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"","","","Report","End of 2nd session, 2009","Nezi Field 2009 by Martin Wells, Katie Rask, Dreya Mihaloew (2009-05-18 to 2009-05-19)","Dreya Mihaloew, Katie Rask, Marty Wells; ASCSA Corinth Excavations    ; North of Nezi; Session 2: April 27 – May 22, 2009; ; Session 2 excavations were carried out from April 27th to May 15th in the area north of the Nezi Field. The authors focused on the room between walls W55 on the north (N 1034.30), 6267 on the south (N 1026.97), 10086 on the east (E 282.15) and W54 on the west (E 273.95). Excavations in this part of the Byzantine house were previously carried out by William Berg in 1961(NB 229) under the directorship of Henry S. Robinson. In the first session of 2009, the excavations of Joanna Potenza and Ryan Boehm included this area. The 1961 trenches left the northern third of the room uneven and eroded. The central and southern portion of the room had been exposed by Potenza and Boehm down to Frankish and Late Byzantine levels.; Our objective was to continue the efforts of Potenza and Boehm in uncovering the 11th century levels for the purpose of public display. The director was Guy Sanders, the field director Alicia Carter, the pickman Thanasis Notis, the shovelman Tasos Kakouros and the barrowman Vasilis Kollias. The dry sieve was operated primarily by Sula Anastasopoulou, Kollias, Rask, Mihaloew, and Wells.; ; Frankish (1210-1458 C.E.); Excavation suggests that the late-13th century saw a major reorganizing of the space in our area. One of the deposits that points to this activity is the fill inside Well 6288, which had originally been examined on May 13, 1961 (NB 229, p. 109) and designated Well OA-107  (coordinate designation) at that time. Berg excavated it for less than a meter and recorded no finds. He postulated that it belonged to the Turkish period and did not excavate deeper because of its narrowness. Our own investigation began by removing 0.45 m of backfill and debris before excavation. Initially we attempted to determine context changes based on differences in soil composition and inclusions; however, after approximately 2.0 meters of excavation, the Director advised that we should change contexts approximately every 0.30 m. This was our primary method of excavation, but we also changed contexts when stratigraphically necessary.  All the material from the well was dry sieved with 7mm screens (although 3mm screens were used with context 6420 and thereafter); water flotation samples (15 L) were also collected from every context. Twenty contexts were removed in total, but the bottom of the well was not reached nor was the structure (6288) itself excavated.; The material removed from the well indicates three discernible dumping actions dating to the Frankish period, between 1270-1290 C.E. However, the character of these deposits suggests that the well was filled quite quickly, perhaps over a few days. The latest dumping layer (6286, 6291, 6297, 6360, 6361, 6365, 6368) fills the top 2.75 meters of the well. The contexts comprising the layer included a large amount of pottery, bone material, and various smaller finds such as iron nails, glass, and bronze objects. The proceeding (and underlying) dumping action revealed a dramatic decrease in the number of inclusions, with a very small amount of pottery and bone, and a significant increase in the ash and charcoal content of the soil (6369, 6371, 6374, 6378, 6383, 6386). Below and proceeding the ash deposit was another dumping action (6394, 6400, 6405, 6412, 6416, 6420, 6430); this deposit was characterized by soil with a high clay content and very little ash, extremely large amounts of pottery (with a high proportion of fine ware) and a very large amount of animal bone. In addition, we recovered small finds such as iron nails, a bone needle, spindle hooks and whorls, and glass. A total of 11 coins were found in this third deposit during this session.; Personal communication with Thanos Webb, the excavation’s zooarchaeologist, emphasized the distinct nature of the bone material that had been removed from the well. The preservation was very good, with little weathering and the presence of smaller and more fragile elements. There was an abundance of different anatomical elements, representing parts from the entire skeleton (e.g., the third phalanx, otherwise rare in the 2009 season). The surface modification of the bones was also distinctive, with the butchery marks on multiple elements being far more extensive than that on bones from areas outside the well. Finally, the species representation from the well was also conspicuous, ranging from common domesticates to large birds and fish, and with an age distribution ranging from fetal to mature.  Additionally, large amounts of microfaunal remains and fish scales were collected from the dry sieve.  These have yet to be analyzed.; The pottery found in the well dates to a twenty-year span (1270-1290), but the three dumping actions apparent amongst the contexts do not appear to be chronologically separate, despite their stratigraphic relationships. In addition, the presence of complete vessels suggests primary deposition, but the occurrence of incomplete and fragmentary body sherds also indicates the secondary deposition of pottery. This interpretation is probably supported by the bone material. The excellent preservation of delicate and small bones (e.g., of fish, cats, birds), as well of the articulation of some bones, can be indicative of primary deposition; on the other hand, a large amount of weathered and fragmentary bones suggests the secondary deposition of animal remains. The excavation of the well, including the structure, will continue in the third session. At this point there is not enough evidence to reconstruct the exact formation process of the well fills.; The second element of late-13th century reorganization involves the construction of architectural features. Potenza and Boehm removed the cobble foundations of two late 13th century piers framing a threshold on the southern side of the room (east: pier 5967, west: pier 5957). At the time these piers were constructed, two other piers (6148 and 6279), similar in size and plan, were situated approx. 3 m to the north and on axis with the southern pair. Both northern piers appear to have been constructed in the mid-12th century. The eastern pier (10088) and its foundation were in situ at the beginning of this session but have been excavated and removed. The western pier (6279) was robbed out in the second-half of the 13th century. This is apparent from two Frankish-era contexts, a pit (cut 6241, fill 6240) dating to the second half of the 13th century and the robbing trench of the pier (6254) which the pit disturbed, dating to the third-quarter of the 13th century. The removal of the pier foundation was possibly related to the construction of wall 10094, also dated, together with wall 10080, to the late 13th century. If our interpretation is correct, the space of the room was significantly altered in the late 13th century; according to the work of Potenza and Boehm, two N-S walls (10094, 10080) were added that split the original room, a drain (5938) was laid in the 3rd quarter of the century, several leveling fills were deposited, and new walls lined the southern extent of the room. Our excavation dated the removal of the north-western pier to the latter part of the 13th century as well. The filling and closing of the well in the years between 1270 and 1290 could have also been part of the change in use of the room.; ; Byzantine (10th through 12th centuries); As mentioned, the second half of the 12th century saw the construction of the north-eastern (10088/6148) and north-western piers (6279, which may have supported an arch or an upper level. Potenza and Boehm likewise removed leveling fills which they dated to the mid-12th century. Our excavations recovered evidence for the earlier part of the century as well, represented by five fill deposits (6186, 6184, 6180, 6191, 6330) located in the south-eastern part of the room and laid within a long E-W cut (6199); in particular, several lenses of fill contained varied pottery of multiple periods and included large dumps of roof tiles (e.g., 6191: 21.4kg, 6186: 24.9kg). The mixed nature of the pottery deposit suggests that it was removed from another context before deposition in the room. There are at least two phases of 12th century activity: the  fills date to the early part of the century while the construction of the northern piers dates to the latter half. ; The earlier Byzantine levels of the room also suggest a period of extensive activity in 10th/11th centuries. A pebble surface is visible in the north-east portion of the room, south of the 1961 excavation trench and cut by the north-eastern pier foundation (6148). This surface was identified by Potenza and Boehm and left unexcavated. We removed four small deposits that remained on the top of the surface (6205, 6209, 6221, 6223), all dated to the 10th/11th century. The surface is yet to be excavated, and earlier surface phases are evident in the scarp created by the excavation of pier foundation 6148 to the east and the removal of fills inside cut 6224 to the south.; We have hypothesized that the central and southern parts of the room was disturbed by one large pit filled by successive layers of deposits. The 12th century fills discussed above cut into earlier deposits. We investigated a large circular pit (6224) with three fills (6225, 6229, 6334) dating to the 10th/11th centuries. These fills had previously been disturbed by other 10th/11th century activity, in particular the cutting of three probable post holes (6193/6194, 6195/6196, 6197/6198). These 3 post holes likely coordinate with a post hole (6217) to the north at the southern end of wall 10095 – the fill in two of the post holes date to the 10th/11th centuries (6196, 6217), while the other two are roughly dated to the Byzantine (6194) and Medieval (6198) period with no precise date. The post holes may have been meant to hold a light roof of some sort or some other wooden structure; their small size indicates that they could not have been supports for anything of considerable weight. We were unable to determine any relationship between the post holes and other floors and walls.; Our investigation of the stratigraphy in the southern portion of the room concluded with the removal of another lens of fill (6338)  inside a suspected cut with the expectation that the nature and purpose of the cut would become more clear. This deposit was dated to c.1280 on the presence of one body sherd of Protomaiolica. This date is problematic as this material is cut by the pit 6224 and the 10th/11th fill inside (6234). We speculate that there was some contamination of this deposit as the fill was overdug at the western end.  More excavation is necessary in this part of the room to confirm that the 13th century date is a mistake. ; There is another option for this situation. It may be the case that the 13th century date for 6338 is true and that the fill deposits above it, though they contain 10th-12th century pottery, are actually depositional acts of the later 13th century with misleadingly low pottery dates.  This situation will be investigated in the 3rd session.; ; Future work in this area should include:; 1)    the complete excavation of the well and the removal of its structure in keeping with the policy of open area excavation; 2)    the removal of any remaining intrusive deposits in the southern part of the room so as to establish the nature of the large suspected cut ; 3)    investigation of the floor surfaces to the north-east in order to better understand the 10th/11th century activity; 4)    the four structures that were given numbers at the end of Session 2 (6421, 6422, 6424, 6426) should be further analyzed or excavated; establishing their relationship to other walls in the room will facilitate a better understanding of the room’s architectural and use phases.","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2009 by Martin Wells, Katie Rask, Dreya Mihaloew (2009-05-18 to 2009-05-19)","","Corinth","",""
"","","","Report","Final Report: Excavations of South Stoa, Shop 1 Rear, Session 2 2016","South Stoa 2016 by Alexandra Daly and Thalia Parr (2016-05-04 to 2016-05-20)","Final Report: Excavations of South Stoa, Shop 1 Rear, Session 2 2016; ; Alexandra Daly and Thalia Parr; ; DATES OF EXCAVATION: May 4-20 2016; ; COORDINATES: N: N 1090.40; E: E 353.95; S: N 1084.70; W: E 349.60; ; INTRODUCTION; ; This is the final report for the excavation of Shop 1 Rear in Session II of the 2016 season.  Shop 1 Rear is the rear room of Shop 1 in the South Stoa.  It is bounded by four walls built of large, well-worked ashlar blocks: 457 to the east (N: N 1106.51, E: E 356.40, S: N 1086.50, W: E 348.67), 458 to the south (Greek phase; N: N 1086.38, E: E 355.83, S: N 1084.15, W: E 351.81), 459 to the west (N: N 1095.75, E: E 351.30, S: N 1086.60, W: E 347.25), and 461 to the north (N: N 1092.75, E: E 35364, S: N 1090.63, W: E 349.19).  The coordinates of the interior space of the room are: NE corner, E 353.85, N 1092.30; NW corner, E 349.60, N 1090.80; SW corner, E 351.80, N 1084.70; SE corner, E 355.90, N 1086.50.  Our excavation was limited to the portion of this area south of the section line (running from E 350.2, N 1090.4 to E 353.95, N 1088.05) laid at the beginning of Session II; the area north of the line has been saved for microstratigraphic analysis by Panagiotis Karkanas.  Excavation began on May 4th and continued until May 20th.  Guy Sanders (director), James Herbst (architect), and Danielle Smotherman (field director) supervised.  Our team consisted of Alexandra Daly and Thalia Parr (area supervisors), Panos Kakouros (pickman), Marios Vathis (pickman and sieve), and Panagiotis Rontzokos (shovelman, barrowman, sieve).  Photogrammetry has been carried out for every context of the excavation.; ; Shop 1 Rear was first excavated by Oscar Broneer in the 1930s and 1940s, mainly in March 1934 (Corinth NB 139).  During Session I Jiang and Judson removed most of his backfill, and thus everything excavated in Session II seemed undisturbed by his activities.  Broneer's sounding beside the west wall (Wall 459), excavated as Cut 301/Context 298 in Session I, cut through the center of the foundation trench on the east side of Wall 459.  The Neolithic and Early Helladic sherds Broneer found in the fill of the trench were most likely redeposited by the stoa builders from some of the purely prehistoric deposits excavated in Session II.  The fill of the foundation trench to the north and south of Broneer's sounding (excavated in Session II as Cut 507/Contexts 511, 544; Cut 506/Contexts 505, 510, 512) appeared undisturbed by Broneer, since it yielded only ancient material and was overlaid by ancient contexts.  Broneer’s trench along the east and south walls (Cut 509) was probably an excavation of those foundation trenches. ; ; Shop 1 Rear was next excavated by An Jiang and Catharine Judson in Session I of the 2016 season (April 5th-21st).  After removing Broneer’s backfill, they excavated several layers of Roman and Hellenistic fill.  A compact, partially preserved deposit (Context 449) with two cuts for pithoi (Cuts 382, 389) was the only possible surface identified in Session I.  Because of its 4th cent. BC pottery date, Jiang and Judson proposed that this surface had been in use before the construction of the stoa and was repurposed for Shop 1 Rear.  The last context excavated in Session I, a large rectilinear cut (Cut 497/Context 478), was closed artificially at the end of the session and reopened in Session II.; The goals of this session are to find evidence for the date of the construction of the stoa, to investigate activities in the area during and before the use of the stoa, and to prepare the stoa for consolidation, conservation, and presentation to the public.; ; PREHISTORIC; ; Prehistoric activity in the area of Shop 1 Rear may be divided into five phases, all occurring during the Early Helladic II period.  This date is firmly established, with twenty-two of the prehistoric contexts dated to that period by their own pottery.  The remaining eight are dated broadly to the Early Helladic period by their pottery, but seven of these may be narrowed to EH II by their stratigraphic relationships.  Only our last context from this session (Context 551) lacks a precise date within EH.  A larger, unexcavated portion of what appears to be the same surface as Context 551, separated from it by a large bothros (Cut 548/Context 547) and extending to the bedrock in the southeast corner of the section, may yield material with a more specific date when it is excavated in Session III.  ; ; In the first phase of prehistoric activity, the EH inhabitants of Corinth leveled off and trampled down a sandy exterior surface (Context 551, preserved in a 1.00 x 0.50 m area).  Although its full extent is unknown—it is truncated by the foundation trench of Shop 1 Rear to the west and continues under our section line to the east—it appears to be bounded by bedrock to the northwest and southeast.  In the northwest, it lay over a small portion of downward sloping bedrock, as well as some rocky fill.  In the southeast (to be excavated in Session III), it runs up to the edge of what appears to be a deep, anthropogenic cut in the bedrock.  It is clear from the scarp of Broneer’s sounding (Cut 301) that the bedrock, though visible at the level of this surface to its northwest and southeast, drops dramatically in the area below this surface, creating a deep gully that appears to be have been filled deliberately.  For this reason, we believe that this hard, compacted surface may be the result of the EH II inhabitants of Corinth filling this gully and then packing down the fill.  The small amount of pottery in this surface suggests that it was not used or exposed for very long before being covered by later fill.; ; In the second phase, a broad, shallow bothros was cut into this surface and filled with waste (Cut 548/Context 547).  Some of the waste appeared to derive from the collapse of a building nearby: pieces of chopped up bedrock, some stone tools, pieces of lime (perhaps plaster or flooring), several cobbles with faces, and many pieces of mudbrick, one of which had a face.  The bothros also contained 120 pieces of bone, many of which were preserved in rather large pieces, and a great deal of pottery: 458 sherds at 4.64kg.  Among the pottery were an EH II firedog stand knob (C-2016-20) and a Late Neolithic ritual vessel handle (C-2016-19).  The majority of the pottery was EH II and so, along with the bone, might have been the accumulated trash of nearby inhabitants.  The Late Neolithic sherds and chert blade (MF-2016-39) in this deposit may already have been in the soil excavated to create the pit, so that they were redeposited as backfill in the pit.; ; This bothros may be associated with another EH II bothros excavated in Session I beneath Shop 2 Rear (Cut 430/Context 429). Both bothroi were cut into surfaces at relatively similar elevations: the sandy surface (Context 551) in Shop 1 Rear at 80.68-80.49 and the clayey surface (Context 442) in Shop 2 Rear at 80.70-80.59.  Like the bothros beneath Shop 1 Rear, the bothros beneath Shop 2 Rear contained large pieces of bone in smaller quantities, a comparable amount of pottery (368 sherds at 6.15kg), and material possibly from a collapsed building: many cobbles, some stone tools, and two EH rooftiles.  The similarity of these bothroi suggests that they were dug and filled at around the same time.  This in turn suggests that their respective surfaces may be two parts of the same large surface, separated from one another by the digging of the foundation trench for Wall 459.  The difference in soil between the two surfaces is attributable to the mixed nature of the packed down fill of which they are composed.; ; The third phase of EH II activity in Shop 1 Rear is represented by the construction, use, and maintenance of an exterior surface over a considerable period of time.  The surface was initially constructed by laying down rocky fills (Contexts 539-546) over the sandy surface discussed above (Context 551) and covering this fill with a lens of clayey silt, which was packed down, over the fill (Context 538, preserved in a 3.85 x 0.75 m area).  This surface was then used for some time, as demonstrated by the significant amount of pottery that had been trampled into it.  Eventually another layer of rocky fill (Context 537) was laid down on top of the first lens, with another compacted clayey lens created on top of it (Context 536 preserved in a 2.60 x 0.35 m area).  After another period of use, a second remodeling, with a third layer of fill (Contexts 532, 534, and 535) and a third clayey lens, appears to have occurred.  The second remodeling is less clear than the first, however, because the center of the third surface appeared to have been eroded away, leaving only two patches of it in the north (Context 533, preserved in a 1.20 x 0.55 m area) and south (Context 531, preserved in a 1.85 x 0.30 m area).  Perhaps the surface went out of use for some time and slowly wore away, or perhaps it was destroyed in a single event such as a winter torrent.  Either way, the eroded portion of the third lens seems then to have been repaired by three layers of fill (Contexts 527, 528, and 530) laid against the eroded edges of this lens.  These repairs were not overlaid by any lens of the surface.  In their full extent the next four lenses (Contexts 517 [1.50 x 0.40 m], 520 [1.20 x 0.65 m], 521 [1.70 x 0.20 m], 529 [1.50 x 0.30 m]) most likely overlay the repairs to the third lens, but these higher lenses were so eroded that they bore no stratigraphic relationship to the repairs  They survived only in a small portion in the south of our area, truncated by the classical cellar to the south (Cut 497), eroded away to the north and west, and running under our section to the east.  They formed directly over the third lens with no fill between them, and therefore appear to have accumulated unintentionally through use of the surface. ; ; We argue that all these lenses and fills represent the construction, remodeling, use, and repair of a metaled road.  Our pickman, Panos Kakouros, who has excavated other roads at Corinth, was the first to suggest this interpretation and has maintained it throughout our excavation.  The character of the surface is consistent with this interpretation.  First, it was very hard and compact, in parts composed of thin, overlying lenses.  Second, it appeared to have been eroded away and repaired several times.  Third, it had cultural material from disparate periods (from MN to EHII), sometimes in equal proportions, trampled into it.  One would expect a much narrower chronological range for the artifacts in other kinds of exterior surfaces, such as working areas, whereas a road could have accumulated material from a wide range of periods through water action.  Finally, the fills below the lenses, especially those below the first lens, contained many stones, generally increasing in size toward the bottom.  The fill below another EH II road at Lerna is similar in composition (M. H. Wiencke 2000. The Architecture, Stratification, and Pottery of Lerna III. Vol. IV. Princeton: 287).  ; ; The orientation of this road is difficult to determine since only a relatively small part of it is both preserved and visible.  If we look to the area below Shop 2 Rear for the continuation of this road, we do find another surface below Shop 2 Rear (Context 388, preserved in a 3.2m x 2.45m area) that lay at nearly the same level as the fourth lens of the road (Context 529)(81.00-80.81 and 80.98-80.83 respectively), but the surface below Shop 2 Rear does not have a series of lenses above or below it as we found in Shop 1 Rear.  It is possible the upper lenses were destroyed during the construction of the South Stoa, since Context 388 is almost exclusively overlaid by Hellenistic fills, but this fails to explain why the first through third lenses of the road under Shop 1 Rear do not appear to continue into the area beneath Shop 2 Rear.  Perhaps the road was  oriented N-S, so that it continues not under Shop 2 Rear, but under Shop 1 Front.  Context 388 under Shop 2 Rear, then, might have been a work area (as it was originally interpreted) beside or at the end of the road.         ; ; After the road finally fell out of use, it appears to have suffered significant erosion, creating a wide, shallow depression running roughly NE-SW across our area.  This depression was then filled in the fourth phase of EH II activity with a layer of cobbles (Context 524-526) with a thin layer of earth and pebbles over and between them (Context 523).  These deposits must have been made at the same time, since fragments of the same Early Helladic black-slipped one-handled cup (C-2016-16) were found in both the pebbly soil (Context 523) and the cobbles (Context 525)..  In addition to this vessel, a few Late Neolithic and Early Helladic sherds and a triangular stone burnisher (MF-2016-30 in Context 526), were found among the cobbles.  Based on the flat, apparently worked surfaces of some of the cobbles, and the pieces of mudbrick and chopped up bedrock throughout, we believe these layers represent the ruins of an earlier structure that were redeposited in the depression caused by the erosion of the road.  ; ; These cobbles may have been laid as a pavement, and they do resemble the pavements identified at Eutresis (J. L. Caskey and E. G. Caskey. 1960. “The Earliest Settlements at Eutresis: Supplementary Excavations, 1958.” Hesperia 29: 126-167).   Fragments of a complete vessel and pieces of mudbrick are more likely to be found in dumped rubble than among carefully laid stones, however, and pebbly soil (Context 523) laid over a pavement is difficult to account for.  More likely, the cobbles and the soil were cleaned up from a nearby area and dumped in this convenient natural ditch by the inhabitants of Corinth.; ; If this layer of cobbles did serve some purpose, it had fallen out of use by the fifth and final phase of EH II activity.  More soil (Context 522) was heaped upon the cobbles as well as upon the latest lens of the road (Context 516).  Little more can be said about these fills, since they were partially disturbed by later activity and partially hidden by our section.; ; Our excavation produced a great deal of prehistoric pottery from purely prehistoric contexts.  Almost every deposit contained a mixture of Late Neolithic and Early Helladic wares, with only a few Middle Neolithic sherds.  ; ; The Late Neolithic pottery was predominated by Grey Burnished (469 sherds), Black Burnished (380 sherds), and Matt Painted (277 sherds).  The paint on the Matt-painted sherds was often very well preserved, especially the Late Neolithic Matt-painted fruitstand in Context 527 (C-2016-17) .  The Late Neolithic ritual vessel handle in Context 547 (C-2016-19) is even more unique: although its triangular section is not uncommon, we have so far been unable to find any comparanda for its undulating ridge.; ; The Early Helladic pottery was most often represented by Red-slipped (725 sherds), Cream-slipped (547 sherds, some with fine incision), and Black-Slipped (400 sherds); the next most frequent ware was EH Lightware (31 sherds).  The EH II black-slipped one-handled cup in Contexts 523 and 525 (C-2016-16) and the cooking pot in Contexts 540 and 543 (C-2016-21) were the two almost intact prehistoric vessels found this session.  24 sherds of an Early Cycladic Red-Slipped vessel (yet to be reconstructed or inventoried) found in Contexts 538, 542, 543, and 544 was also of interest.; ; Two Early Helladic terracotta spindle whorls were also found in Context 538 (MF-2016-35 and MF-2016-36), not upon the surface of the road, but within the fill beneath.  Other important small finds from the fill that so far lack dates include two stone tools (MF-2016-33 in Context 532, MF-2016-38 in Context 537) and an obsidian core (MF-2016-37 in Context 537).; ; The good preservation of the finds and pottery from all periods in our trench suggests that they were probably close to their primary contexts, and that they had not been redeposited many times.  Stone tools, textile tools, and pottery show that habitation layers were close by. At the same time, the solid date of all these contexts suggests that EH II was a period of major renovation of this area, apparently involving the cleanup of some nearby collapsed buildings (Context 523-526 and Context 537).  In light of both these factors, as well as the current lack of evidence for EH I contexts, it seems that the area of Shop 1 Rear was abandoned in the Late Neolithic and only revisited in Early Helladic II.  The Early Helladic inhabitants of Corinth would have encountered an area much altered by their Neolithic predecessors: earth filled with Late Neolithic sherds and tools as well as a deep cut in the bedrock.  In filling and leveling off this cut and constructing their road, they would have mixed their own waste with that of their predecessors, creating a “Mixed Fill,” much like the one found in several places at Lerna (M. H. Wiencke 2000. The Architecture, Stratification, and Pottery of Lerna III. Vol. IV. Princeton: 29).; ; Several previous excavations at Corinth uncovered mixed deposits of Early Helladic and Late Neolithic.  According to Phelps 2004, Walker-Kosmopoulos found Late Neolithic in equal proportions with Early Helladic on the north side of Temple Hill in 1920.  In 1931, Hill likewise discovered Late Neolithic with much Early Helladic on the site of the current museum.  Finally, Weinberg in 1938 found Black and Grey Wares mixed with Early Helladic west of the museum.  It would be valuable to revisit these deposits now that the pottery sequences of the Late Neolithic and Early Helladic in the Peloponnese have been better defined.  Perhaps the Early Helladic material in these contexts is also confined to EH II.; ; CLASSICAL?; ; There is very little evidence of human activity between EH II and the construction of the South Stoa, probably because the builders of the South Stoa cleared and leveled the area before construction.; ; Before that, however, the inhabitants of Corinth dug a long, rectilinear pit (Cut 497/Contexts 478 and 513-515) running E-W that widens slightly toward the west (1.00m wide at the east, 1.40m wide at the west).  Its preserved length is 2.70m, but it was truncated to the east by Broneer's excavation trench (509) and to the west by the foundation trench for Wall 459 (Cut 506).  It is quite deep (0.72m), with vertical sides and a roughly leveled bottom.  Its southern side and some of its base were cut into bedrock, while its northern side was cut into the prehistoric surfaces discussed above.  ; ; The form of this cut suggests that it was a Classical cellar.  Two comparable cellars associated with the Classical Buildings I and II in the forum area of Corinth were excavated in 1971 by Charles Williams (Hesperia 41.2: 143-184).  Both cellars are 1-2m wide (Cut 497 is 1.3m wide), cut into bedrock, and not waterproofed (as ours); Cellar B also widens toward one end.  ; ; HELLENISTIC (LATE 4TH TO EARLY 3RD CENT. BC); ; After the cellar had fallen out of use, it was filled in the late 4th/early 3rd cent. BC or later (Contexts Contexts 478, 513-515), before the construction of the west foundation trench and probably during the initial leveling of the area in preparation for the stoa.  The filling of the cellar was most likely part of the construction process, as joining sherds of the same matt-painted vessel (C-2016-14) were found in the cellar fill (Contexts 478, 515) and the foundation trench fill (Context 505).  Next the foundation trenches were dug, the walls were constructed, and the trenches were backfilled.  The builders then deposited several layers of fill (Contexts 456, 503, 508) over the cellar fill and the foundation trench fill in order to level Shop 1 Rear.  Since none of the fills in the foundation trench itself dated later than the 4th cent. BC, they are all dated by their stratigraphic relationship to the cellar fill, which was cut by the foundation trench, to the late 4th/early 3rd cent. BC.; ; One of the leveling fills over the foundation trench (Context 508) was overlaid by a possible surface (Context 449) into which two pithos stands were cut (Cuts 382, 389).  As stated above, Jiang and Judson believed that this surface predated the construction of Shop 1 Rear, and they therefore interpreted the Hellenistic fill of a large cut in this surface (Cut 493/4/Contexts 424 [first half of the 3rd cent. BC], 436, 438) as the leveling of Shop 1 Rear immediately after its construction.  However, the fill (Context 508) over the foundation trench (Context 511) and beneath this surface (Context 449) makes it clear that this surface postdated the construction of Shop 1 Rear.  For this reason, we believe that Context 449 may have been the original floor of the room, or at least another leveling fill for the floor, since the pithos stands were cut into it.  Cut 493/4 and its fills would then reflect a significant change to the room, perhaps after it or part of the surface had fallen out of use.; ; This interpretation of Context 449 suggests that Shop 1 Rear was constructed and in use by the end of the 4th cent. BC or later.  This date is brought down to the first quarter of the 3rd century BC by a single sherd found in Session I in the fill of the east foundation trench of Shop 2 Rear (Cut 322/Deposit 321)—the other side of the same foundation trench we excavated this session.; ; Most of our Hellenistic contexts contained a great deal of Late Neolithic and Early Helladic pottery.  In the cellar we found a Late Neolithic Matt-painted bowl rim (C-2016-18 in Context 513) and a Late Neolithic Black-burnished roll handle (C-2016-15 in Context 515), as well as a Neolithic figurine (MF-2016-25 in Context 513); in the leveling fill we found an Early Helladic II obsidian blade (MF-2016-21 in Context 508).  The presence of this material is easily explained.  The builders of the South Stoa inevitably dug down into earlier layers while excavating the foundation trenches, and then used this same soil to backfill the trenches and level off the rooms.  The soil in the cellar could have come from the foundation trench of another room that was built before Shop 1 Rear.; ; CONCLUSIONS; ; This excavation of Shop 1 Rear has provided evidence that the South Stoa was constructed in the late 4th to early 3rd cent. BC, which supports the down-dating of the construction of the stoa from the widely accepted date of 338-323 B.C. to the 3rd century B.C. by Sanders, Miura, and Kvapil (2014) and James (forthcoming).; ; Through the discovery of a Classical cellar beneath Shop 1 Rear, the excavation has added to our understanding of this area soon before the construction of the stoa.  Along with Classical Buildings I and II, it indicates that this area was already occupied by structures and probably saw a good deal of activity.; ; The prehistoric layers beneath Shop 1 Rear have shed further light on the prehistoric layers beneath Shop 2 Rear.  Together these layers have provided a wealth of material that promises to open up new lines of research in the prehistory of Corinth.  Although no settlement has been located, the kinds of material culture we have found, as well as its good preservation, indicate that there were probably Late Neolithic and Early Helladic II settlements nearby.  The discovery of the EH II road suggests that the Early Helladic settlement may have seen a good deal of traffic, and some of it (based on the discovery of obsidian, non-local chert, and Cycladic pottery) may have come from rather far away.; ; FUTURE GOALS; ; •    Continue excavation to clarify the nature of the sandy surface (Context 551) as well as the fill below it.; •     Explore the possibility of more connections between the prehistoric layers excavated last session in Shop 2 Rear and those in Shop 1 Rear.; •    Use Panagiotis Karkanas’ analysis of the microstratigraphy to come to a better understanding of the formation processes in this area.; •    Compare the pottery from our excavations with that from other prehistoric excavations at Corinth.; ; ; CONTEXTS: 497, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 508, 509, 510, 511, 512, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 526, 527, 528, 529, 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 536, 537, 538, 539, 540, 541, 542, 543, 544, 545, 546, 547, 548, 549, 550, 551; ; MF-2016-21 Early Helladic II Obsidian Blade in 508; MF-2016-25 Neolithic Figurine in 513; MF-2016-30 Triangular Stone Burnisher in 526; MF-2016-33 Stone Tool 532; MF-2016-35 Early Helladic Terracotta Spindle Whorl in 538; MF-2016-36 Early Helladic Terracotta Spindle Whorl in 538; MF-2016-37 Obsidian Core in 537; MF-2016-38 Stone Tool in 537; MF-2016-39 Late Neolithic Chert Blade in 547; ; C-2016-14 Late Neolithic Matt-painted Jar in 505; C-2016-15 Late Neolithic Black-burnished Roll Handle in 515; C-2016-16 Early Helladic Black-slipped One-handled Cup in 523, 525; C-2016-17 Late Neolithic Matt-painted Fruitstand in 527; C-2016-18 Late Neolithic Matt-painted Bowl in 513; C-2016-19 Late Neolithic Ritual Vessel Handle in 547; C-2016-20 Early Helladic II Firedog Stand Knob in 547; C-2016-21 Tripod Vessel in 543, 540","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Forum | South Stoa","","Corinth:Report:South Stoa 2016 by Alexandra Daly and Thalia Parr (2016-05-04 to 2016-05-20)","","Corinth","",""
"","","","Report","Frankish Area: Unit 1, Courtyard, Northeast Corner","Temple E, Southeast 2017 by Tori Bedingfield (2017-05-02 to 2017-05-19)","Temple E, Southeast Excavations 2017; Coordinates: N: 1043.270, S: 1039.866, E: 114.763, W: 109.937; ; This is the final summary report for work undertaken in the northeastern corner of the courtyard of Unit 1, Frankish Area, during the second excavation session of the 2017 season. Personnel: Guy Sanders (Director), Ioulia Tzonou-Herbst (Assistant Director), James Herbst (Architect), Orestes Zervos (Numismatist), Rossana Valente (Field Director), Panos Kakouros (Assistant Foreman and Pickman), Marios Vathis (Shovelman and Sieve), and Tori Bedingfield (Recorder).; ; The area of excavation is located in the northeast corner of the unpaved section north of the paved courtyard in Unit 1. The western section of the unpaved part, 4.5 meters wide (E-W), had previously been excavated during session 1 of the 2017 excavation season. The excavation during session 2 was conducted in the remaining eastern section, approximately 5m (E-W) x 4m (N-S) area. The excavation was bounded in the north by an E-W reconstructed wall (labelled wall 2 in the 1992 excavations, NB 849); in the east by a N-S reconstructed wall (referred to as the south wall of room 8, or annex, in the 1992 excavations, NB 852); in the south by the northern limit of the paved courtyard; and in the west by the excavation scarp created in session 1 excavations. Room 8 is situated directly north of the excavation area, and room 3 is situated to the east. The unpaved portion of the courtyard in Unit 1 was last systematically excavated in April-May 1992 (NB 849, pp.  11-17, pp. 29-51, pp. 69-73, pp. 83-101, lots 1992-24, 1992-42, 1992-39, 1992-40, 1992-50, lot 1992-51; NB 852, pp. 8-10, pp. 38-62, lot 1992-31). The previous excavations removed approximately 1 meter of destruction debris, with a “Turkish house” built over the destruction layer (NB 832). The final elevation recorded in the excavation area by the 1992 excavation team (85.546 masl, NB 852, basket 114) is approximately ten centimeters higher than the opening elevations recorded for the 2017 excavation season (85.46 masl). The final context (NB 849, basket 54) of May 1992 excavation season in the eastern part of the unit, and the final context (NB 852, basket 114) of the June 1992 excavations in the north and western part of the unit, was recorded as being a hard clean clay surface, which is not incongruous with the hard, marl clay surface that was on the surface at the start on the 2017 excavation. The approximately ten centimeters of difference in level between 1992 and 2017 may be explained by a number of reasons. Given that this area was exposed to the elements for 25 years and experienced foot traffic from the restoration efforts on the north and east walls, it is not entirely impossible to exclude that there has been some loss from wind erosion and wear. As in all areas left open to the elements for such a long time, cleaning operations are imperative before the beginning of a new excavation season, in order to remove any potentially mixed strata.  The coordinates of the excavation area are N: 1043.270, S: 1039.866, E: 114.763, W: 109.937; the opening elevation was 85.494 masl, and the closing is 84.99 masl, though the lowest elevation recorded was at the bottom of a pit cut at 84.42 masl. ; ; The overall goals of session 2, 2017 excavation season were threefold: to understand the phasing of the east wall, the floor layers, and the pit deposit visible on the surface, and their relationship to one another; to understand the so-called “mud brick structure” (feature 1073) exposed during season 1 of the 2017 excavations; and to look for evidence for reorientation of the entire space, a theory posited in previous scholarship. By and large, theories and responses to these goals were satisfactorily developed, though more excavation is required to verify any conclusions with absolute certainty. In particular, excavation underneath the paved courtyard to the south of the excavation area would be fruitful for our understanding of this part of the Frankish occupation. ; ; Frankish Period (1210-1458 CE); ; The earliest use of this space that was uncovered was a levelling event made up of redeposited mud brick, resulting in a unified elevation in this portion of the unpaved section of the courtyard (context 1107, lot 2017-1). The westernmost boundary of the mud brick redeposited layer was first uncovered in session 1 of the 2017 excavations (feature 1073). ; ; During the late 13th to the early 14th century, a subfloor (context 1107, lot 2017-1) and accompanying lime floor (1106, lot 2017-3) were laid down on the redeposited mudbrick floor. Despite its relatively durable construction, a repair patch (context 1105) in the floor was needed in the southwest corner of the floor some time later in its use. The west edge of this floor was visible in the excavation unit, and it did not continue over the “mud brick structure” (feature 1073). Therefore, the original western boundary of the floor may be preserved. The southern boundary is unknown, as the floor stretches under the paved courtyard. ; ; At some point later in time, still during the late 13th to early 14th c., a wall stretching across the northern boundary of the courtyard was constructed, and a foundation trench cut through the lower flooring and redeposited mudbrick layer. Contemporary with this north wall, a clay floor approximately 8 centimeters thick was laid down (context 1104, lot 2017-2). After this, a pit (approximately 1 meter by 1 meter) was cut in the northwest corner of the excavation unit to a depth below context 1107 (bottom elevation 84.11 masl), the deepest layer excavated. Due to several days of heavy rain during the excavation season and the high clay content of the surrounding layers, the fill of the pit is not excavated. After this, though still in the late 13th to early 14th c., the clay floor and pit were overlaid by three subfloor layers (8-9 cm thickness in total, context 1103 lot 2017-4, context 1102 lot 2017-5, and context 1101 lot 2017-6), and a cement floor (context 1100).; ; In the 14th c., three more cement floor layers were laid down directly on one another (context 1099 lot 2017-7, context 1097, and context 1085, lot 2017-8), lacking the subfloors seen in previous layers. All layers up to this stage had continued under the paved courtyard to the south of the excavation unit. Additionally, all floor layers are characterized by a high residuality in respect to the artifacts recovered, due to the redeposited material used for the floors.; ; Continuing in the 14th c., another north wall was constructed on top of the earlier wall, and its foundation trench cut through all floor layers down to the lowest of three subfloor layers associated with one of the cement floors (context 1103, lot 2017-4, bottom elevation 85.22 masl). This wall was built directly on top of the earlier north wall. Due to the modern intrusion of the wall restoration, the exact dimensions of the earlier wall are not clear. The existence of an earlier wall was evident mostly in the presence of its foundation trench. ; ; A paved courtyard was constructed to the south of the excavation area, probably contemporaneously with the construction of this later north wall. Paving stones were laid over a section of the floor layers (to the south of the excavation area), and may have reoriented the space from a north-south orientation to an east-west one. In addition to the construction of a paved courtyard and the north wall, a marl floor was laid down in this area. During the 2017 excavation season, the floor was patchy and relatively thin, though in previous excavation this was recorded as being a sturdy clay floor layer (NB 849, p. 41). The clay floor was described as being flush with the level of the paving stones in the paved courtyard, though at the start of this excavation period, the floor was some centimeters lower than the courtyard. Even at its deepest level, this marl floor does not continue under the paved courtyard to the south, and so it is certain that the marl floor was laid down after the paving stones. ; ; After the paving of the stone courtyard, the space seems to have fallen into a period of disuse, and in the east of the excavation unit a pit was cut into the floor layers. Beginning at some point in the 14th c. and ending sometime in the second half of the 14th c., the pit was filled with dump fills of large joining fragments of matt painted amphora and other ceramics, tile, and refuse (from first to last deposited: contexts 1076, 1086-1089, lot 2017-10). Due to the relatively few animal bones and organics recovered and the absence in the soils of the loamy quality common in cesspits, it appears this was not used in a household context, at least in the latter part of the 14th c. During the 1992 excavations, the other portion of this pit was excavated (“pit A” in NB 849). The final elevation of pit A as well as the nature of the finds make it very likely they are from the same event, though there seem to have been around three different pits cut in this area, with at least one pit cutting through the southeast portion of pit A. In addition, a destruction layer covered over this whole area (NB 832), and the excavators who recorded the context below the deposit (NB 849) were ambiguous about the boundaries of the various pits at the start of their excavation. This makes it difficult to be certain the pits are related. The excavation drawings also show an outline that roughly aligns with pit 1078, though it was not explored. The drawing may show the slumping of the floor over the pit, as well as the difference in the adherence of the clay floor to the layer below it. ; ; Following this activity, a wall in the east of the excavation unit was built that cut through the pit. This was the last phase of activity excavated during this season. The clay floor layer mentioned in the 1992 excavation probably dates to this period as well, though it isn’t possible to be certain. To compensate for the loose fill of the pit, it was necessary to fortify the foundation with large cobbles and stones below and around the foundation trench within the pit. A precise date cannot be offered for this wall, other than the terminus post quem is  sometime after the final fill of the pit was deposited (1076, lot 2017-10), in the second half of the 14th c., and after the second phase of the north wall, which dates to the late 14th c. ; ; The previous excavations of April-May 1992 had recovered evidence for a large scale destruction event covering the whole area. It had been assumed that this was due to the Catalan destruction of Corinth in 1312. Given the dating of the pit (after the second half of the 14th c.), this gives good reason to rethink the phasing of the Frankish alteration of the site, as well as to the cause of the destruction layer. In fact, during the year 1312, this area of the site was experiencing continuous maintenance.; ; Outstanding goals; ; The removal of the mudbrick floor level would be important in clarifying the murky understanding of the relationship between the excavation units of session 1 and session 2. In addition, the removal of the paved courtyard would provide more understanding of the function of this area prior to the paving of the stone courtyard.","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2017 by Tori Bedingfield (2017-05-02 to 2017-05-19)","","Corinth","",""
"","","","Report","Nezi Session II 2009","Nezi Field 2009 by Stella Diakou and Jody Cundy (2009-05-19 to 2009-05-20)","Introduction ; ; We, Stella Diakou and Jody Cundy, from April 27 to May 15, continued excavation in the west area of the Nezi field. The corners of our excavation area are as follows: NW corner: 1015N, 255.5E, NE corner: 1014N, 264E, SE corner: 999N, 266E, SW corner: 999N, 2555.5E. We worked under the supervision of Guy Sanders, Alicia Carter, James Herbst and Ioulia Tzonou-Herbst. We excavated with Kostas Arberores as pickman, Stavros * as barrowman and Vaggelis Kollias as shovelman. ; ; Most of the agricultural layers below the plough zone were removed during excavation in session I. Our goal in session II was to remove any remains of early modern activity and bring the area down to the occupation layers of the house (wall 305, 306, 365, 366, 332, 313, and 334). The overall goal of the Nezi field excavations is to show the relationship of this area to the excavated area to the North (North of Nezi). ; ; Early Modern (1831-1945 CE); ; During session II we excavated only one early modern deposit. We excavated a refuse pit (cut 486), located south of the Giambouranis’ house, which contained early modern mixed with redeposited earlier material. The pit was truncated at a later point by the construction of a 19th century boundary wall (cut 272). It is possible, based on the proximity of the pit-cut 486 with the Giambouranis’ house, together with the general activity of the Giambouranis’ that the pit was actually opened by them. The excavation of the pit fits well with the excavation of the early modern deposits during session I.; ; Frankish (1210-1458 CE); ; In the northwest corner of our excavation area we exposed a collapsed circular built well (structure 495). The fill of the well below the lowest preserved course of roughly hewn limestone blocks has not been excavated. The upper most fill (492) of the cut for the construction of the well (cut 493) produced 14th c. material whereas the second lens (494) contained tumbled blocks from the built well along with 13th c. material indicating a collapse of the upper courses of the well and a possible date for its destruction in the 13th century. ; ; In the southwest corner of the excavation area, west of wall 306, a destruction lens of collapsed rooftiles was exposed in session I. This destruction layer was disturbed with the opening of a pit (cut 501). It is possible that this pit represents an effort to sink a well that was abandoned when they hit bedrock. The excavation of the pit fill (499, 500) produced late 13th c. material. This gives us a putative terminus ante quem for the destruction of the room west of wall 306 and north of wall 376. From the pit fill (500) we uncovered a bronze earring with copper wire decoration (MF 2009-09). ; ; Also postdating the use phase of the house is the robbing out of the northwestern corner of the house formed by the intersection of walls 306 and 366 (robbing trench cut 497). The homogenous nature of the fill of the L-shaped cut indicates that both walls were robbed out in the same event. The robbing trench fill (496) produced a late 13th c. date. ; ; A major activity during the Frankish period in our excavation area was the opening of a sequence of six intersecting pits cut through the red clay floor associated with wall 313 to the east and wall 332 to the west. The fill (508) of the latest circular pit (cut 510) produced late 13th c. material. The function of pit cut 510 is unclear; the diameter is consistent with a well cut, though the depth (0.52m) and stopping point would contradict this interpretation because the bottom of the pit consisted of a loose matrix with no impediments to further digging if their intention was to sink a well. Pit cut 510 was cut into the fills (511, 512) of a larger oval pit (cut 513) which also produced late 13th c. material. The finds from this pit which include an intact horse cranium and articulated sheep/goat vertebrae with both the sacrum and innominate, indicate that it was probably used as a refuse pit. Pit cut 513 cut the fills of two earlier pits; pit cut 517 and pit cut 526. The later of the two, pit cut 517 was a shallow circular pit that yielded a lot of building material together with late 13th c. pottery (fills 515, 516). The earlier pit cut 526 was another circular and relatively deep pit that produced also later 13th c. material (fills 518, 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 544). Pit cut 526 is cut through the fill of an earlier pit (cut 528) with which it shared a northern boundary. The fill (530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535) of pit cut 528 gave late 13th c. material. It seems that the pit was not filled to the top immediately but rather left open for a relatively long period of time as pieces of the red clay floor, into which the pit was cut, were recovered from the fill of the pit c. 0.25-0.40m below the elevation of the floor. The function of the pit is not clear; the pit has a depth of at least 1.7m and cuts bedrock at the lowest revealed part of the cut which might indicate that it is a well. However, its diameter of 2m seems too large of such a feature. The lowest excavated fill produced a lot of building material. Pit cut 528 has not been excavated to its full extent. Pit cut 528 is cut into the fill of an earlier oval pit to the north (pit cut 527). Pit cut 527 is the earliest pit in the sequence. The fill (514, 509, 519, 541, 542, 520, 543) of the pit gave pottery dating to the 3rd quarter of the 13th c. ; ; The extensive disturbance in the area has caused slumping of the layers in and around the pits. The overlapping pits in this area seem to indicate a preference for digging pits in already disturbed areas where the soil is less compact. All the pits are imagined to have cut from the red clay floor such that they postdate the use phase of the floor and its associated walls 313 and 332. It seems that by the end of the 13th c. at least this part of the house was not in use. ; ; Byzantine ; ; Two fills (502, 503) were excavated in the room bounded by walls 364, 332, 305 and 306. In the center of the room there is a concentration of rooftile fragments and whole tiles that may be associated with the rooftile collapse to the west of wall 306 (not yet excavated at this time), creating a destruction horizon. Two lenses of fill that were removed partially obscured the rooftile destruction east of wall 306 and produced material dating to the second half of the 12th c. Further excavation is necessary to determine whether the rooftile concentration east of wall 306 represents redeposited material or in situ collapse. ; ; An inscribed sherd of a Byzantine pitcher was recovered from cleaning context 484 and inventoried as C 2009-04. ; ; Conclusion ; ; The area south of wall 366, east of wall 313 and north of wall 305 appears to be approaching layers contemporary to the destruction phase of the house. It is expected that the area north of wall 366, surrounding the N-S drain 426 still preserves later disturbances and further excavation should concentrate in this area.","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2009 by Stella Diakou and Jody Cundy (2009-05-19 to 2009-05-20)","","Corinth","",""
"","","","Report","Excavations of Nezi Field, SW area, Session 1 2012","Nezi Field 2012 by Larkin Kennedy, Angele Rosenberg-Dimitracopoulou (2012-04-03 to 2012-04-20)","The room bounded by wall 366 and robbing trench 497 to the north (1006.00 N), wall 365 to the south (1002.10 N), and walls 332 to the east (262.07 E) and wall 306 to the west (258.01 E) was excavated between April 5 and April 20, 2012. This room is located approximately 10 meters south of the so-called Turkish House. Its earliest phases predate the 11th c CE when two walls (366 and 306) were built as part of a larger, unknown structure. Activity in the room continued through to the early modern period, when the north portion of wall 306 and the west portion of wall 366 were robbed out (497), and in the 18th century a bothros was placed in the middle of the room. In the intervening 700 years, layers of dumped fill were used to level out the space during the late 11th – early 12th c., and subsequently walls 332 and 365 were constructed to create the current space. This area was excavated under the supervision of Angele Rosenberg-Dimitracopoulou and Larkin Kennedy. We worked with a crew of workmen including Thanasis Notis (pickman, foreman), Vangelis Kollias (wheelbarrow man, screener), Thanos Kioseloglou (shovelman, replacement pickman), and occasionally Tasos Kakouros filled in for Thanasis Notis as pickman as well.; ; Pre-11th c CE; ; Wall 366 at 1007.00N, which extends from 260.40E to 262.20E, and wall 306 at 258E, which extends from 1004.78N to 1002.58N, were constructed prior to the 11th c CE. Wall 366 consists of fairly regular courses of large, squared blocks separated by tile. These courses continue unchanged throughout the visible elevations of the wall, and extend below the elevation reached at the end of session 1. Wall 306 is slightly smaller and is similarly constructed of fairly regular courses of large, squared blocks. ; ; Byzantine period; ; During the Byzantine period, this area was leveled out through the deposition of successive layers of dump fill. Three layers of dump fill (718 Lot 2012-16, 716, 713) were thrown in along the northern wall 366 during the 11th c CE. In the early 12th c CE, another layer of fill (711) was tossed into the room’s northern portion. These deposits included the disposal of glass and ceramic vessels, a glass bracelet, bone needles and pins, iron slag, nails, ceramic tile, faunal material, charcoal, and plaster. In context 718 were also disposed two bronze bracelets (MF 2012-10, 2012-12), one with a hook and eye closure and one composed of wire flattened at one end and wrapped around the wire body to form a ring for closure, as well as a shell bead, possibly made of mother of pearl, and incised with a starburst pattern (MF 2012-2).; ; These earlier deposits form a bowl allowing later fills to spill down in successive lenses away from walls 306 and 366. Later dump fills (711, 708, 690 Lot 2012-14, 685, 683 Lot 2012-15, 681, 677, 670, 660 Lot 2012-13, 650, 646 Pottery Lot 2012-13 Bone Lot 2012-2, 645) were successively laid around the room, probably also during the early 12th c CE. These deposits similarly included the disposal of glass and ceramic vessels, a waster, a bone awl and a pin, a stone tessera, a millstone fragment, an iron implement, iron nails, slag, and bloom, bronze, plaster, ceramic tile, faunal material, architectural revetment, mainly of marble but also of terracotta, and charcoal. A stamped amphora handle was kept from context 685, though not inventoried. Of note were coin 2012-13 (931-944 CE) and coin 2012-18 (969-1030 CE) from context 646, coin 2012-35 (976-1030 CE) and coin 2012-36 (945-950 CE) from context 690, and a bronze bracelet with a hook clasp (MF 2012-3) which was also retrieved from context 690.; ; In the southwestern corner of context 690, spreading to the east from wall 306, a cluster of large faunal bones (mainly bovid) was accompanied by large fragments of stewpots. This and other subtle differences in the dumping activity were explored with soil samples taken from contexts 646 and 690. Although clear changes in soil indicate that these fills are the result of years of dumping activity and not a single deposit, it is not possible to archaeologically distinguish between these events and the finds do not reveal a more precise chronology either. Few ceramic sherds joined, and none between contexts, indicating a large number of individual pots were represented, rather than many fragments representing a few vessels as would be expected in a primary deposit. These successive fills therefore appear to represent individual loads of dirt that should ultimately be considered part of the same protracted depositional event which leveled the area.; ; Later in the 12th c CE a drain (426) extending from 1011.75N/259.26E to 1004.97N/260.30E was cut into the early 12th c CE fill. Slabs of stone lined the walls of the drain and its floor was made of packed soil. The drain may continue south into the adjoining room, although this needs to be further explored. It also extends north into the Blue team’s area, where it appears to cut through wall 366. In previous excavation seasons, fill for the drain has been dated on the basis of the pottery to the 11th century, though it has also been considered to date to at least the Frankish period on the basis of stratigraphy (590, 591). The portion of the drain south of wall 366 still preserved coverstones, while that north of the wall only retained a few coverstones and displayed other signs that the northern portion of the drain had been exposed outside for a period of time prior to being covered by later depositional events. Stones from the drain’s walls were robbed out (between approximately 1007.00 N and 1006.00) as part of the robbing activity (c 497) that also makes determination of the exact relationship between drain 426 and wall 366 problematic, as stones were also removed from the northern portion of wall 306 and the portion of wall 366 close to where wall 366 and drain 426 would have met in antiquity. This robbing has been dated to the early modern period on the basis of its stratigraphic relationship with robbing trench 596.; ; Still later in the 12th c CE, wall 332, which extends from 1006.37N/262.38E to 999.90N/262.07E was built in order to create a smaller, interior space. This wall is constructed of roughly squared blocks with some tile demarcating the irregular courses. It rests on a foundation of spherical boulders that begin at elevation 86.35 at the north end and elevation 86.72 at the south end, and extend down to a depth of 86.23. These non-corbelled courses bell out wider than the finished wall face. At the time the wall was built, a foundation trench 654 was dug into the surrounding deposits of leveling fill. This trench contained the disposal of glass and ceramic vessels, a glass tube, bronze, marble, and iron. As the material contained in this trench dates to roughly the same time period as the deposits it is laid against, however, this foundation trench can be considered to have been filled by the same material as that which was dug up in order to provide a trench for wall 332’s foundation courses, and not by extraneous material. ; ; Even later in the 12th c CE, wall 365, extending from 1002.58N/257.89E to 1002.44N/261.99E, was constructed in order to subdivide this room and create two smaller interior spaces in place of one larger interior space. This wall was possibly constructed on top of drain 426, though the boulders partially exposed at elevation 86.70 require further attention in order to better understand this relationship, and whether these boulders can indeed be considered as part of the southern extend of the drain. In wall 365, large, roughly squared blocks rest on a foundation made up of a single course of rounded boulders extending to a maximum depth of 86.67. Threshold 664, consisting of a break in wall 365, joined this room to the room to the south and contained an iron needle (MF 2012-8) as well as an iron nail and body sherds from a glass vessel. Coin 2012-14 from the Late Byzantine period (1070-1075 CE) was found just below the two large stones preserved in the south-most portion of threshold 664. Threshold 536, made up of a single layer of crushed tile, provided access to the room from the east. This threshold was laid on the edge of existing stone courses of wall 332 and bridged the gap between this wall and wall 365. To the west of threshold 536, there was a concentration of carbon and bone with some sherds from glass vessels which could be associated with this doorway (641). An iron bloom was also saved from context 641, though not inventoried. A flotation sample was taken from both of these contexts as they could represent deposition associated with the use of the doorways, and which could be compared at a later date with the contents of flotation samples taken elsewhere in the room. ; ; Early Modern; ; In the 18th c CE, a bothros (346/671) was dug into the middle of room, cutting through all of the earlier leveling fill. It stretches from 1005.06N to 1003.84 N and 259.79E to 261.38 E. Four large, tabular stones capped the bothros on its northern side (346) to a depth of 86.81. Under the capstones, the interior of the bothros was lined with regular courses of rounded boulders until an elevation of 85.35 m (671). Under the stone courses is a thick white clay foundation layer which was not excavated. When it was dug, the bothros cut through the drain 426. Built into the regular courses of the structure was a large amount of tile that appears to have used glass slag as a temper. A sample was saved for further testing, as it may indicate the presence of glass making in the vicinity. A Byzantine coin (coin 48) from Thessalonika (1143-1180) was also built into the bothros wall (671). After the stone courses end at 85.35, the bothros belled out into a cavity wider at the bottom than at its mouth, and continued to an elevation of 83.90 m. It appeared to Thanasis Notis (the team’s pickman) that the bothros terminated at this point. ; ; When it went out of use, the bothros (346/671) was filled with a deposit taken from elsewhere around the site which contains a cohesive collection of Frankish material dating to the first half of the 13th c CE (726, 733, 739, 743) including glass and ceramic vessels, iron nails, iron slag and an antler. In addition to the relatively high volume of cooking and tableware, a significant concentration of faunal and fish bone and charcoal were included in the deposit. Two Byzantine coins were also included in the deposit, coin 2012-50 (1112- 1137 CE) and coin 2012-52 (1143- 1180 CE), a bronze token (originally assigned coin no. 2012-46), and two illegible coins (coin 2012-44 and 2012-49). This deposit appears, therefore, to be a secondary deposit of Frankish material that was thrown into the bothros, possibly when it was no longer necessary for storage. ; Sometime after the filling of the bothros, a pit (c431) was dug into it, cutting through both the southern end of the structure to a depth of 86.30. It stretches from 1004.35 N to 1002.43 N and 259.71E to 261.70E. It was filled with Frankish material (336 and 338) similar to that filling the bothros 671/346 (726, 733, 739, 743).; ; Further excavation is necessary to address four remaining questions. First, further excavation is necessary within bothros 346/671 in order to ensure that it does terminate. Thanasis Notis suggested that it might continue laterally to the north rather than down. Next, investigation of the room to the south would indicate whether drain 426 does in fact continue. Threshold 536 could also be removed in order to better determine the association of walls 332 and 365. Finally, more soil should be removed from within the room in order to determine a more precise chronology for walls 306 and 366.","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2012 by Larkin Kennedy, Angele Rosenberg-Dimitracopoulou (2012-04-03 to 2012-04-20)","","Corinth","",""
"","","","Report","2013 Session 1, TeamBlue, Final Summary","Nezi Field 2013 by Katherine Harrington, Jana Mokrišová (2013-05-09 to 2007-05-24)","Katherine Harrington, Jana Mokrišová; Team Blue, Session 1; Nezi Field Excavations; N: 1017.20 N, S: 1006.90 N, E: 263.50 E, W: 255.50 E; 1-25 April, 2013; ; This is the final summary of the first session of excavation in 2013 in the northwest area of Nezi field. Guy Sanders (director) and Rossana Valente (field director) supervised. The blue excavation team consisted of Katherine Harrington and Jana Mokrišová (recorders), Athanasios Notis (foreman and pickman), Athanasios Sakellariou (pickman), Christos Sakellariou (barrowman), and Panayiotis Rontzokos (shovelman). ;     ; The excavation area was initially bounded by the Giambouranis House (also referred to as the Turkish house; NB 252, NB 262, 1015.90N) to the north, Wall 540 (264.20 E) to the east, Wall 366 (1006.90 N) to the south and the baulk of Nezi field (255.50 E) to the west. However, the northern boundary was extended in course of the excavation by the discovery of N-S drain to the northernmost point of the drain (1017.20 N), and after the removal of the wall 540 the eastern boundary was moved to 263.50 E.; ; The goal of this session was to remove final traces of Byzantine occupation in the excavation area and to further explore the Late Antique levels with the hopes of better understanding the Late Roman/ Late Antique occupational activities in the area. In addition, we also re-examined the sequence of Middle and Late Byzantine walls in the area. ; ; Late Antique (5th-7th century CE); ; We reached the Late Antique levels in most of the excavation area, except possibly any remaining fill in Cut 1040 (N-S 1016.46-1014.59, E-W 259.47-258.59), a robbing trench running N-S next to the eastern wall of the Turkish house, which may continue deeper. Additionally, we believe that there might be an extension of this robbing trench on the south side of Cut 870 in an area that was not investigated during this session (under Context 927). ; ; An ovoid hearth, with a schist and tile bottom, was revealed in the southeastern part of the excavation area (N-S 1012.49-1011.56, E-W 262.46-261.57), but was subsequently excavated by Mohammed Bhatti and Daniel Diffendale. The fill within the hearth contained a single illegible coin (no. 2013-144), a possible minimus dated to the 5th-6th century CE, and Late Roman coarse wares. ; ; The most significant Late Roman activity in the excavation area is the series of tile destruction fills dumped in the western side of the excavation area (immediately west of Cut 870). The earliest and the largest fill, Deposit 1080 (N-S 1015.83-1011.22, E-W 258.48-255.73), yielded a large amount of broken tile, charcoal, as well as over 200 kg of pottery and a significant amount of glass, metal, and animal bone. This is clearly a dump consisting of a large amount of cooking wares, storage vessels (e.g. amphorae), as well as glass tableware, which seems to be an assemblage of a wealthy household or households. Special objects include three bone plaques with incised concentric circles, possibly belonging to a single wooden box (MF-2013-6a-c), an iron buckle (MF-2013-4), a bronze tack (MF-2013-5), and several rare forms of African Red Slip Ware (C-2013-3, C-2013-4). Most of the 56 coins found in this layer were illegible. Some coins, however, provide a useful terminus post quem for the dating of this layer. One such coin, 2013-128, might date to after the 491 CE reform of Anastasius due to the possible presence of denomination mark. Similarly, Coin 2013-139 may also bear a denomination mark. However, the identification of these coins is tentative due to their poor preservation and will need to be verified by Orestes Zevros.  Several other 5th century CE coins (nos. 2013-91, 2013-96, 2013-113) and an interesting possibly counterfeit coin of “barbaric style” dating to 383-402 CE (no. 2013-123) were also found in the context. Ceramic evidence was more useful in dating this context. Most of the pottery from dates to late 5th century CE. However, the context has very few early 5th century sherds, and the lamps and African Red Slip forms present in the context suggest a slightly later date of 500-525 CE. ; ; Above the tile fill in the southern part of this area, two parallel curvilinear walls (S1068 and S1069), 0.45 m apart, rested on a deposit containing much dissolved mudbrick (Context 1073; N-S 1013.60-1011.79, E-W 257.53-255.71). The inner Wall 1068 was made of two courses of limestone cobbles (with the second course represented by only one stone) and a reused marble fragment (A-2013-1), while the outer Wall 1069 had only one preserved course. One section of both walls was covered with a localized concentration of mudbrick, clay, and stone (Context 1047). We originally identified this concentration as a structure, but later we concluded that it was probably a dump of building material or a dense filling between the two walls. The walls run into the western scarp, and unfortunately not enough was preserved to determine their function.   ; ; Above the northern side of the large destruction Context1080, there was another dense fill, Context 1058 (N-S 1015.65-1013.46, E-W 258.47-255.65), which was relatively tile-free, but contained a large amount of coarse and cooking pottery, many of which had joins. While this is not as clearly a destruction level since it did not contain much tile or other building material, there is no clear use-surface above or below it, and the presence of large pieces of charcoal and the joins in the pottery suggests that this may also have been a dumped destruction fill. Some rare pottery types and lamps from this context were saved, including a lamp from the workshop of Chionis (L-2013-1) dated to the late 5th/early 6th century CE, which seems to correspond well with the date based on the remaining pottery. ; ; The fill of Context 1046 (N-S 1015.80-1013.35, E-W 255.60-257.91), yet another layer rich in tile, ceramic, and bone, was smaller in extent and thinner than Context1080, but it included a similar range of materials. The pottery forms seem to be later and are dated to the second half 6th century CE. Similarly, the glass from this deposit contained a number of tubular ring goblet feet, which were introduced in the second half of the 5th century CE and were made with new technology. These were absent from Deposit 1080, which contained only vertical stemmed goblet feet. Thus, here we have two different types of technology represented in two separate deposits. According to Athenian Agora XXXIV, however, the two types may slightly overlap chronologically. Therefore, these two deposits may either represent two chronologically separate events, or may reflect the presence of two separate, but contemporary, households who both dumped material in the same area. Significant other finds include a large ovoid marble fragment, which may be a finial or part of a balustrade. ; ; The interpretation of the nature of the activities in this area is made difficult by the presence of large pit Cut 870 in the middle of the excavation area as well as the presence of the Turkish house to the north and the western baulk of the excavation area, all of which truncated the dumped fills. Given that the pottery dates for each of the three layers described above, it is difficult to determine whether these dumps are related to a single destructive event in the wider neighborhood or represent a series of independent events. One possibility may be that this area lay behind a N-S wall which once filled Cut 1040, which we believe to be a robbing trench. Thus, this may have been a convenient exterior dumping ground used over time. Another possibility may be that a large destructive event, such as the earthquake of 522, afflicted the area causing several households to dump their debris in one single area as a part of a general clean-up project. However, at this point we are reluctant to connect these deposits to a single historical event without further study of the pottery from these levels. Above these dumped fills were a series of leveling fills, which may have been laid down in order to reuse the area for new purposes at the end of the Late Roman period. ; ; The remaining Late Roman activity was located in the northwestern part of the excavation area. A well preserved section of a drain, Structure 1026 (N-S 1017.17- 1014.96, E-W 260.14- 259.75), ran N-S at the northern edge of the excavation area and was parallel to the robbing trench 1040. It appears to have been truncated by the building of Wall 918. The drain dates before the middle of the 6th century CE, based on stratigraphy, but since the structure itself and the fill it rests upon were not yet excavated, this date remains preliminary. The drain may have been connected to the well—excavated in the 1960s—located just north of it, immediately to the east of the Turkish house and may have been part of the drainage system of structure related to the wall we theorize filled Cut 1040. ; ; The latest Late Antique activity in the area is present in thin deposits preserved below Wall 540 on the east side of the excavation area. The wall, which dates to the early 12th century, was left pedestalled during the 2012 season (top H. 86.56m, bottom H. 85.98m). Excavation continued on both sides of the wall, and after its removal we were able to correlate this season’s deposits to some of those excavated in 2012. ; ; The pedestal below Wall 540 was preserved in three sections, interrupted by two robbing trenches, Cut 980 and Deposit 985. We excavated the two northern sections and Daniel Diffendale and Mohammed Bhatti excavated the southern section. Each of the two northern sections of the baulk below the wall contained two tile destruction levels, separated by a layer of leveling fill. This clear sequence allowed us to find equivalent layers of the baulk across the robbing trench of Wall 918/992 (filled by Contexts 975 and 985), which separated our two sections of the baulk. ; ; The lowest layers of the pedestal were excavated as Deposits 990 and 991 (990 N-S 1016.20-1014.64, E-W264.68-263.66; 991: N-S 1014.62-1011.63, E-W 264.59-263.76) and correspond to Structure 936 (dated to mid 6th- early 7th century CE), a compact floor surface excavated in 2012. They also relate to Deposit 1035, excavated by Bhatti and Diffendale. Given the narrowness of the pedestal, we cannot add much to the interpretation of this surface at this point. The possibility of further succession of floors below this level was suggested by George and Valente in 2012 report, but was explored by Bhatti and Diffendale during this season. ; ; The earliest tile destruction layer, Contexts 989 and 984, are equal to Contexts 934 and 929 excavated in 2012, due to their roughly equivalent elevations and presence of tile. This allows us to confirm that this tile destruction layer ran under the wall, as theorized by Valente and George in 2012. Our tile layer must have been part of a larger dump of tile, possibly resulting from the clean-up of a destroyed building elsewhere, or—as theorized in 2012—from the collapse of a roof. We were not able to equate the other layers of the pedestal (including the later tile layer) to levels excavated in the previous season, unfortunately. This may be due to a disturbance from the foundation trench of the wall or other activity in the area after the Wall 540 was built, which preserved the later tile layer under the wall, but removed it to the east and west. The layer intervening between the two tile dumps and the later tile dump itself date to the late 6th/early 7th century CE, while the top-most level of the baulk (Contexts 974 and 986) dates to the 7th century CE. ; ; ; Middle to Late Byzantine (802-1210 CE); ; During the mid-10th to late 11th centuries CE, there was a very large pit in the middle of the excavation area (Cut 870, N-S 1014.56-1011.63, E-W 261.89-258.43), which was previously identified as a bothros by George and Valente in 2012. This pit seems to have been filled over a period of time, with the cut and first preserved fill (Context 1002) dated to the late 10th-early 11th centuries and the latest fill (Context 844, excavated in 2012) dated to the late 11th century. This extremely large and deep cut may have functioned as a disposal bothros during this period. The bothros seems to have been filled by the time that the Late Byzantine walls in the area were built, so we are currently unable to associate it with any architecture. However, it must have existed in an exterior space at its time of use.; ; There seems to have been a flurry of building activity in this area during the late 11th and early 12th centuries. Wall 747/1087 seems to have been erected first, in the late 11th-early 12th centuries (1087: N-S 1010.81-101.11 E-W 258.29-255.75; 747: N-S 1010.80-1010.40, E-W 264.15-263.30).  During the 2012 season, the foundation trench (Cut 809) for Wall 1087 was partially excavated, but we removed the final layer of fill within the cut during this season, as Context 1086 (N-S 1011.38-1010.62, E-W 258.24-255.68), and we also exposed further foundations of the wall during cleaning. We are uncertain what space was defined by this wall in its earliest phase, but during a later phase in the early 12th century, it appears to have been abutted by the slightly later N-S Wall 540. Therefore, it seems that the space to the west of Wall 540 was divided into a northern and a southern section by Wall 747/1087. However, we cannot be certain whether these spaces were interior or exterior and we do not yet have evidence of any further walls defining the space.; ; Wall 540 (N-S 1015.20-1007.26, E-W 264.76-263.68), which consisted of two faces of roughly worked small boulders with cobbles and rubble in the interior, was removed during this season, allowing us to clarify its relationship with several other walls in the area. We are now certain that two E-W walls in the area, Wall 918/992  (N-S 1015.10-1014.57, E-W 266.12-259.56) and Wall 945 (N-S 1011.69-1010.89, E-W 264.50-260.95), were out of use by the time that Wall 540 was built, because Wall 540 was constructed over the robbing trenches of each of these walls. Perhaps these walls were removed in preparation for the building of Wall 540 or as part of a larger rebuilding project in the area. ; ; Recommendations for the future:; 1.    Excavate any remaining fill in Cut 1040 and investigate the possibility that this robbing trench continued on the south side of Cut 870. This would shed light on our theory that the wall which once filled this cut was related to the dumping ground to its west. ; 2.    Continue investigating the area bounded by Walls 992 and 945 to the east of Cut 870 in order to continue exploring the Late Roman levels. Special attention should be paid to any evidence of dumped destruction fills. ; 3.    Remove Drain 1026 and the fill below it to clarify the date of the drain. ; 4.    Consider excavating part of Wall 747/1087 for chronological purposes. ; 5.    Clean the bottom of Cut 870 to better understand the material exposed at its bottom and take closing levels, which we were unable to do during this session.","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2013 by Katherine Harrington, Jana Mokrišová (2013-05-09 to 2007-05-24)","","Corinth","",""
"","","","Report","Early Roman to Middle Byzantine Strata in area of Room F, North of Nezi field","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.","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2007 by Ioannis Sapountzis (2007-05-18 to 2007-06-07)","","Corinth","",""
"","","","Report","Pink Final Summary","Nezi Field 2009 by Jody Cundy and Dina Boero (2009-06-19 to 2009-06-20)","Jody Cundy and Dina Boero; Corinth Excavations ; Nezi 2009; Final Summary; 12 June 2009    ; ; Over the course of three sessions in the 2009 season, excavations continued in the west half of Nezi field, which extends from the following coordinates: NW corner: 1015N, 255.5E, NE corner: 1014N, 264E, SE corner: 999N, 266E, SW corner: 999N, 2555.5E. The area was excavated by Stella Diakou and Cavan Concannon, from March 30 to April 16th, 2009, Stella Diakou and Jody Cundy, from April 27 to May 15th, 2009, and Jody Cundy and Dina Boero, from May 25 to June 12th, 2009.  All trench supervisors worked under the supervision of Guy Sanders, Alicia Carter, James Herbst and Ioulia Tzonou-Herbst. Panos Stamatis was the pickman in the first session, Stavros* was the barrow man, and Sotiris Raftopoulos was the shovel man.  In the second and third sessions, Kostas Arberores was the pickman, Stavros * was barrowman and Vaggelis Kollias was shovelman.; ; The aim of excavation this season in Nezi Field was to remove all contexts later than the period of occupation of the buildings composed of walls 306, 336, 332, 365, 305, 376, and 313, which appear to be medieval domestic structures.  The overall goal of the Nezi field excavations is to show the relationship of this area to the excavated area to the North (North of Nezi).; ; Early Modern (1831-1945); ; During the first session, S. Diakou and C. Concannon excavated a number of agricultural deposits containing eighteenth and nineteenth-century pottery, mixed with thirteenth- and fourteenth-century material (contexts 434, 435, 439, 442, 443, 441, lot 2009-76, lot 2009-79).  The mixed nature of these deposits, coupled with the fact that they cover most of the area of excavations, suggests that this area was plowed and used for agricultural purposes during the early modern period.  Added evidence for this conclusion is the removal of an early modern wall (243) in the 2008 excavations, which served to mark the boundary between agricultural fields in the area.  In addition, a lens of dumped material (476) associated with the robbed out portion of the earlier NS stone built drain 426 indicates disturbance of this feature in the early modern period.  A circular pit which contained early modern material (485, 486) also interrupted the course of the drain, though this feature predates the construction of the boundary wall (243) since the foundation trench for this wall (272) truncates the pit.  Both the plow zone and the pit are likely associated with the occupation phase of the Giambouranis’ house (Nb. 252, 262).  ; ; Also during the early modern period, two phases of robbing activity occurred.  The corner formed by the NS wall 306 and the EW wall 366 was robbed out (496, 497).  The homogenous nature of the fill of the L-shaped cut indicates that both walls were robbed out in the same event. Prior to the robbing of the intersection of these two walls, another robbing event occurred (cut 596).  This robbed wall may be the further westward extension of 366 or it may have been a different wall on a similar orientation that either abutted or bonded with the W corner of walls 306 and 366.  The robbing trench 596 itself is roughly in alignment with EW wall 366, but no stones from the robbed wall remain in situ in the bottom of the cut.  Consequentially, it is not possible to compare the alignment of this wall with the preserved portions of wall 366.  The pottery associated with this earlier robbing activity produced an early modern date (595).  ; ; After this season’s excavation in Nezi Field, it is expected that we removed all the deposits associated with early modern activity in the west portion of the area, though early modern material may still be present in the area east of walls 540 and 313 which was not excavated this season but in 2007 and 2008.; Turkish (1680 – 1831); ; A series of deposits excavated along the course of the NS drain 426 attest to the disturbance of this feature during the Ottoman period.  We excavated a series of deposits within the course of the drain from which we recovered Ottoman material (591, 590, 589, 463).  These fills represent backfilling of the drain rather than use fill.  This backfilling occurred after the removal of the cover slabs in the northern stretch of the drain; these cover stones are preserved in situ in the portion of the drain that extends southward from wall 366.  It is not possible to determine whether human agents purposely recovered the cover slabs for re-use or if these elements were disturbed by the agricultural activity in the area.; ; We partially excavated a deep, plaster-rich lens which continues westward into the scarp at the edge of the excavations (255.5 E).  The plaster inclusions suggest that this is re- deposited debris from the demolition of a wall possibly connected with the Ottoman phase of the Giambouranis’ house (459, 631).; ; Frankish (1210-1458 CE); ; Excavations this season attest to an abundance of Frankish activity throughout Nezi Field.  First, in the northwest corner of our excavation area we exposed a collapsed circular built well (structure 495). The fill of the well below the lowest preserved course of roughly hewn limestone blocks has not been excavated. The upper most fill (492) of the cut for the construction of the well (cut 493) produced fourteenth-century material whereas the second lens (494) contained tumbled blocks from the built walls along with  thirteenth-century material; the large block in this fill indicates a collapse of the upper courses of the well and a possible date for its destruction in the thirteenth century, though whether this collapse reflects an intentional event related to the backfilling of the well remains unclear and requires further excavation. ; ; Second, in the southwest corner of the excavation area, west of wall 306 and north of wall 376, a destruction lens of collapsed roof tiles was revealed. This destruction layer was disturbed with the opening of a pit (cut 501). It is possible that this pit represents an effort to sink a well that was abandoned when the pit-diggers hit bedrock. The excavation of the pit fill (499, 500) produced late-thirteenth-century material (lot 2009-26). This gives us a putative terminus ante quem for the destruction of the room west of wall 306 and north of wall 376. From the pit fill (500) we uncovered a bronze earring with copper wire decoration (MF 2009-09). ; ; There is further evidence of Frankish activity in Nezi Field which post-dates the occupation of the structures formed by walls 305, 306, 313, 365, 366, and 376.  As mentioned above, west of the NS wall 306 and north of the EW wall 376, we revealed a destruction layer composed of nearly complete roof tiles which had fallen when the roof collapsed.  When excavated, this destruction layer (602) produced late thirteenth-century material and revealed a clay floor which abuts wall both 376 and wall 306.  It is clear that occupants of this space swept the floor clean prior to the abandonment of this structure, as no objects were revealed on the interfaced below the collapsed roof.  Further north in the same room the floor was cut for the construction of a random-coursed, hydraulic cement-lined well (610).  The partially-excavated backfill of the well included late thirteenth-century material (611).  Because no roof tiles remained in the northern portion of the room or overlaid the well, it is impossible to determine at this point whether the construction of the well pre- or post-dates the abandonment of the space.  Further excavation of the backfill and use fill of the well will be necessary in order to clarify this issue.  ; ; We posit that a rather short period elapsed between the last phase of occupation of this space and the collapse of the roof, because excavation of the floor covered by tiles and the leveling fill beneath it produced late thirteenth- through early fourteenth-century material (614, 615, lot 2009-75).  A second, earlier floor (618, lot 2009-74) extended northward from wall 576 but did not reach the robbing trench 596 which marks the northern boundary of the space.  The excavation of this floor produced mid thirteenth-century material and revealed a third, earlier floor; the sequence of floors provides evidence for continuous occupation of the space.  The floors and destruction layer in this room have been sectioned during excavations because the scarp to west at 255.5 E marks the edge of the excavation area; thus their full extent is not known.  No points of communication between this space and the adjacent rooms east of wall 306 have been identified.  The south wall of the space abuts and therefore postdates the NS wall 306.  Wall 376 also extends EW off alignment with wall 305 which runs on the east side of wall 306.  Based on these observations, it is possible that this space belongs to a different complex than the adjacent rooms to the east.            ; ; Third, a wealth of Frankish activity also took place in the eastern portion of the site.  After the last occupants abandoned the suite of rooms bounded by the three NS walls 306, 332 and 313, and the EW walls 366 and 305, blocks were robbed from the intersection of the NS wall 332 and the EW wall 365. The excavation of the fill of the robbing trench produced material which showed that walls 366 and 332 were robbed no earlier than the thirteenth-fourteenth century (450, 451, lot 2009-1).  These walls were not fully robbed down to their foundations; instead they continue underneath the fill of the robbing trench. ; ; In the room south of the robbed portions of walls 365 and 332, a sequence of six intersecting pits disturbed the red clay floor associated with wall 313 to the east and wall 332 to the west (lot 2009-60). The fill (508) of the latest circular pit (cut 510) produced late thirteenth-century material. The function of pit cut 510 is unclear; the diameter is consistent with a well cut, though the depth (0.52m) and stopping point would contradict this interpretation because the bottom of the pit consisted of a loose matrix with no impediments to further digging if their intention was to sink a well. Pit cut 510 was cut into the fills (511, 512) of a larger oval pit (cut 513) which also produced late thirteenth-century material. The finds from this pit include an intact horse cranium and articulated sheep/goat vertebrae with both the sacrum and innominate and indicate that this pit was probably used as a refuse pit. Pit cut 513 cuts the fills of two earlier pits: pit cut 517 and pit cut 526. The later of the two, pit cut 517 was a shallow circular pit that yielded a lot of building material together with late thirteenth-century pottery (fills 515, 516). The earlier pit cut 526 was another circular and relatively deep pit that produced also thirteenth-century material (fills 518, 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 544). Pit cut 526 is cut through the fill of an earlier pit (cut 528) with which it shared a northern boundary. The fill (530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535) of pit cut 528 gave late thirteenth-century material. It seems that the pit was not filled to the top immediately but rather left open for a period of time as pieces of the red clay floor, into which the pit was cut, were recovered from the fill of the pit c. 0.25-0.40m below the elevation of the floor. The function of the pit is not clear; the pit has a depth of at least 1.7m and cuts bedrock at the lowest revealed part of the cut which might indicate that it is a well. However, its diameter of 2m seems too large of such a feature. The lowest excavated fill produced a lot of building material. Pit cut 528 has not been excavated to its full extent. Pit cut 528 is cut into the fill of an earlier oval pit to the north (pit cut 527). Pit cut 527 is the earliest pit in the sequence. The fill (514, 509, 519, 541, 542, 520, 543) of the pit gave pottery dating to the 3rd quarter of the thirteenth century.; ; Extensive disturbance in the area has caused the slumping of layers in and around the pits. The overlapping pits in this area seem to indicate a preference for digging pits in already disturbed areas where the soil is less compact. All the pits are imagined to have been cut from the shallow lenses of dumped fill above the red clay floor such that they postdate the use phase of the floor and its associated walls 313 and 332. It seems that by the end of the thirteenth century at least this part of the complex of rooms was not in use. ; ; The Frankish phase of occupation of the room bounded by wall 332 to the west, 313 to the east, wall 305 to the south and wall 365 to the north is attested by the heavy red clay floor (620, 549, 550) which extends between and abuts all four of the walls.  Although phasing of the construction of these walls requires further excavation and the isolation of foundation trenches associated with the walls, the relationship between the red clay floor and the walls shows at least one phase of contemporary use in the first half of the thirteenth century.  The floor also lay against two superimposed courses of tile fragment built into wall 332; we interpret these tile courses as the bedding for a robbed out threshold block.  The presence of the threshold (structure 536) indicates communication between the room east of wall 332 and the room west of wall 332.  Communication between the room east of wall 332 and the adjacent room to the east of wall 313 is similarly attested by the limestone threshold block and the doorjamb and pivot cuttings (structure 537) built into wall 313.  The room east of wall 313 is bounded to the east by the NS wall 334 and was previously excavated in the 2008 season.  We posit a mid-thirteenth century date for the phase of occupation associated with the floor based on the pottery recovered during excavation of the floor, which is consistent with both the fragments of a plate and an incised bone bead found sitting on the interface of the floor (562, lot 2009-24, MF 2009-23). ; ; The red clay floor (620, 549, 550) also abuts a large, stone-built structure which appears to be a platform, bench, or perhaps the base of a staircase (452).  Excavation of the fills below the floor north of this structure further revealed fair-faced courses of stone rather than rubble foundations, indicating that the use phase associated with the floor (620, 549, 550) is not the first phase of use.  The structure itself clearly abuts the E face of wall 332 and therefore postdates the construction of the wall.  Based on these observations, it is expected that further excavation in this room will reveal earlier use phases.   ; ; Fourth, the space north of the complex of rooms bounded by walls 306, 332, 313, 366, 365, and 305 appears to be exterior space in the Frankish period, though some structures in this area exist.  NS stub wall (478) likely abutted EW wall 366 prior to the robbing out of this wall.  This NS stub wall (478) is associated with an EW stub wall (477) by a clay floor (481). The EW stub wall (477) likely abutted the NS wall 540, before the robbing of courses of this wall.  Given the dimensions of the interior space created by walls 477 and 478, these walls potentially form either a storage space, pen, or supports for a work surface.  The excavation of the walls 478 and 477 demonstrated that neither wall had foundations and that the associated floors (480, 481) were laid against the structures as they did not continue underneath wall 477.  ; ; Further north in this area, the NS wall 540 is associated with a pier (573) further to the east by a floor that abuts both structures.  A circular pit filled with re-deposited eleventh- century material and a few Frankish sherds cuts the floor midway between the pier 573 and the wall 540.  Because of the nature of the fill, it does not appear to be a refuse pit and its function is unclear.  It is undetermined whether this pit post-dates the use phase of the space associated with the floor or served some function within the space.  Also associated with the floor is a shallow fire pit filled with ash and lined with white clay (564, 568, 570) which cut the floor against the west face of NS wall 540.  The choice of a shallow pit rather than a built hearth suggests a single building event rather than repeated use.  Although the east and west boundaries of the floor (576, 577) are clear, the north boundary is unknown since there is no preserved north wall or pier for the space preserved, although it is possible that this feature was removed in the 1960s’ excavations.  The south boundary of the floor is more mysterious as the floor stops abruptly in a straight line, but no feature is present and no disturbance of the layers is apparent.  It is possible that a curtain wall without foundations similar to walls 477 and 478 originally formed the south boundary of the space, but no evidence other than the edge of the floor is preserved for such a structure.  We can speculate that the space between the pier 573 and the wall 540 was roofed or the clay floor 577, 576 would be impracticable in inclement weather.  The excavation of the floor produced mid-thirteenth-century material and revealed an earlier, poorly preserved floor.  This earlier floor which remains unexcavated abuts the wall 540 to the east but is cut by the foundation trench for the pier 573 to the west.  It is unknown what type of structure the substantial NS wall 540 is associated with in the use phase of this floor.  ; ; Late Byzantine (1059-1210); ; The 2009 excavations produced a number of Byzantine features in Nezi Field.  Within the complex of rooms bounded by the three NS walls 306, 332 and 313, and the EW walls 366 and 305, we have not been able to isolate any floors in the southern room bounded by walls 306, 365, 332, and 305.  It is expected that we are currently below floor levels in this space as the foundations for the EW wall 365 are currently exposed.  It appears that the surface associated with the use phase of these walls is not preserved.  It is clear that there are two phases of use of the EW wall 365: one with a doorway providing communication between this space and the adjacent room to the north, and a second phase in which the doorway is filled in, closing off access.  A similar process of closing off access might have occurred to the east in wall 332, though further investigation is necessary to clarify the issue.  Because of the evidence for multiple phases in the structures associated with this space, it is expected that the deposits within the room have been heavily disturbed, as no floors have been identified.  The excavation of the fills in this space has produced mid-twelfth-century material, perhaps indicating a Byzantine date for the walls which make up this complex.  It is clear that the EW wall 365 is later than the NS walls 306 and 332 because it abuts both of these features rather than bonding with them.  Based on this observation, it seems likely that at an earlier phase, the complex consisted of three long rooms arranged on the NS orientation and that the westernmost room was subdivided.  The NS walls 306, 332, and 313 run parallel to one another and meet the EW walls 365 and 305 at right angles.  There is evidence for bonding for these walls which indicates contemporary construction.  Also, the size of building materials, width of the walls, and construction technique are consistent across all these walls.  In addition, the excavation of the deposit below the Frankish floor 620 (621) which also abuts wall 332, 313, 305, and structure 452 produced mid-twelfth-century material.  ; ; North of wall 365 appears to be exterior space in the late Byzantine period, and several fills have produced twelfth-century material (483, 626, 630, 627, 625, 622, lot 2009-73, lot 2009-77).  A NS stub wall that abutted the EW wall 366 before portions of this wall were robbed out is laid on these twelfth-century fills.  The function of this wall is unclear as there are no other associated structures.  These fills post-date a sequence of pebble floors, the latest of which was excavated out of sequence and produced eleventh-century material (460, 461).  The NS drain 426 cuts these pebble floors and continues southward.  The capstones of the drain remained in situ in the portion of the drain that continues south from wall 365.  It is clear that the course of the drain, although interrupted by the later construction of well 346 and pit 431, continues underneath the undisturbed foundations of the EW wall 365.  Based on this observation, it is clear that the drain predates the construction of this partition wall.  It is unclear, however, what the chronological relationship between the drain 426 and the EW wall 366 is; the robbing event of blocks from wall 366 (496, 497) has obliterated the interface between the wall and the drain.  Further excavation will be necessary to determine the chronological relationship.  Although we removed the capstones of the drain 426 and have yet to identify the cut for the construction of the drain, the vertical walls of the drain are imbedded in the surrounding matrix.  Because we have yet to identify the foundation trench for wall 366 and it is expected at a lower elevation, it is likely that the drain post-dates the first phase of use of the complex of rooms.   ; ; Further excavation in Nezi Field should concentrate on determining the full extent of the suites of rooms in this Byzantine complex, in particular the space east of wall 313 and west of wall 334 as well as the space south of wall 305.  Expanding the excavation area to the east would likely expose more of the room with the destruction horizon and further clarify the relationship between this space and the suite of rooms to the east.  Also, the relationship between the NS drain 426 and the complex could be profitably investigated in the room south of wall 366 and north of wall 365.","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2009 by Jody Cundy and Dina Boero (2009-06-19 to 2009-06-20)","","Corinth","",""