results is that the area had a primary use as a garbage deposit and that a specific event demanded the area to be re-adapted as a burial ground. But this hypothesis is based only on the limited area cleaned this session  with the problems indicated above. Further research in the north sector of the room, which still retains surfaces belonging to later periods, can not only increase the dataset available but also clarify the stratigraphic sequence of the different depositions.; ; ; Recommendations for Future Excavation:; Room 4:; Exploring the surrounding area, especially the truncating tile, could yield some more evidence of the early Frankish usage of Room 4. However, one must remember that this room had been thoroughly explored in the 1990s. Cleaning of graves 1997-43 (context 896) and 1997-13C (context 897) yielded pottery, tile, and human and animal bone from the lowest level of fill in the grave cut, but this material was fragmentary and the information available from such scrappy material may be limited. The human skeletal material will be compared to that excavated in the 1990s in an effort to rejoin elements for osteological analysis.; ; Room 6:; Future work should aim at continuing to stratigraphically unify the whole area of excavation. As the excavation of Context 611 demonstrated, the removal of layers related to exposure and weathering of the area can greatly enhance its interpretation and facilitate correlations between previous and current excavations. As stated above, this context could be a portion of Floor 7 left unexcavated in 1996 (NB 864, p.117). However, the effects of two decades of weathering and trampling affected negatively the visibility of the stratigraphic relationships among context.; Finally, the removal of the layers referred to as Floor 5 and Floor 6 is the next logical step in the stratigraphic sequence, after removal of any burials cut into these surfaces. Finally, Graves 1996-5 (Basket 63) and 1995-2 (Basket 60) (NB 864 p.107) require further examination in order to assess whether these burials were completely excavated.","","","","Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Rodríguez-Álvarez, Emilio, Lorenzová, Alžběta with additions from Larkin Kennedy (2015-04-21 to 2015-04-28)",""
"Corinth","Report","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","Sessions 2-3 of 2014: Church Nave, Unit 2 of the Frankish Quarter","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Larkin Kennedy and Jody Cundy (2014-05-06 to 2014-06-27)","","N-S 1074.64-1071.50; E-W 125.50-122.70; Session 2-3 Final Report, June 27, 2014; ; This is the final report of the second and third sessions during the 2014 excavations in the church nave in Unit 2 of the Frankish Quarter of the Temple E, Southeast area. Guy Sanders (Director) and Jody Cundy (Field Director) supervised. Larkin Kennedy worked as area supervisor and pickwoman with Angeliki Stamati(barrow and sieve) and Panagiotis Ronzokos(shovel, barrow, and sieve) during Session 2. In Session 3, work in this area continued under the supervision of Jody Cundy, with Athanasios Sakellariou (pickman), Christos Sakellariou (sieveman), and Vasilis Kollias (barrowman).; ; The excavation area was the NW quadrant of the church nave in the Unit 2 complex. Excavation under Larkin Kennedy concentrated on the graves in the area abutting the wall that separates the nave from the narthex. Jody Cundy excavated the remaining grave in the central aisle of the nave and the surrounding fills. The nave was previously excavated during the 1990 field season (NB 831, 835), at which time the southernmost grave along the narthex cross wall (Grave 1990-41, burial events A-C) was recorded and the layers of fill inside the church were removed to the level of a cement subfloor. Excavation in this area continued during Session I of the 2014 field season under the supervision of Maggie Beeler and Morgan Condell, during which time the cementsubfloor was sectioned and a lower surface uncovered.Graves 2014-03 and 2014-06, which cut this subfloor and contemporary fills, were excavated during Session 1. Just to the east of the later threshold to the narthex (Structure 22), Session 1 then proceeded to begin investigation of Grave 2014-04. Excavation of this grave was completed by Larkin Kennedy during Session 2, following which excavation proceeded north along the narthex cross wall (Wall 21).; ; The excavation area was bounded to the north by the north wall of the church (Wall 20, 1075.11-1074.52 N, 129.51-122.06 E) and its robbing trench, and to the west by the narthex cross wall (Wall 21, 1074.44-1067.99 N, 123.52-121.98 E) and the later threshold (Structure 22, 1072.09-1070.55 N, 123.31-122.25 W) built into it. The southern (1070.50 N) excavation boundary was established for sectioning and aligns with the excavation grid. Excavation proceeded east as far as 125.50 E during Session 3. Two graves (2014-04 and 2014-07) and a bench-like structure (Structure 302) associated with the northern grave (Grave 2014-07) were removed during Session 2. Grave 2014-10 and the fills to the east of this grave and surrounding the NW pier (Structure 23) were excavated during Session 3.; ; The primary goals of these sessionsincluded the completion of excavation of the commingled burial in Grave 2014-04 east of the threshold (Structure 22) and finding the eastern extent of this grave (Cut 188) in order to evaluate its chronological placement in relation to the cement subfloor (Context 47). As excavation of this grave revealed the articulated feet of an inhumation in Grave 2014-07 to the north, the investigation of this northerly grave also became a priority in order to better understand the use of this space in later periods. Fills to the east and north of Grave 2014-07 were then removed to determine the relationship of these graves to Graves 2014-03 and 2014-06 as well as whether the use of the church as a cemetery occurred after the church was no longer in use, as judged by the relationship of these graves to the cement subfloor. Secondary goals for session 2 included examiningsequences of burial episodes for Graves 2014-04 and -07 relating to differences in grave usage, and identifying means of recording commingled graves which would enhance productivity while preserving evidence for mortuary behavior.; ; FRANKISH PERIOD (1210 - 1458 AD); ; Bench-like Structure; ; Construction of a bench-like structure up against the narthex cross wall (Wall 21)occurred during the earliest phase of activity in this area. Structure 302 (1073.63-1072.22 N, 123.25-123.05 E) is aligned with Wall 21 north of the late threshold (Structure 22). This structure (L. 1.38 m, W. 0.30) consists of a single regular course (H. 0.11) of conglomerate and limestoneboulders and tile fragments, many reused and with cement adhering to their sides. The larger boulders were placed along the exterior face of the structure and measure 0.27 to 0.18 m long and 0.17 to 0.16 m wide. Tile fragments and smaller boulders, measuring 0.18 to 0.08 m long and 0.13 to 0.07 m wide, were placed in the interior along the east face of Wall 21. The presence of iron nails at the north end, both along the east edge and in the later, adjacent grave fill (308) as well as where this possible bench meets the narthex cross wall, suggest that an associated wooden structure may have extended up the wall. The leveling fill (Deposit 324) for this structure consisted of horizontally-laid tiles and rubble in a cut along the narthex cross wall (Cut Context 338,1073.85-1072.21 N, 123.25-122.75 E) which extends slightly beyond the north and south edges of the structure. Within this bedding were found an illegible coin (2014-139), a bronze handle for hanging glass lamps (MF 2014-33) and four joining fragments of a large Roman marble volute krater (most probably belonging to MF 1996-49 but non-joining), horizontally laid and used in a similar fashion as the tiles for leveling fill. The pottery in this deposit dates the construction to the early 14th century, including a heavily incrusted slipped protomaiolica plate, an unslipped metallic ware pitcher, and a slipped late sgraffito bowl. ; ; Further evidence for an early 14th century date for this structure stems from the non-joining portion of the Roman volute krater MF 1996-49 discovered during the 1996 excavation in Room 4 (D) of Unit 2. This large fragment covered the head and torso of an extended burial in Grave 1996-21 (NB 864, pp. 190-191, Bone Lot 1996-72), originally dated to the 13th century. Though both the large fragment in Grave 1996-21 and the smaller fragments in the bedding fill for structure 302 are present in at best secondary contexts, their reuse suggests either a contemporary construction based on common availability of building materials, or an even later, tertiary reuse of the volute fragments in the construction of the bench-like structure. In the latter case, these four joining fragments could have been used, when complete, to cover the head of a burial in a manner similar to that found in Grave 1996-21 and contemporary with it. When this grave was later disturbed during construction of the bench-like structure, the volute fragments were then reused yet again in the bedding fill. Support for this suggestion includes the large amount of disarticulated human bone also found in the bedding fill.; ; Osteological Inventory of Bone from Disturbed Graves; ; The inclusion of human skeletal materialwas common in fills dating to at least the late 13th, early 14th century AD in the church. A preliminary osteological inventory of bone recovered during the first and second sessions for the 2014 field season highlights that human skeletal remains outnumber faunal in 8out of 16 total sieved contexts from the church which were not otherwise directly associated with a human skeleton (cf. Deposits 14, 28, 49, 61, 74, 204, 308, and 324, in Bone Lot 2014-21). As a contrast, of the other 358 deposits which were sieved 50% or more during sessions 1 and 2 outside of the church area and which were not associated with graves, only two were observed to contain human bone. Deposit 141- leveling fill for the road north of Room E- contained an isolated fragment of proximal tibia, while Deposit 64 – a clay surface north of Room F –contained a few extremely fragmentary human skeletal remains. Both deposits contained more faunal than human skeletal elements. The inclusion of such high concentrations of disarticulated human bone in many church contexts indicates that earlier phases of church use included a burial component. Later construction in the church disturbed these graveswhich were then re-depositedas fill during the renovation process. As the remaining 8 sieved contexts from the church that were not directly associated with burials did not contained a large amount of bone, human or faunal, inclusions (cf. Deposits 67, 69, 70, 77, 81, 83, 105), this indicates that some fill was brought in from an outside source as well. In the case of Deposit 335 under the cut of the bench-like structure (Structure 302), as this deposit was dug out of sequence, it may date much earlier than the rest of the material excavated thus far. Further excavation may clarify its chronological placement and the depositional processes which gave rise to it. Osteological analysis and the removal of earlier graves in the nave may furthermore make it possible to determine the chronological placement of the early burials to which these isolated elements originally belonged, and their relationship to church use and renovation.; ; Cosmati-style floor ; ; A decorative flooring installed in the nave constitutes evidence for the latest use of this space as an enclosed space in the Frankish period. This may have occurred as part of renovations contemporaneous with the construction of the bench-like structure (Structure 302), though the relationship of the structure to the flooring is obscured by later graves along the narthex cross wall (Structure 21). Portions of the cement and plaster bedding for this flooring were exposed in situ and in a fragmented state in the 1990 field season, and a portion of it was excavated during Session 1 of the 2014 field season (Context 47, 1072.81-1071.78 N, 126.01-125.10 E). This bedding appears to have been laid across the center aisle of the nave. Evidence for the original Cosmati-style floor resting on this subfloor is represented by numerous fragments of marble tesserae and green-veined marble paving slabs (Lot 2014-001). Fragments of flooring indicate that grey, white, black, and red tesserae, 1-2 cm squares, were originally cemented in a decorative pattern through the center aisle of the church nave, and may have been bordered by wider white marble bands (cf. Lot 2014-001:1). Outside of the center aisle, the subfloor supported marble slab paving, such as that in situ in the church narthex, or partially preserved around the piers inside the church (Contexts 502, 506, 507). Tesserae and fragments of cemented subflooring were found in secondary context throughout multiple deposits (Contexts 52, 77, 83, 99, 105, 112, 129, 204, 347, and 508), all of which dating by pottery to the late 13th to early 14th century AD. As these deposits appear to be composed of fill redeposited from later digging, especially for graves, in the church, one fragment of sgraffito IV (1300-1400) can be used as a terminus post quem for the floor itself. ; ; TURKISH I PERIOD (1458 – 1680 AD); ; During the Turkish I period, this area undergoes its latest period of use as a cemetery. Portions of the cosmati-style flooring were found in the fill of Graves 2014-03, 04, 06, 07, and 10, indicating that all of these graves were dug through this floor, or the remains of this floor, during the following time period.As the decorative flooring was damaged and not repaired, and marble architectural remains were reused as grave markers in the church at this time, this space does not appear to have been in use as a church any longer at this time. It is unclear, however, how long this enclosed structure remained in use as a church before its abandonment and subsequent reuse as a cemetery. The graves themselves are preliminarily dated to at least the 15th century due to this presumed passage of time.; ; The earliest use of this space in this time period appears to have been limited to a sequence of burial activity along the east face of the narthex cross wall (Wall 21), starting in the northwestern corner of this space and then continuing south. ; ; Grave 2014-07 ; ; The northernmost Grave 2014-07 (Cut Context 317, 1073.89-1071.96 N, 123.90-122.75 E, filled by Deposits 308 and 347) was cut along the side of the bench-like structure (Structure 302) against Wall 21, and slightly undercuts the bench itself. The presence of a few iron nails in the upper levels of the grave fill (308) along with a fragment of the same or similar Roman stone volute krater (MF 1996-49E, non-joining) as that found in the leveling fill for structure 302 attest to the grave cut (188) skimming the eastern edge of the structure and dislodging material which became redeposited in grave fill. Grave 2014-07 consists of an oval pit grave (L 1.98 m, W0.825 m, Depth 0.73 m)which went through two distinct burial episodes. ; ; The original inhumation, a probable male, middle adult in age at death (30-40 years by pubic symphysis and ilium auricular surface morphology), was disinterred in order to reuse this grave. As many of the skeletal elements were broken, this individual was most likely covered with earth during burial ritual. After a new interment was placed in the grave and a layer of grave fill and tile were used to cover the body, these bones were returned, resulting in a disarticulated secondary bone pile (Skeleton 391, Bone Lot 2014-15) partially covering the abdomen and spilling over to the east of the later interment. This bone pile also includes the more fragmentary skeletal remains of two other adults of indeterminate age and one infant, and may represent elements from Frankish period burials disturbed during the construction of this grave. To the west of the later interment, other disarticulated remains (Context 472, Skeleton 473, Bone Lot 2014-15) were found which can be assumed to have originally belonged to one such earlier grave cut into by Grave 2014-07. This earlier grave remains unexcavated and extends south and west as well as lower into the fill underlying the bench-like structure. ; ; The primary adult inhumation (Skeleton 375, Bone Lot 2014-16) was placed in a supine, extended position, oriented N-S with the head to the north and propped up by the northwest corner of the grave cut. Mounded tiles and earth elevated the head and shoulders slightly above the rest of the body, though no tiles or stones were used to keep the mandible in place. The arms were crossed over the abdomen, palms down, with the right arm over the left and the left fingers curled. The legs were extended straight, the right foot turned slightly out. This male was a middle adult (40-44 years of age) at time of death with a maximum height of 1.7 m. Dental health of this individual was particularly poor given age at death, with the mandible almost entirely edentulous. Evidence for the initial burial behavior accompanying the disarticulated remains exists in the form of the left hand bones found semi-articulated under the right ribs of the primary inhumation. These remains seem to indicate analogous burial behavior to that of the primary inhumation, with the arms crossed over the chest and abdomen of an extended burial.; ; The overlying grave fill (308, 347) contained many iron nails, possibly attesting to the presence of a coffin associated with the early burials in this area, along with fragments of glass beakers, glass lamps and their bronze handles (cf. MF 11122, MF 2014-33), an iron hook, possibly used as part of a latch, a large amount of disarticulated human bone, and fragments of Cosmati flooring. Two coins from the fill (2014-150 and 2014-152) were both illegible. After filling the grave, an inverted marble column capital decorated on each short side with a cross in a circle and sculpted leaves on the corners was reused as a grave marker (A 2014-4). The grave fill (Contexts 308 and 347; Lot 2014-35) dates to the mid-14thcentury or later, on the basis of a possibly late medieval, combed cone pitcher and a Venetian I bowl associated with a variety of otherwise late 13th to early 14th century sherds. The late 13th to early 14th century remains, including the majority of the pottery, the glass lamps, the metallic ware pitchers, and the disarticulated human bone, all point to an earlier use of the church as a cemetery which was disturbed by the later construction of this grave, with the grave fill accordingly consisting of reworked, earlier grave fills and material dating to this earlier, Frankish use of this church. The construction of this grave and the burial episodes themselves are dated to at least the 15th century due to its association with the decorative cosmati-style flooring.; ; Grave 2014-04 ; ; Grave 2014-07 was truncated by a grave to its south, which was located east of the narthex cross wall threshold and was truncated in turn by later Grave 1990-41A-C. Grave 2014-04 (Cut 188, 1072.21-1070.45 N, 124.14-123.20 E, filled by deposits 99, 204, and 242), abuts the filling for the later threshold (Structure 22) and is aligned with Wall 21, cutting the cement bedding for the cosmati floor (47) to the east. This subrectangular pit grave (reconstructed L 1.98 m, actual W 0.94 m, Depth 0.45 m) was dug into fill covering an earlier built cist grave, partially disturbing the earlier grave’s west wall of built limestone blocks and the interred burials. This cist grave, which remains unexcavated, would have originally been built up against the narthex cross wall, with wall 21 forming its west boundary and one course of limestone blocks delimiting its eastern extent (reconstructed L ca. 1.75 m, W 0.45 m). The largest of these blocks, possibly still present in situ in the northeast corner of Grave 2014-04, measures 0.38 x 0.20 m. A number of skeletal elements from this earlier grave were left in the bottom of the grave cut as represented by the skulls of one adult (Skeleton 282, Bone Lot 2014-11) and one subadult (Skeleton 283, Bone Lot 2014-14), which were damaged by this later grave cut.; ; This grave pit was then used for a series of primary inhumations over a number of years, with the latest primary inhumation consisting of an adult (Skeleton 121, Bone Lot 2014-04) in an extended supine position overlying Skeletons 282 and 283, arms crossed over the torso and abdomen with the right arm over the left. The head and shoulders were propped up at the northern end of the grave on a deposit of earth and tile, the head facing south. No tiles were placed alongside the face or under the mandible. The bones from a number of individuals forming a secondary inhumation were piled over the legs and feet in the south half of the grave, and overflowed to rest on the limestone blocks of the disturbed west wall of the earlier cist grave while a few elements tumbled off the pile to rest near the shoulder of the primary inhumation. These bones included at least five individuals, represented by a preliminary count of the four intact skulls (Skeleton Contexts 278-281, Bone Lots 2014-7 to 14) and the skeletal remains of at least one subadult, probably an infant, and appear to have been commingled prior to their inclusion in Grave 2014-04. This pile of disarticulated human bone might represent the remains of previous primary interments in this grave. This would indicate that Grave 2014-04 remained open for an extended period of time, wherein it went through at least four episodes of removal of skeletal remains from previous burials followed by reuse through interring the new body in an extended position and placing the now disarticulated remains of previous burials on the legs and feet. The grave does not appear to have been filled, or the bones covered with dirt, between burial episodes. The surface of the grave may have been covered with a stone or wooden slab during this time, as the majority of the commingled skeletal elements appear relatively undamaged. The ragged widening of the northeastern boundary, and the slumping lip of cement bedding (47) cut into by this grave could also attest to episodes of reopening and covering of the same grave cut. This practice is still documented anecdotally in modern Greece. At the end of the grave’s span of use, which in the modern Corinthia commonly lasts ten years, or one generation (Tzortzopoulou-Gregory 2010). An overturned column capital (removed with overlying context 83 as A 2014-05) may have then been placed on top of the grave as a marker.; ; Within Grave 2014-04, one gold and pearl earring was found in the area covered by disarticulated bone (MF 2014-03), possibly representing an element of adornment for one of the episodes of primary inhumation. Other finds include glass vessel fragments including the remains of lamps (Cf. MF 1992-36), which along with the pottery were fragmentary and part of the fill covering the burials rather than grave goodsthemselves. This fill comes from contexts dating to the late 13th to early 14th centuries by pottery. One fragment of green glazed painted bowl joins to a fragment found in fill 52 (C 2014-6). Two coins may have been associated with either the interments or with the later grave fill closing the grave (coins 2014-58, Byzantine in date, and 2014-68, 1278-1289 AD Charles I or II Anjou, minted at Clarenza), while another four were associated with the later grave filling episode only. Of these four coins, one (2014-84) was illegible, two illegible but possibly Late Roman (2014-95, -96), and one (2014-99) from an imitative Bulgarian mint, dating to 1195. While these finds suggest a terminus post quem for the grave fill in the Frankish period, thegrave cut and the burial episodes date to at least the 15th century as this grave cuts through the already damaged remains of the cement subfloor (47) in the center aisle of the nave. As Grave 2014-04 furthermore truncates Grave 2014-07 to the N, further evidence for the later date from Grave 2014-04 comes from the late date for the fill of Grave 2014-07 and the fact that this grave must have been constructed after Grave 2014-07 went out of use. While the terminus post quem of Grave 1990-41A-C to the south was initially given by coin 1990-325 as 1289-1297 AD, this grave truncates Grave 2014-04 in turn. The late date of the fill for Grave 2014-07 and the stratigraphic relationship of Grave 2014-04 to the cement subfloor (47) therefore incorporates all three graves into a use sequence extending north to south along the narthex cross wall (Wall 21) during the Turkish I period. ; ; Graves 2014-03 and 2014-10 ; ; During the same time period as these burials, Graves 2014-03 and 2014-10 were cut side by side and parallel to each other through the decorative cosmati flooring in the center aisle of the church. Grave 2014-06 also appears to be contemporary as it cuts into fill from the same depth in the north aisle in the nave (Context 506). Grave 2014-10 (Cut 528, 1072.52-1070.45 N, 124.81-124.28 E, filled by deposit 508) was an oval pit grave (L 2.07 m, W 0.52 m, Depth 0.70 m) containing one primary inhumation. Skeleton 516 (Bone Lot 2014-19), an adult female of as yet indeterminate age at time of death, was laid in an extended, supine position with the head to the north, facing south. The mandible was not propped in place with stones or tiles. The head and shoulders were elevated on tiles and fill and the arms were crossed over the abdomen, right over left, with the palms down and resting on the body. The legs were extended, knees slightly to the west though mostly straight out from the body. Green staining on the anterior and dorsal surfaces of the mandible most likely indicate that this individual was buried wearing a bronze chain or pendant which has not preserved. The grave fill deposited on top of the burial gives a terminus post quem of the late 13th, early 14th century and includes sherds from unslipped metallic ware as well as glass fragments. However, the presence of cosmati flooring fragments and the fact that this grave cuts the bedding for the decorative flooring, much as does Grave 2014-04, indicates a later date for this grave contemporary with Grave 2014-04. ; ; Grave 2014-03 (Cut 126, 1072.68-1070.59 N, 125.75-125.00 E, filled by deposit 112) was an oval pit grave (L 2.09 m, W 0.75 m, Depth 0.74 m) excavated during Session 1. As the fill of this grave indicated a terminus post quem of Byzantine date, this grave was initially dated by stratigraphic relationships to the Frankish period. As this grave is clearly aligned parallel to Grave 2014-10, and both appear to have been marked by columns likewise placed parallel to each other, these graves should be considered to have been cut as part of the same burial activity. The orientation of Skeleton 127 (Bone Lot 2014-03) was moreover identical to that of Skeleton 516, with the head to the north, facing south and with the head and shoulders elevated on earth and tile and the arms crossed over the abdomen.; ; CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER STUDY; ; Excavation completed during Sessions 2 and 3 of this season revealed evidence for major changes in understanding the sequence of human activities in this building. Completion of excavation on Graves 2014-04 and 2014-10 suggests amendments to the chronological placement of the cement bedding for the later floor (47) which was first exposed during the 1990 field season (NB 835, B43-B44, p.78-81) and portions of which were removed during Session 1 of this field season. As the farthest east extent of the grave cut for Grave 2014-07 cuts this cement bedding, the flooring supported by this bedding is therefore assumed to date to the Frankish period but earlier than the graves themselves, which presumably punched through this flooring after this space was no longer in use or in need of beautification. Fragments of decorative Cosmati-style flooring were recovered in multiple contexts in the previous session, as well as in all of the graves excavated in Sessions 2 and 3, and are assumed to represent part of the original flooring supported by this bedding. Completion of excavation on Grave 2014-10 confirms that this grave also cuts through the subfloor, and the similarities in burial morphology and skeletal orientation suggest that the other graves cut in the church nave away from the walls date similarly late and should likewise be considered to have been cut after this space was no longer in use as a church. This changes the chronological assessment of how this space was used, as it is based on evidence that was not available after completion of Session 1 this year. As the construction of the cosmati floor is dated to the early 14th century and the fill from the graves dates to the mid-14th and later, this supposes that the decorative flooring in the church was protected as an extension of the space being enclosed and the building being in use for at least a fifty year time period before the space came into its final use as a cemetery.; ; Graves 2014-03, 2014-04, 2014-07, 2014-10, and 1990-41A-C form evidence for the latest clear use of this space as a burial area, possibly after the church itself was no longer recognizable as they were not succeeded by a clear floor. Grave 2014-06 probably dates similarly late as its fill contained fragments of the decorative cosmati flooring which was likely cut into by graves constructed in the central aisle of the church. As the fill overlying the unexcavated possible osteotheke in the northwest corner of the nave and the unexcavated subadult grave along the robbing trench for Wall 20 contained fragments of cosmati flooring and other late context pottery, it is probable that these graves will likewise date to the same period of use.; ; Graves 2014-07, 2014-04, and 1990-41A-C form a sequence of pit graves cut along the east face of wall 21, disturbing earlier grave cuts or structures in the case of Graves 2014-04 and 2014-07, and reusing a similar, earlier structure in the case of Grave 1990-41A-C. The child burial (NB 835, B62, p. 111-112; burial episode recorded as Grave 1990-41C) might represent the inhumation originally associated with the built stone cist in the grave furthest south. This sequence, first starting in the northwest corner of the nave and progressing to the south, is dated by stratigraphic relationship to Grave 2014-07, which contains fill with pottery from the mid-14th century AD and later, and the fact that Grave 2014-04 cuts the cement bedding for a floor dating to the early 14th century. Each grave in this sequence contained primary, extended burials over the top of which disarticulated skeletal elements were piled. In Grave 2014-07, this secondary burial appears to mainly consist of one, fairly complete, individual, while in Graves 2014-04 and 1990-41A-C, a number of commingled individuals make up the disarticulated bone pile, possibly indicating that during their lifespans of use, primary burials were removed from the grave while a new body was interred, with the disarticulated skeletal elements from previous burials then placed back, commingled in the grave. Small differences in mortuary behavior accompany the construction and use of each consecutive grave pit. Grave 2014-07 included only one episode of reuse wherein the previous inhumation appears to have been covered with grave fill prior to exhumation. Grave 2014-04 was left open for an extended period of time and went through at least five episodes of reuse.The adult primary inhumation in Grave 1990-41 (1990-41A) was buried with the head to the south end of the grave, while the heads of primary inhumations in the other two graves are in the north end of these graves. ; ; This disruption in burial behavior could be a further indication of slow, small diachronic changes in burial practices. Initial stages of these changes separate this burial sequence chronologically from the burials excavated in 1995 and 1996 in Room 4/D (Williams et al. 1998; NB 880, 895) -which are earlier than the graves excavated this year-and the burials excavated in 1990, 1995 and 1996 which cut into the sterile red layer in the narthex and to the south of the church-which are later than the graves excavated this year (Williams and Zervos 1991; NB 829, 831, 864). Graves 2014-03, 2014-10, 2014-04, 2014-07 and 1990-41A-C lacked propping tiles next to the skulls and under the mandibles of primary inhumations and showed no signs of coffin usage, separating them from the other two burial groups. These graves along the narthex cross wall furthermore show signs of consistency in the reuse of the same grave cut or even the same grave for these burials rather than cutting a new, possibly overlapping and truncating, pit for every burial episode (Williams et al. 1998; NB 864, 880, 895).As the paleopathological analysis of the inhumations in Room 4/D identified that many in this population suffered from debilitating illnesses, it was suggested that these burials date to the Frankish period along with the hospital complex identified in Unit 2 (Barnes 2003; Williams et al. 1998). The orientation of the interred bodies in these earlier graves are likewise E-W or NE-SW with heads to the west rather thanN-S, though two skeletons excavated in 1990 were buried N-S with their heads to the south (Williams and Zervos 1991) and a number of subadults buried in Room 4/D were likewise buried along the east wall of the room (Williams et al. 1998). These aberrations were assumed to take their orientation from their proximity to the building (Williams and Zervos 1991). This could suggest that the grave sequence along the narthex cross wall similarly takes its orientation from proximity to architecture, though the shared orientation of the inhumations in Graves 2014-03, 2014-06 and 2014-10 in the church nave throws this hypothesis into question.The N-S skeletal orientation, together with the lack of propping tiles for the head or mandible, and the elevation of the head and torso above the rest of the body with the legs extended straight and the arms crossed over the abdomen, indicate instead that these graves form a temporally distinct grouping.; ; The majority of skeletons excavated in the sterile red layer overlying the south end of the churchand therefore dating to later than the grave sequence along the narthex cross wall were single inhumations laid in coffins in non-overlapping grave cuts, and did not appear to be individually marked. Those burials not interred in coffins appear to have had stones propping the head much as the graves in Room 4/D. This area is suggested to have been used as a cemetery into the early Turkish period as coin 1990-91 (Ottoman issue, 1481-1512 AD) was discovered in Grave 1990-34 and another coin 1990-145 (AD 1603-1617) was in Grave 1990-08 from this area.; ; At the end of the excavation season, the relationship of the bench-like structure to the cement bedding remains uncertain, and further excavation in the northwest corner of the nave may clarify their chronological placement. Excavation in this area during Session 3 had exposed the tops of at least two skulls (529), and the excavation of a possible osteotheke so late in the excavation season was deemed unwise. This grave will need to be removed before any subsequent contexts can be excavated in the church nave.; ; Recommendations for future work in this area:; ; 1.     Remove the remaining balk of the cement bedding (47) (left during Session 1) cut by Graves 2014-04 to the west and 2014-10 to the east. This has the potential of resolving the chronological placement of the plaster surface below the cement bedding for the floor.; 2.    The grave (possible osteotheke) in the NW corner of the nave needs to be removed prior to further excavation in this area.; 3.     Further excavation in the northwest corner of the nave may clarify the relationship of the bench-like structure (302) to the cement bedding for the floor (47).; 4.    The subadult grave, partially exposed during cleaning of the south scarp of the robbing trench (Context 524) needs to be removed after its grave cut becomes better defined during excavation. This grave may be associated with a gold and possibly silver gilded bronze pendant (MF 2014-56) recovered during cleaning this area.; 5.     As an even lower floor for the church was potentially identified in the south profile of the robbing trench for Wall 20, it is likely that another section will be opened in the church floor to gain a better understanding of the earlier use phases of the church.; 6.     Osteological analysis is currently underway for these graves and other burials excavated this season, and may provide further information as to the cemetery demographics and the life ways of the individuals buried in the church during this time period.","","","","Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Larkin Kennedy and Jody Cundy (2014-05-06 to 2014-06-27)",""
"Corinth","Report","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","Final Report 2012 Session 2: Team Pink","","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2012 by Larkin Kennedy, Jonida Martini, and Rachel McCleery (2012-04-30 to 2012-05-19)","","Jonida Martini, Larkin Kennedy, and Rachel McCleery; Team Pink Report for May, 2012 season; Session 2, 2012 American School Corinth Excavations (April 30-May 19, 2012 for final report); Nezi Field, NE Region; E 264 to 275, N 1006 to 1014; ;     Excavations were conducted in the NE area of the Nezi Field region, to the east of N-S wall 540 (E 264.5) and to the north of pit 191 (north of N1006) in the southwest and north of pit 193 (north of N1008.5) in the southeast. The northern edge of this area is bounded by the scarp edge left by previous excavations in the North of Nezi region (south of ca. N1014). ; ;     The excavation of this area was under the direction of Dr. G.D.R. Sanders, Director of Excavations, Corinth, and the assistant field director was Ms. Heather Graybehl. Our pickmen were the brothers Panos and Tasos Kakouros; our shovelman and sieve operator was Vasillis Kollias. Jonida Martini and Larkin Kennedy were recorders for the first half of the May session. Jonida Martini and Rachel McCleery were recorders for the second half of the May session. This area was last excavated in April of 2012 by Simon Oswald and Andrew Connor.; ; Late Antique;     ; In the previous session, a cemented N-S wall (746) was unearthed near the eastern extent of this area at easting 274.5. This wall was considered to have been in use earlier than the 8th to 9th c. AD, as its construction used large, roughly worked bedrock and limestone blocks and cement. It was out of use by the 8th – 9th centuries AC, as fill dating to that time period covers over the wall. In the western half of our area, traces of an E-W wall at 1011 northing (807) appear to be in the same cement block masonry style of wall 746 and therefore have been preliminarily dated to Late Antiquity as well. This designation is preliminary, however, as only the very top course of each wall has been exposed for a little more than a meter. It is possible that wall 807 meets up with wall 746, forming an enclosed area in the late antique period south of the North of Nezi area, and helping to section off a small room in the far northeast of the Nezi field (north of 1013N and east of 274E).;     ; Throughout the excavation area, a wide stretch of reddish material has been exposed which contains large amounts of tile and amphorae sherds which preliminarily date it to the Roman period.  A small triangular section of this material lies pedestaled above much of the rest of the trench, and its upper layer (836) has been dated to the Late Roman period (late 5th – early 6th).  The rest remains unexcavated.  As it overlays these late antique walls (807), it is probably late Roman in origin, though a definite date will need to be assigned after excavation. Fill 812 appears to be a portion of this reddish material that was preemptively excavated near the northwest corner of the trench between wall 807 and the late antique walls in North of Nezi.)  Wall 807 was presumably out of use by the 10th to 11th c., since it was immediately overlaid by context 805 (10th-11th c. npd). ; ; Byzantine; ;     In the Early Byzantine period (8th-9th c. AC), a large fill (837, 846) was deposited west of and partially over the remains of the Late Antique wall (746).  ; This fill contained interesting cookware in a micaceous fabric, as well as handmade beakers.; ; Later in the Byzantine period (10th century AC), mixed fill was laid down E-W across the extent of this area in a long, rough depression. This fill (previously excavated as context 741, and also comprising contexts 749, 782, and 835) is contained in a long trench that cut directly off of the wall that may have been used for drainage. This depression could also have functioned as a road which was robbed out prior to the 10th century, as a few flattened boulders which could have been used originally to pave the road were found in an apsidal structure immediately to the south of the trench. Shallow deposits of leveling fill south of this trench dating to the 11th century (778, 779) could have been related to the use of this road. Probably also during this time period, contexts 788 and 799 filled a pit next to wall 540.;     ; Walls 313, 334, and 335 may have been built to the south of the 741/748/782/835 trench at this point or earlier, but since they have not been fully excavated, their construction date is unclear.  Wall 616 (also not fully excavated) was later added to the north end of wall 334.  The plan of this originally rectangular room was further altered by the addition of an apse-shaped structure (538, 539) added to its northern end in the 11th century AC connecting walls 313 and 616/334 (removed as context 773). This apsidal structure had no stone courses, though rounded, smaller cobbles were generally found on the west and larger, roughly hewn boulders mixed with the rounded cobbles on the east. This division in the size of the boulders piled in the apse shape appears to have led previous investigators to assign two context numbers (538 and 539) to the structure, though there does not appear to have been any other difference in the fill. Against the northern end of wall 313, more rounded boulders were loosely piled in order to round the western edge of this apsidal structure (removed as context 801). These cobbles and boulders could have been placed around cut 848 as it was being dug sometime either during the Late Byzantine or Frankish period as they resemble a rock pile or a series of rock piles more than a formal wall. An outer apse or buffer (676) surrounding this structure could have provided a finished façade for the internal rubble. This apse-shape may served as a curb surrounding and containing the series of dumped fills found in and around it (785, 786, 787, 789, 790), which would fit with G. Sanders’ observation about the casual, dumped appearance of the stones in the apse.;     ; To the north of the apse, a large pit (C784) was filled with a series of dumped deposits.  The chronology here is somewhat confused and will require further investigation; at the moment, however, pit C784 appears to be a Late Byzantine (or possibly very early Frankish) construction.  The pottery from much of its fill (752, 753, 754, 756, and 758) was contaminated by the contents of a later Frankish pit (C847) which was dug together with them accidentally; but contexts 764, 765, 810, and 812 should represent the uncontaminated fills of pit C784.  C784 contained secondary fills (752, 753, 754, 756, 758, 764, 765, and 810, and 812) with a number of broken pots, bones, tile, glass shards, a ceramic waster, marble fragments, and iron slag. 752 contained coin 58 (1030-1042 AC) and 764 contained coin 64 (post-335 AC). 754 contained a cylindrical glass bead (MF 2012-16), while a lion muzzle from a marble sima (A 2012-1) was recovered from context 765.  C784 cut the northern portion of 770 and ashy fill 783, a shallow ashy lens under 770.  C784 may still be Late Byzantine despite the Frankish pottery date of 770, because context 770 was a cleaning which extended across the entirety of the trench from north to south, east of wall 540.  The removal of the fill within pit C784 had left a baulk (to the north of what would later be identified as wall 807) very similar to the baulk to the south that had been created by the partial removal of context 218.  The apparent similarity of the two areas led to the northern portion of 770 being excavated together with the Frankish material to the south.; ; Frankish;     ; In the northernmost portion of our excavation area, a number of contexts were excavated that had been affected by their proximity to the scarp.  They had slumped slightly down the hill so that portions of later contexts near the scarp had collapsed to the same elevation as the early contexts further south of the scarp. Contexts 750 and 751 accordingly contain pottery the majority of which dates to the Frankish period, but which is highly disturbed. Each also contains many glass fragments and other rubble as well as significant amounts of Late Roman pottery. 750 also contained an imitation African lamp handle and 751 contained coin 2012-57 (1287-1308 AC).  ;     ; Around the end of the 13th/beginning of the 14th c., pit C848 inside the apsidal structure was filled (contexts 792, 793, 796, 820, and 821). Coin 2012-70 (1060? AC) was discovered in 793, as well as a wealth of fine pottery and cook pots which securely date these contexts. This pit extends further below the lowest depth excavated, and should be investigated further to determine the date of the lowest fill and thus a more definite construction date for the pit.;     During the Frankish period, pit C847 was dug to the north of the apsidal structure through the remnants of Byzantine pit C784 as well as through the stub of a Byzantine wall (694).  Contexts 761 and 763, which filled pit C847, contained coin 2012-62 (4th c. AC) as well as iron debris, an iron knife missing its handle and some glass along with pottery.  (The upper levels of fill in this Frankish pit C847 were mistakenly excavated with the fill of the larger Byzantine pit C784, thus contaminating the pottery dates for 752, 753, 754, 756, and 758.  The Frankish pit can be clearly distinguished from C784 in photos 2012-213, 2012-215, and 2012-216.); ; An area of fill was laid down in the southwest part of the trench just east of wall 540.  This context (the southern portion of 770) was equivalent to context 218 which had been incompletely excavated at the end of the 2007 season, leaving a baulk of the same soil east of wall 540.  This had been assigned context number 644 by the 2012 session 1 excavators, but was not excavated until session 2, when it was lumped in with additional material to the north.;     Yet another Frankish pit (430) was dug just to the southwest of C847. This pit was not completely excavated in the 2008 season, and in the shallow remnants of this pit (803 and 804) we found very little pottery but one gold gilded tessera (MF 2012-20) that is comparable to a similar one found in the Nezi area in a previous year. This pit was also lined with lime. In the bottom of the pit were visible two more of the large blocks from wall 807.","","","","Nezi Field 2012 by Larkin Kennedy, Jonida Martini, and Rachel McCleery (2012-04-30 to 2012-05-19)",""