31 LUGLIO 2018  

Area 5000

Today, we cleaned the North-Eastern (of the one previously mentioned) destruction trench of Section B for photogrammetry and documentation. Afterwards, we leveled down (approximately 1 cm) the channel in Section B using a pickaxe and a trowel to scrape it clean, to see if any features might reveal themeselves.

Area 6000

E' proseguita la messa in luce dell'individuo USk 6238 nell'angolo nordorientale del settore sud con maggiore attenzione sugli arti inferiori, dato che le estremità inferiori sono mancanti. Una maggiore pulizia ha permesso di capire che la realizzazione della tomba a cassa USM 3047 (posta lungo la facciata di XII-XIII dell'abbazia) ha intercettato e asportato parte della suddetta sepoltura, collocabile adesso in una fascia cronologica anteriore agli anni di realizzazione della seconda fase del complesso abbaziale.

Today in area 6000 we continued removing fill 6236 from skeleton 6238. Some members of the team continued removing fill from around the shoulders and ribs, which project deeper into the ground on one side of the skeleton. An attempt was also made to find the edge of the grave cut at this end of the feature, but with no success yet. Those working on the lower half of the skeleton better exposed the ends of the tibiae and present fibula, while also attempting to locate the bones of the feet as well as the grave cut. During this process we found the cut made when the wall of the lithic tomb was constructed, indicating that the individual’s feet were removed during this construction event. This shows us that the individual in question was buried earlier than the date of both the lithic tomb and the wall of the church immediately east of it. Some small fragments of bone not associated with the main skeleton were also removed. Additionally, several bones that had been exposed during previous excavations were discovered to be in articulation; they are presumably part of a burial, and will be exposed further shortly. To finish the day, this section of the burial was also cleaned as pictures will be taken soon to show our progress.

PORZIONE SETTENTRIONALE

Nella porzione settentrionale dell’area prosegue l’indagine all’interno della tomba a cassa litica USM 6123, la cui rimozione del riempimento superficiale US 6155 sta mettendo in luce l’arto inferiore destro di un individuo in connessione anatomica, orientato W-E e parte di un livello di riduzione parziale di resti osteologici, per il momento concentrati soprattutto lungo la parete occidentale.

 (group 3000) This morning more of fill 6501 was further removed to find the outline of the lithic coffin. Near the bottom of the fill were several large cobbles forming a relatively solid layer and suspended in the fill were a large number of pebbles and small cobbles. Several bones were revealed within the boundaries of the lithic tomb; the head of a femur, a section of fibula diaphesis, a section of fragmented cranium, and a large number of unidentified fragments, none of which were in articulation. There was also a femur laid west to east in the eastern end of the tomb, of which the distal end was partially revealed, which was in articulation with the tibia, of which only the proximal epiphesis has been revealed, making it impossible to tell thus far whether these bones are in articulation with a complete skeleton.   

Area 7000

Today, we finished exposing layer 7002 and leveled down layer 7011, by pick axing, troweling, and cleaning the surface. During the process, pottery sherds, marble, and rusted iron nails were found (1 from the Medieval period). We exposed layer 7011 in order to reach the same level as layer 7007 to the West and 7010 to the East of the pillar.