29 GIUGNO 2018  

Area 3000

Nella porzione settentrionale del Settore B si è proceduto con la documentazione e successiva rimozione dei resti osteologici degli individui USK 3885 e USK 3905, orientati W-E e deposti supini rispettivamente in US – 3901 e US – 3895. Nella porzione sud-orientale, la rimozione dello scheletro dell’inumato USK 3889 ha messo in luce i limiti della fossa sepolcrale US – 3887, piuttosto lunga ed ampia, che probabilmente doveva ospitare originariamente una cassa lignea, ormai decomposta, in cui era stato adagiato il corpo del defunto.

All skeletal remains were extracted including remains 3889, 3885, and 3905. Pictures were taken of all remains prior to removal. The bottom of cut -3887 was found, measured, and photographed. Danielle, Chloe and Lexi were in Osteo lab at various times of the day. Julia and Amy were in GIS lab at various times. Students had a brief lecture on photogrammetry.

Area 5000

Today the students in section D continued working in the cut, revealing a bead and exposing the bones that were found earlier. The bone that was identified as a rib yesterday was re-identified as part of a cranium that was then removed from the cut. The students in section C continued to excavate down to a new level of soil to investigate potential holes near the external wall. After a small section was brought down to this new level, some holes were found and began to be excavated. So far we have found a piece of pottery in one of the holes.

Area 6000

Questa mattina è stata ultimata la rimozione dell'individuo USk 6204, posto lungo il margine settentrionale del settore sud, tra la tomba a cassa litica USM 6062 e la fossa US -6211. L'individuo, in decubito supino, orientato ovest-est, teneva le braccia poggiate sul ventre, con avambracci paralleli e non sovrapposti, il tutto fasciato originariamente da un sudario che ha permesso il mantenimento dei piedi in posizione ravvicinata e rappresa. Alla destra di tale individuo era presenta USk 6214, anch'esso terminato di rimuovere dopo previa documentazione. Questo manca del cranio e delle porzioni distali degli arti inferiori, asportati da sepolture successive. Tale situazione è facilmente spiegabile con l'analisi dell'area in questione: il sagrato dell'abbazia rappresentava una zona di altissima richiesta per quanto riguardava le sepolture; ciò si traduce in momenti di altissima densità sepolcrale sia in termini lineari che cronologici, con inevitabili intercettazioni di sepolture a danni delle precedenti. Lievemente più distante, a ovest, si trova la fossa US -6210, all'interno della quale sono stati messi in luce l'individuo USk 6219 (i suoi arti inferiori, ossa pelviche e arto superiore destro), la riduzione (al di sopra di esso) US 6215 e parte dell'individuo USk 6220 per la deposizione del quale USk 6219 è stato intercettato, parzialmente asporato e ridotto.

Today we finished removing the remaining spine for burial 6204 and cleaned the grave down until the bottom of the cut. More bones were found below the skeleton once we started removing the grave fill, and there could be the another burial below the bottom of the current grave.

In Area 6215, we first completed the removal of the reduction. The bones in the center of the two suspected burials that were taken out were; a right scapula, a vertebra, a rib, and a what is thought to be a metatarsal. We then leveled the site around the skeleton using small metal bone tools to determine the bottom of the cut, then cleaned the site and took pictures. We also determined that some of the uncovered bones were part of a separate, more recent burial that intersects the burial we were working on, and identified the cut between the two burials.

Today we completely finished burial 6214 after finding the cut and the bottom of the burial. This was done by carefully scraping the soil, looking for the interface between the empty clay and the fill of the burial. Photographs were then taken to document the burial after excavation was completed. We then spent the afternoon leveling the area around a possible new burial that was situated next to burial 6204. We did this by taking off the top level of soil in order to expose the underlying context. Once the area is leveled we will begin to expose the burial.