20 LUGLIO 2015  

Area 2000

Come anticipato lo scorso venerdì è stato messo in luce un nuovo strato (US 2619) che si estende su tutto il settore B dell’Area 2000 e 1000. Dopo un’attenta pulizia sono stati riconosciuti almeno sei tagli sepolcrali di epoca medievale collocati per lo più nella metà meridionale. US – 2583 e US -2588 sono posizionati nell’angolo Sud Occidentale del Settore B dell’Area 2000 e sono entrambi orientati Est Ovest e intercettati dalle fosse del colera. La parziale rimozione dei rispettivi riempimenti ha permesso di confermare che si tratta di tagli sepolcrali in quanto sono presenti ossa in connessione anatomica che ancora devono essere messe in luce. US -2622 è collocato nell’angolo Sud Occidentale del Settore B dell’Area 1000 e all’interno è stato messo in luce il cranio dell’individuo in connessione Usk 2623 ottimamente preservato. Poco più ad est è presente un ulteriore taglio di forma regolare ellissoidale allineato perfettamente all’altro che, quasi certamente, può trattarsi di una sepoltura; domani continuerà l’indagine per avvalorare o meno questa ipotesi. 

Today we finished pickaxing the rest of area 2000b to reach the next layer, pulled weeds out of the wall and cleaned the surface. We then wet the entire surface of area B to reveal more cuts. We found cuts due to changes in consistency (more rocks) and changes in the color of the soil. A skeleton was revealed (USK 2389) which is lying under the wall that divides area A and B in 2000. It is a medieval skeleton of which only the pelvis has been exposed. More work will be done on it tomorrow. Cut -2583 has a few long bones and is potentially a medieval grave but needs further exploration. Another new skeleton was found (USK 2623), so far a cranium was revealed with good preservation oriented west east. We will have to dig deeper tomorrow to see if more of the skeleton can be found.

Area 3000

It started the fifth week of digging! In the southwestern portion of Area B was carried out with the documentation and subsequent removal of the buried USK 3582, 3603 and 3604, oriented WE, which intercept and cut each other along the south-eastern section of the trench US - 3386. Further east was completed commissioning of the individual light USK 3598, SN oriented and placed in dorsal recumbency within the burial pit US - 3597, north of USM 5003. It is an adult female whose skull was removed during the works of construction of the parking; upper limbs are slightly bent on his groin, hands overlapping, while the legs are stretched out. There is a general lateral compression of the body, especially visible in correspondence of the shoulders and chest, arranged almost forming a "v". This position could be the result of some movements caused by the decomposition of the bottom of the wooden case in which had been placed the deceased, that would collapse inward the upper part of the body. In the northern portion of the sector have been identified cuts of the other two was sepulchral, ​​which will be investigated starting tomorrow.

Today in Area 3000 we have almost fully removed three partial bodies from a single grave. One of the bodies consisted of a right rib cage, a right fibula, and a right foot. The second consisted of another right rib cage. The third consisted of a thorax, a partial pelvis, a femur, and a partial tibia. Only the partial pelvis of the third individual, the most complete skeleton, remains and will be excavated tomorrow. Furthermore, today USK 3598 was fully removed and the limits of the burial were defined and the context sheets filled out.  All of these burials have been cut my multiple other burials, which is why they are very partial.

Area 5000

Oggi è stata ultimata la pulitura relativa alla porzione centro settentrionale dell'area. Questa è servita a mettere completamente in evidenza tutti i nuovi tagli individuati dopo la rimozione degli strati US 5054 e US 5024. Successivamente si è potuto procedere con l'escavazione di tutte le buche, le quali hanno restituito alcuni frammenti ceramici privi di rivestimento e alcune ossa animali caratterizzate da tracce di macellazione. Le tracce in negativo rinvenute dovranno essere analizzate e confrontate con la documentazione fotografica raccolta finora per una loro precisa contestualizzazione.

This morning, we cleaned section B of area 5000 and took pictures and GIS points.  Excavation then began on holes in the area, US 5210, 5211, 5212, 5213, 5214, 5216, and 5223.  Pottery was found in 5211, 5210 and 5214.  Additionally, a nail and animal bones were uncovered in 5210.  Once the holes were cleaned, individual photographs were taken.  Meanwhile, a black stain, context US 5215, was removed from the clay layer.  A much larger, adjacent black stain, with the red curve along the edge, was further delineated but not excavated.  Once this was completed, we began cleaning the top layer near the wall connected to area 3000, which had been lightly pickaxed.  Due to the abundance of animals bones, this area had to be carefully cleaned multiple times.  The last part of the day was spent filling out context sheets for the aforementioned excavations.

Area 6000

Quest'oggi è stato operato un ampliamento dell'area in direzione sud, per permettere l'indagine della tomba a cassa litica parzialmente individuata nei giorni precedenti. Contestualmente è iniziata l'indagine di un'altra tomba a cassa, US 6013, situata al centro dell'area e caratterizzata dall'essere stata intercettata dalla trincea di età moderna US -6007. A differenza della precedente struttura, questa è orientata Nord-Sud e presenta un collasso strutturale con dispersione degli elementi litici riconducibile, con molta probabilità, all'azione di scavo della suddetta trincea di drenaggio.

This morning, we continued to clean and expose the skeletal remains of area 6039. The humerus was exposed, in adition to part of the cranium. We also started exposing the remains from Area 6013-the two lithic tomb burials within the wall of the trench separated by the stone slab. We first cleaned off the dirt that was collecetd in the area. Next, the headstone for the lithic tomb was removed and a skull was exposed underneath. Briefly, we started to find the cut of the trench wall and removing the dirt around the bones. 

Before the afternoon, we started on removing about 2 feet of the parking lot with a saw, a jack-hammer, and pick-axes. This was done to expose the other half of the lithic tomb in 6006 and the enlargement. We continued with removing the cement by pick-axing and shoveling the gravel. Near the end of the day, we made our way down to our context layer in area 6006, which we plan to make our way down to tomorrow and hopefully start on excavation of the lithic tomb.