26 LUGLIO 2018  

Area 3000

This morning the southern half of sector b was cleaned and wet to determine new contexts. When none were seen the area was lowered with pickaxes to the level of the north-south trench from the original facade of the church. The area will continue to be lowered until a new layer is found, and in the upcoming days the possible holes in the northern half of sector b will be excavated.

Area 5000

In Section C, members of the excavation continued to expose the bones and found phalanges in proximity to the cranial vault. In Section D, we succeeded in finally leveling down the rest of the trench to the level of the previously dug North-Western pit. In the process, we managed to extract the humeral shaft in two fragments and found another fragment of long bone from an animal. For the time being, it seems as though the area is close to completion.

Area 6000

Continua la rimozione di USk 6244 nella porzione occidentale del settore sud. Sul lato orientale lo scavo del riempimento US 6236 sta portando alla luce l’individuo USk 6238, privato del cranio da successive azioni sepolcrali.

Today in area 6000 we continued removing fill 6217, and as we now have an isolated grave we are considering the fill of the grave 6236, and the skeleton 6238. As we continued removing fill 6236 and uncovering skeleton 6238 we found that the pelvis is in good condition and more of the tibias and fibulas have been uncovered. The lumbar vertebrae appear to be deformed from arthritis, and some may be fused. In fill 6235 we continued to remove skeleton 6244 starting with the right side of the os coxae, the sacrum, the skull, the vertebrae and the ribs.

Area 7000

We continued to level down the surface. In the morning, bits of modern pottery and a channel of stones were exposed, thought to be a pipe lining from the 1960s. In the afternoon, we mattocked and pit-axed to remove the asphalt deposit of the South-end of the trench. The neck of a vase was found.