"Name","Redirect","dc-title","Chronology","UserLevel","dc-publisher","dc-creator","dc-subject","dc-date","Id","Collection","Type","dc-description","Icon" "Nezi Field 2009 by Jody Cundy and Dina Boero (2009-06-19 to 2009-06-20)","","Pink Final Summary","","","","","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","Report","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.","" "Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Margaret Burr and Dylan Rogers (2014-05-05 to 2014-06-29)","","Room 7 and Corridor Between the Church and Unit 2","","","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Margaret Burr and Dylan Rogers (2014-05-05 to 2014-06-29)","Corinth","Report","This is the summary of the second session of excavation in 2014 in Unit 2, Room 7, and the adjacent passage north of the church nave, in the area of Temple E Southeast (TESE). Room 7 was previously excavated in 1992 and 1994, recorded in NB 850, 854 and 864. It is bounded by Wall 59 (1082.35 – 1084.5 N, 119.00 – 120.13 E, NB 864 Wall 11) and its associated robbing trench (1077.2 – 1082.6 N, 119.65 – 121.6 E, NB 864 B 9 and B 11) to the west, and by Wall 157 (1078.3 – 1085.3 N, 122.4 – 124.6 E, NB 864 Wall 12) to the east. A martyr along the Turkish wall to the north of Room 7 marked the northern boundary of our area of excavation (1085.5 – 1086.7 N, 119.00 – 122.00 E) and an arbitrary line was set between the points 120.23 E, 1077.42 N and 123.99 E, 1078.04 N as a boundary to the south. Despite the earlier decision to section the deposits of room 7 from their continuation into the corridor further south, excavations continued into this area later in the session. The southern boundary of the corridor space is formed by the north wall of the church (Wall 20) and its associated robbing trench (NB 835, pp. 35-44, 65-66, 1074.3 – 1076.1 N, 122.00 – 130.30 E). Its northern boundary is formed by the south wall of room 8 and room 9 (Wall 156 1077.5 – 1079.3 N, 123.5 – 129.7 E, NB 864, pp. 43-44). The corridor itself was previously excavated in 1993 (NB 863). In Room 7, excavation was conducted from May 5 to May 15, and excavation was conducted in the corridor on May 15 and 16. Guy Sanders (director) and Jody Cundy (field director) supervised, and Dylan Rogers and Maggie Burr (area supervisors) recorded. Athanasios Notis was pickman, Angeliki Stamati was shovel(wo)man, and Panagiotis Rontzokos was the barrowman. ; ; Excavation in Room 7 was undertaken in an effort to understand better the function of the room and its relationship to the church and to clarify the chronology of the construction, use and end-of-use phases of the church and Unit 2. Plans to present the entire area to the public in the coming years have made it necessary to consolidate this area as well, and preparing the spaces for consolidation and conservation were also goals of the project. Excavations conducted in the early 1990s, particularly in 1992 and 1994, revealed that both the church and parts of Unit 2 were covered with what is interpreted as a destruction layer. Excavation of the south half of Room 7 in 1992 and the north half in 1994 (recorded in NB 854 for 1992, and NB 864 for 1994) revealed a layer of smashed glass (NB 854 B6, B7, B16, NB 850 B96, B97), lying beneath a layer of collapsed roof tiles. This was interpreted as a destruction layer that was dated to the early 14th century (AD 1312). The tile fall excavated in the southern portion of the room in 1992 (NB 850 B97; NB 854, B6, B7, and B16) covered an area of around 3.2m x 1.57m. A tile fall excavated in the northern portion of the room in 1994 seemed to span the width of the room (NB 864, B16, B17, B18 and B31), and covered the entire trench from north to south (roughly 3.5 meters). A clay floor was also revealed underneath the tile fall (elev. 85.08, NB 854 B16), and a coin of Philip of Savoy, minted in Clarenza, gives the tile-fall a terminus post-quem of AD 1301-1307 (NB 854 B16, (Coin 1992-264). ; ; Williams and Zervos (Frankish Corinth: Hesperia 1993, 3) posited that the destruction came at the hands of the Catalans, who invaded the Peloponnese in 1312. Damage done to the city during the invasion was mentioned in a letter from Bartholomew, Archbishop of Corinth, to Pope Clement V, (Williams and Zervos, 1993, 3). At the time of the 1993 publication of these destruction layers, Williams noted that “all pottery from the destruction level associated with Units 1 and 2 (could) be dated comfortably to the ten years on either side of A.D. 1300” (Williams and Zervos 1993, 3). ; ; Frankish (1210-1458 CE) ; Room 7; ; In the late 3rd quarter of the 13th century, it appears that the space now identified as “Room 7” was probably both unwalled and unroofed and was in use as an outdoor space of unknown relationship to the church. The earliest level reached was a trampled surface extending throughout the space (its original extent is unknown, as the surface is presently truncated by Walls 59 and 157). It remains unexcavated. A large irregularly shaped refuse pit was cut through the southernmost part of this surface (Context 296 1078.20-1081.30 N, 121.85-123.25 E). Based on its contents, the fill of the pit (Context 274, 1078.20-1081.30 N, 121.85-123.25 E) suggests a deposition related in some way to dining or food preparation. In addition to a large quantity of animal bone and charred organic material, the pit contained a very large number of cooking and fine wares, found in much larger quantities than in other pit fills excavated in Room 7 this season (including 21 kilos of coarse ware, alone). Among the cooking wares, a large, vertical-rimmed stewpot, inventoried as C-2014-8, is suggestive of preparation of food for a large number of people. The fineware consisted of glazed-painted, sgraffito and Protomaiolica bowls, plates and pitchers, dated to late 3rd quarter of the 13th century. A number of fragments of glass drinking vessels were found. The majority of these vessels were Frankish prunted or plain beakers, one of which was inventoried as MF 2014-31. Also present in the glass assemblage was a blue-green goblet stem. Activities other than dining are also represented in the pit fill. Two bronze spindle hooks (as Corinth 12, cat. 1227) attest to wool-working somewhere in the vicinity. ; ; It is hypothesized that in the phase immediately post-dating the deposition of pit fill 274, the room remained unwalled and continued being used as a location for dumping. The southernmost part of the room was roughly leveled with the deposition of a fill (Context 266, 1078.1-1080.80 N, 121.90-123.90 E) which contained cooking and tableware, dated to the 3rd quarter of the 13th century, and fragments of at least two Frankish beakers. It appears that the activities (construction, cooking and dining) represented by the waste were occurring away from Room 7. The above fill was then trampled, apparently acting as a rough working surface, and two pits (Context 275, 1080.16 – 1081.30 N, 121.85 – 122.74 E and Context 305, 1080.32 – 1080.95 N, 120.90 – 121.68 E) were cut into it. While the fill of pit 275 (Context 263, 1080.16 – 1081.30 N, 121.85 – 122.74 E) included a great deal of ash and charred organic debris that might suggest that some cooking activity was going on in the pit itself, the nature of the tableware and other finds in this and other deposits (discussed below) seems to suggest that the majority of the cooking and dining activities associated with the finds were happening elsewhere. The ceramic assemblage of cooking, coarse and fineware was very similar in style to those dumped in fills 266 and 274, primarily Protomaiolica or sgraffito plates and bowls, as well as fragments of a very fine Frankish bottle (as MF 1774) and fragments of at least two finely decorated prunted beakers, one (as MF 92-38) with blue threading. The relatively high quality of the tableware and the breakability of the glass hint at a level of dining and of storage of dining vessels requiring more space and perhaps more formality than could be offered in this outdoor, unroofed and unfloored space. Furthermore, the quantity of ceramics deposited in the fills discussed above (nearly 7 kilos of fineware between 274, 266 and 263) suggests that the dining activities represented food consumption for a large number of people (or many, smaller dining events), and it seems unlikely these events were happening in the small space offered by Room 7 or its associated corridor (each not more than 3 meters wide). The multiple levels of fill in pit 305 (Contexts 304, 301 and 297; contexts 301 and 304: 1080.32 – 1080.95 N, 120.90 – 121.68 E; Context 297 1080.53 – 1080.95 N, 121.31 – 121.73 E) echo this idea. ; ; By the 4th quarter of the 13th century, the space underwent a change in shape and perhaps in function. A layer of fill roughly leveled the southern half of the room at this time (Contexts 251, 254 and 260, which are equivalent, 1078.10 – 1082.10 N, 121.00 – 124.00 E). The foundation trench for Wall 59 (Context 244 and 253, 1078.00 – 1084.70 N, 119.600 – 121.80 E) was cut into this surface in the southern portion of the room, and into an unexcavated, exposed surface in the northern portion. This trench was cut by a 0.75 meter wide robbing trench (1077.20 – 1082.5 N, 119.65 – 121.1 E). Thus the terminus post quem for the construction of the wall is the 4/4 of the 13th c. Two body sherds from a unslipped metallic ware pitcher, dating between 1275 and 1335, strengthen this date. Excavations of the robbing trench in 1992 and 1994 suggested that Wall 59 was robbed out in the 15th or 16th centuries (NB 854, B12, pp. 18-19, 47; NB 854, pp. 18-23). The precise date of construction of Wall 157, bounding the space on the east, is more tenuous, as foundation trenches have not been located, but given the nature of some later fills which seem to lie against the wall (Context 233 and 237), it is likely the wall was constructed at very nearly the same time as Wall 59 and that the wall completely filled the foundation trench. Both walls were constructed of randomly placed courses of fieldstones, occasionally supported by tiles or smaller cobbles. Wall 59 measured 0.65 meters wide and appears to have been roughly 8.6 meters long, including the area now robbed out. Wall 157 measured 0.65 meters wide, and was 8.1 meters long. Wall 157 appears to abut Wall 156, which forms the boundary between Room 8 and the corridor, and is truncated by an Ottoman-Period well (NB 877, pit 95-2). Wall 59 is abutted by a pit on its southern end (NB 850 B94, NB 854 B2). ; ; Even after it was delineated with Walls 59 and 157, Room 7 seems to have remained unroofed until as late as the early 14th century. No flat, floor like surface appears to have been laid in the space until the surfaces uncovered under the tile fall by excavators in 1992 and 1994, and these layers are dated to at least the early 14th century (NB 864, B16, B19 and B31). Prior to this, nothing resembling an actual floor was uncovered. The surface cut for the construction of Wall 157 (Contexts 251, 254 and 260) was rough and uneven, as was a surface laid immediately above it (Context 233). In addition to the rough quality of the surfaces in this area, there is further evidence to suggest that, even after Walls 59 and 157 were built, Room 7 remained unroofed. While no fire pits appear to have been cut into the surface of Room 7 after the construction of the walls, two refuse pits containing charred organic material and tableware were cut in the southern half of the room (Contexts 243 and 248) after the walls went in. At the same time, the northern third of the space appears to have been used primarily as a refuse dump. A 20 cm thick fill in this area, comprised primarily of building materials (fieldstones and roof tile) was excavated as Context 222 (1082.4 – 1085.5 N, 119.4 – 122.6 E). In addition to the fieldstones and tiles, a piece of incised opus sectile was found, indicating (perhaps) that some of the dumping activity may have been related to activities in the church, which at one point had Cosmatesque paving. It is unclear if the unexcavated surface beneath 222 is a more compact continuation of the same dumping activity. ; ; A series of fills were laid down (Context 233, 1078.00 – 1081.10 N, 120.70 – 123.90 E; 230, 1080.49 – 1084.90 N, 120.3 – 123.5 E; Context 225, 1080.60 – 1084.30 N, 120.49 – 122.70 E). It is unclear whether these deposits were placed deliberately to level the area, or whether they correspond to use and/or dumping phases. All three deposits appear to have been trampled after deposition. A small, circular, refuse pit (Context 227, 1080.70 – 1081.30 N, 122.20 – 122.50 E), dug into Context 225 in the southern third of the room and containing a small amount of fine ware (slipped plain glazed), hints that even the southern portion of the space was still being intermittently used as a refuse dump into the late 13th century. ; ; Soon after this dumping event, Room 7 was apparently deliberately leveled. Dumped fills (201, 220, 218 214) raised the central third of the room by ca 0.10 m and the southern third by 0.04 m, until the southern two-thirds of the surface were roughly level. A lozenge-shaped structure and bench-like structure (Structure 208 1082.60 – 1084.25 N, 122.20 – 123.0 E) was constructed on top of this new level surface and abutting wall 157. Only one course high, the structure measured 0.75 meters long and 0.6 meters wide. The function of this structure remains in question. It appears that Room 7 continued to be used as a dumping location after the construction of the bench. Three dumping events, including two surface dumps (Contexts 197 and 199) and a pit, filled with organic material, fine and coarseware (Context 205) were placed on top of, or cut into, a lens of fill deposited after the construction of the bench (fill 202, 1077.80 – 1080.90 N, 120.80 – 123.90 E, saved as Lot 2014-25). Two sherds of Archaic Maiolica from Context 202 suggest a date as late as the early- to-mid 14th century for all four deposits.; ; The Corridor N of Church; ; It appears that in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, the corridor space north of the church underwent several changes in function, perhaps related to the construction or ‘finishing’ of spaces, like Room 7, within or around the church complex. ; ; Like Room 7, it appears that in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, the space between the north wall of the church and Room 7 (referred to here as the ‘Corridor’) was an outdoor, unroofed multi-purpose space used for cooking and the dumping of dining-related waste. ; ; The earliest level reached this session is the unexcavated trampled surfaces at both the eastern and western ends of the space. These surfaces are hard-packed and studded with pebbles on the east, and with large pieces of flat-lying roof tile, on the west, their compaction suggests that during the late 13th century, the corridor space might have functioned as a walkway or alleyway of some sort. ; ; At the end of the period represented by these unexcavated surfaces, the space underwent a shift in function. A looser packed surface (Context 389) was laid down in the west, and a trench (Cut 403, 1075.40 – 1077.80 N, 124.10 – 125.10 E) was dug, bifurcating the space on a roughly NW-SE line. This trench is in rough alignment with the eastern wall of Room 7 (Wall 157). While it has been suggested the cut could represent a demolition or robbing event associated with Wall 157 (or an earlier iteration thereof), its function remains unclear. Understanding the function of this cut will be instrumental in identifying the use of the unexcavated surfaces, as the presence of a wall bifurcating the corridor would preclude use of the space as a walkway. ; ; After the cut was filled (Context 398), in the 3rd quarter of the 13th century, four post holes were cut into the southern third of the corridor, running along a roughly west-east line (Contexts 333, 341, 365 and 360), all about 0.7m from the north wall of the nave (Wall 20). They appear to be grouped in pairs of two, with contexts 333 and 341 placed 0.7m apart, followed, to the east, by a 2m gap, and then contexts 359 and 364, set about a meter apart. Their function is not clear, but their width (between 25 and 35 cm) could indicate an expectation that they would bear weight. It has been suggested that they may have served as supports for scaffolding, or perhaps for a pitched roof placed over the southern side of the corridor for a short period of time. ; ; From this point on, the northern and southern halves of the space appear to have served different functions. Deposition of layers of fill occurred throughout the space for the entirety of the period covered by this session’s excavation. While small dumping or leveling events spread across the space, the northern half of the corridor appears to have been a focus for larger-scale dumps of both construction and cooking refuse. A large pit, roughly 7x2 meter (Context 408), running roughly west to east and cutting through the northern portion of trench fill (398), was filled with multiple layers of what appears to be general dumping or construction debris (Contexts 379, 366, 377 and 354). Also note that the pit is bounded by the EW wall that forms the S wall of unit 2 room 8 and 9. Fine ware from all four lenses of fill date these dumping events to the late 3rd – early 4th quarter of the 13th century. The filled surface appears to have still functioned as a walkway or work surface at this time, as each layer of fill excavated appeared trampled. At around this time, the space was further delineated by the construction of a wall (Wall 380), abutting wall 157, separating the northern portion of the corridor from the southern boundary of Room 7, only one course of which was extant. The wall appears to have been constructed of randomly placed fieldstones. Some leveling tiles were found in the wall. It measured 1 meter long and 0.7 meters wide. Into this newly-delineated space, a series of fills were deposited (Contexts 374, 386, 383, 376, 372, 361, 353, 351, 349, 346, 343, 327, 325, 285, 321, 313 and 300). The amount of time that passed between dumping events is unclear. The lenses of fill, as mentioned above, appeared packed and trampled, and so it is likely that the space was being used as a walkway or work surface while the layers of fill were being deposited. Ceramic assemblages from these contexts date them to the end of the 13th century. The deposition of the final three lenses of fill (Contexts 321, 313 and 300), created a level surface (elev. 85.05 for all three) in the space for the first time since the north-south trench was cut, and it is possible that much of the dumping activity took place over a very short period of time as an effort to create a level surface in the space. This notion is, perhaps, supported by evidence from previous excavation in the outdoor area east and northeast of the church. A patio, paved with rough, square limestone blocks, covered the open area to the east of the church (NB 829 B29, pp. 53-56). One paving stone, located immediately to the east of the northeastern boundary of the trench, suggests the possibility that this paving continued into the corridor space. If the corridor space was paved, the level surface created by the deposition of contexts 313, 300 and 321 would have been immediately beneath it and these surfaces would, therefore, have functioned as a level subfloor for the pavement. ; ; The idea that the activities represented by the repeated depositions of fill in the courtyard may have taken place over a short span of time is strengthened by the nature and location of five pits cut at various points into the uneven trampled fills in the northern half of the room. Three (Contexts 336, 326 and 371) were cut into a trampled layer of fill (372), on the western side of the space, while two (Contexts 329 and 344) were cut into another trampled layer of fill (343), in the mid- to-eastern side. The surfaces into which the pits were cut are not level. Four (Contexts 336, 326, 329 and 344) appear to have been fire pits and contained a high proportion of ashy, carbonized organic material. Because all five pits are located north of the line of post holes discussed above, it is likely that the post holes, and whatever they supported (perhaps scaffolding or a pitched roof?), were still in place at the time the pits were dug and filled (with fill contexts 334, 325, 328 and 342). Like pit 205 and refuse dumps 197 and 199 in Room 7, all of this activity appears to have occurred in the early 14th century, and the fills of the pits in the corridor space contained material similar to that in Room 7 (fragments of prunted beakers, as MF 3071 and 1992-38 from context 329, for instance, and fragments of glazed fineware, from context 334, 325 and 370). ; ; Both the post holes and the pits were covered over in the early 14th century, when the leveling fills (contexts 313, 321 and 300) were laid down. These fills seem to be part of the same event as leveling fill 194 in Room 7, which covered pit 205 there: perhaps these four fills (194, 313, 321 and 300) were laid down as a final stage in the preparation of Room 7 and the corridor to be floored and/or paved. A corroded iron knife blade (Context 319, inventoried as MF 2014-20), was found lying on the surface (Context 389) adjacent to post-hole fill 331. The presence of the knife blade lying on a trampled surface could suggest that the deposition and subsequent covering of the knife may have happened relatively quickly.; ; Conclusions:; ; Excavation in Room 7 and the corridor space during this session revealed that neither Room 7, nor the space north of the nave, were ‘finished’ spaces until at least the start of the 14th century, when it appears that a floor was laid down in Room 7 and paving was laid down in the Corridor. It is unclear whether or not some of the cooking and dumping activity evident in the spaces related to the Church or the structures associated with Unit 2 to the north prior to their monumentalization were associated with the construction or preparation of the areas for building or not. Certainly, construction debris from the church area (or other nearby monumentalized space) was dumped, particularly in Room 7, in which fragments of opus sectile, marble wall facing, marble and glass tesserae and other building materials were found (in contexts 230, 254 and 274, all dated to the second half of the 13th century). The quality of the tableware, both fine and glassware, from the pits, particularly in Room 7 – indicates that these were secondary deposits coming from somewhere close, but not directly connected, to the area. ; ; The nature of the glassware found in pit fill 274, in Room 7 (as well as some glass fragments from fills 266 and 263) might shed some new light on glass deposits found at higher elevations in 1992 and 1994. Williams and Zervos have suggested that Units 1 and 2 were, in the late 13th century, part of a nascent monastic community being built up around the church (Williams and Zervos 1993, 11-13). A deposit of glass representing at least 42 Frankish cups and 3 glass lamps, was uncovered in Unit 7 in 1992 (NB 854 B6, B7, B16, NB 850 B96, B97, now Lot 1992: 77, Williams and Zervos 1992), apparently from within a collapsed cupboard. It was interpreted as being property of this community and as having been intended for use by a specific group of people (Williams and Zervos 1996, 26). The similarity of the forms found in Lot 1992: 77 to ones removed from pits filled in the area before it was roofed or walled (for instance, a number of prunted beakers corresponding to Lot 1977-77-1 and 3) could suggest that a nascent monastic community may have been dining near Room 7 (and depositing dining waste within it) prior to the construction of the built monastic building identified by Williams, constructed when the floors in Room 7 were finally laid. Conversely, it could be suggested that prunted beakers of these forms were in common circulation in late 13th century Corinth. Further study of the glassware recovered around Temple E, SE might help to clarify these issues. ; ; Further excavation in the corridor is needed to clarify the chronology of the construction phases of the church. More work in the corridor might also clarify the nature of the north-south cut (Context 403) and the hard-packed surfaces it cuts into. Excavating within the spaces to the west of the corridor might further help to clarify the relationship between Rooms 6 and 7 and Rooms 5 and 4, excavated this season by Kirsten Lee. A flat, packed surface, similar to that uncovered in the corridor space, was found in the southern portion of Room E (at elev. 84.84), and could potentially be related to the outdoor spaces discussed above. ; ; Recommendations for Further Excavation:; Room 7; 1. Finish excavating in the northern third of the room (underneath Context 222), in order to understand better the earlier dumping in the mid-3rd quarter of the 13th century.; 2. Clarify the southern portion of the Room (especially those contexts related to Wall 380). The deposits directly below Wall 380 might indicate better what exactly is happening in this space during this short time span of activity in the 3rd quarter of the 13th century, before Room 7 is actually Room 7.; ; Corridor; 1. Continue excavations in the Corridor to find the foundation trench of Wall 20, the north wall of the church, which will help to date the construction of the church. ; 2. Continue to articulate the relationship of the Corridor with the spaces to the north and west. Is there any similarity of the corridor with the rooms directly to the west (where Team Blue replace with names of excavators is excavating this season)?","" "Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Sitz, Anna and Katz, Philip (2015-06-02 to 2015-06-26)","","Unit 2, Room 9: later half of thirteenth century and earlier cistern; Unit 2, Room 6: Frankish burials and 13th century surfaces","","","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Sitz, Anna and Katz, Philip (2015-06-02 to 2015-06-26)","Corinth","Report","Session III; Unit 2, Room 9; N: 1086.73, S: 1079.10, E: 132.85, W: 126.83; Unit 2, Room 6; N: 1085.00, S: 1077.00, E: 120.70, W: 116.85; ; This is the final summary of the third excavation session for 2015 in Rooms 9 and 6 of ; Unit 2 in the Frankish quarter, Temple E Southeast. Guy Sanders (director) and Larkin ; Kennedy (field director) supervised. Anna Sitz and Philip Katz (area supervisors) ; recorded. The workers were Thanassis Sakellariou (pickman), Panagiotis Rontzokos ; (shovel and barrowman), and Angeliki Stamati (sieve). Cistern excavation during the ; final week was assisted by most of the workers on site, especially Marios Vathis ; (pickman for the bottom layers). Grave 201513 was excavated by Elina Salminen during ; the same period.; ; Room 9 was previously excavated in Session I 2015 by Danielle Smotherman and in ; Session II by Danielle Smotherman and Timothy Brannelly; prior to that, the area had ; been excavated in 1996 (NB 888, pp. 146). Room 6 was previously excavated in Session ; I 2015 by Emilio RodriguezAlvarez and in Session II by Lucas Stephens. During the ; 2014 season, the area was excavated in Session I by Sarah Rous and Rebecca Worsham; ; prior to that, the area had been excavated in 1996 (NB 864, pp. 57119).; Excavation in Room 9 was bounded to the North by Wall 700/166 (N 1087.11, S ; 1086.23, E 126.99, W 130.93), to the East by Wall 659 (N 1087.97, S 1079.86, E 133.18, ; W 130.68), to the South by Wall 729 (N 1079.62, S 1078.48, E 132.11, W 128.35), and ; West by Walls 720 (N 1081.05, S 1079.20, E 128.55, W 127.50) and 830 (N 1086.62, S ; 1081.05, E 128.30, W 125.95). In Room 9, excavation aimed to answer questions about ; land usage and material culture in the later half of the thirteenth century in the area to the ; north of the Frankish church. Though our excavation was bounded by the walls of Room ; 9, these did not engage directly with the contexts dug this session. Our material thus dates ; to a period when the area was an outdoor space associated with the church to the south ; and the road to the east. As excavation in Room 9 progressed, the fill of a 12th (?) century ; Late Byzantine cistern (Structure 833, N 1083.02, S 1081.27, E 131.63, W 130.23) ; produced promising material. Our aim therefore shifted towards completing the ; excavation of this structure before the area undergoes conservation.; ; Room 9; ; Late Byzantine (10591210); ; The earliest feature in the area of Room 9 is an unexcavated white plaster floor visible in ; the western half of the room, partially exposed in the previous session by the excavation ; of the late 13th century large pit (733), which used the surface as its base. The plaster floor ; is also visible in the section of a late Ottoman period pit and therefore extends farther ; north and east under unexcavated contexts in Room 9. This plaster floor is cut in an arc, ; an activity related to the construction of the well/cistern perhaps in the first half of the ; 12th century (hereafter referred to as a cistern; Structure 833 filled by contexts 907904, ; 898, 895893, 888, 886, 834, and 832). The western portion of the cistern opening was ; exposed during the previous session when the fill of pit 733 was removed, just as it ; would have been during the original digging of 733 in the late 13th century. ; ; The construction of the cistern began with a large, deep cavity (approximately 2.50m ; maximum diameter), which cut through the plaster floor to a depth of about 4.31m. The ; dugout cistern was then lined with roughly hewn or unworked, flatfaced limestone ; blocks and conglomerate stone with some use of tiles in the interstices and mud mortar. ; The cistern is honeycomb or bellshaped, with a narrow mouth at the apex and gradually ; expanding interior diameter. The space between this narrow mouth and the original ; cavity was then backfilled up to the height of the mouth. Some of the fill of this cut in ; the plaster floor was dug in the previous session as the lowest layer of fill (773) of the ; large pit 733, though with some uncertainty about whether it was a continuation of the ; large pit. It now seems likely that this fill represents deposits made during the ; construction of the cistern since the sherds found in it did not match the rest of the fill of ; pit 733. These sherds, however, do not substantially help with the dating of the cistern ; construction, since the majority of the fineware was preRoman. ; ; The cistern terminates in packed dirt and some pieces of mortar. A drain (0.30 x ; 0.25m)enters the mouth of the cistern at the south, the top of which is right at or just ; below the level of the plaster floor. The cistern was filled with clayey soil, pottery, bone, ; tile, occasional boulders, some charcoal, and other finds. A few pieces of worked marble, ; including a Byzantine/Frankish type window mullion (A20152, in context 904) were ; also found. These fills produced a rich pottery assemblage, with several pots having ; complete or nearly complete profiles. ; ; The earliest deposits (898, 895, and 894) so far analyzed date to the second half of the ; 12th century and provide a terminus post quem for the cistern’s construction and may ; indicate use fill, i.e. the cistern was still in use at that time and rubbish gradually ; accumulated in it, perhaps entering from the drain. The earliest layers of fill contained ; large quantities of ceramics, decreasing near the middle layers of the cistern before ; increasing again closer to the opening: a layer near the middle of the well (893) had only ; had only 0.79 kg of pottery, compared with 4.2kg in the layer below (894) and 11.59 kg ; in the layer above (888). This middle nearly sterile layer (893) also marks a change in ; date, with material dated to the second quarter of the 13th century. This suggests a ; possible lull in activity in the area from the late 12th through the first quarter of the 13th century. The two layers above this nearly sterile layer (888 and 886) also date to the ; second quarter of the 13th century (dated by pottery and Coin #2015605, a Villehardouin ; Corintum issue) and represent more dense pottery accumulation (11.59 kg and 16.58 kg, ; respectively). Though all the fills of the cistern represent a span of approximately 75 ; years, the dirt throughout was largely homogenous – hard, greyish clay with a dominant ; greenish/yellowish tinge, suggesting the presence of human or animal waste; samples ; have been taken for later analysis. Because the dirt was homogenous, it cannot be ; excled; that there was a single filling event of the cistern with soil brought from ; elsewhere; the stratified nature of the deposits, however, suggests a more gradual ; accumulation. ; ; Frankish (12101458); ; Near the opening of the cistern, two additional layers of fill were dug that dated to the ; late 13th century (834 and 832). It is likely that both these layers also included material ; that fell into the cistern opening during the original digging and filling of pit 733 in the ; late 13th century, by which time the ground level in the area had risen so much that the ; cistern opening was completely obscured. Therefore, the final deposit in the cistern made ; while the opening was still visible is 886, from the second quarter of the 13th century. ; Immediately above and around the mouth of the cistern (but not extending over the ; opening itself), there was a layer of stones (854) that contained many boulders (including ; two spoliated pieces of marble, removed as Context 885) and tiles. It is dated by pottery ; to the mid 13th century. One of the marbles was a half Ionic column base, probably dating ; from the Roman period, but from an unknown building. The stones around the cistern ; opening may indicate a rough attempt to raise the opening of the cistern as the ground ; level around it rose. This stone layer, and a line or cut in the surface perhaps due to ; slumping of material into the well, was visible in a level, packed surface dating from the ; third quarter of the 13th century (843, more on this surface below). ; ; By approximately the third quarter of the 13th century, with the cistern out of use, the ; eastern portion of Room 9 was covered with a series of level, packed surfaces. The ; earliest, 843, may be connected with a whitish clay floor (contexts 836 and 835) in the ; northwest corner of Room 9, which extended into the adjoining Room 8 (context 870) ; and was built up against Wall 850 (later robbed), which runs obliquely NW to SE, ; perhaps suggesting a different orientation to the space prior to the construction of Room ; 9’s walls (see below). Subsurface instability, caused by slumping into the cistern, resulted ; in a small deposit (831) in the surface of 843, and the area was again covered over by a ; more substantial surface (829), which eliminated any evidence of the cistern. This surface ; was rich in small finds, coins (33, including 7 Corintum and 4 Corinti Villehardouin ; coins, see coin list below), and small sherds (18.65 kg) consistent with a trampled ; surface. Later iterations of these packed level surfaces were dug in the previous session ; (772 and 792), and each of these surfaces may be associated with the road identified to ; the east of Wall 659 in the 1990s, which led to the Frankish marketplace south of the ; church. This series of level, packed surfaces in the eastern half of Room 9 was bordered ; on its western side by a series of rubbly deposits. Overtime, these level surfaces ; encroached on the rubble layers along their western border in the south of Room 9. ; ; Still in the third quarter of the 13th century, but after the other surfaces and rubble ; deposits in our sector, a small pit (808, 1.00 x 0.90, depth 0.24) was dug in the ; southwestern corner of Room 9 (filled by deposits 805 and 807). This pit perhaps ; indicates a shift towards using this outdoor space for rubbish disposal, as seen in the large ; pit 733, dating from the late 13th century, even with the church located just to the south.; Late 13th century; The sequence of wall construction in Room 9 is difficult to ascertain because of robbing ; trenches/pits, varied construction techniques, and incomplete excavation in the spaces to ; the north and south of the room. The earliest wall in Room 9 is most likely Wall 659 to ; the east, which runs beyond the bounds of the room farther north and south, alongside the ; road. Wall 659 thereby distinguishes the property associated with the church from the ; road. This wall was built with a foundation trench and a layer of foundation stones wider ; than the face of the wall above. The foundation trench for this wall (cut 673, fill 672) ; dated to the late 13th/early 14th century based on pottery and stratigraphy. The foundations ; to the north and south seem to vary in depth when visible, but since these spaces have not ; been excavated, they do not provide dating information for Wall 659.; ; The next wall to be constructed in the Room 9 area was likely southern Wall 729 and ; western Wall 720. Wall 729 makes use of two large worked ashlars at its western ; terminus; one of these ashlars juts out slightly to the north, indicating that this was ; planned as a corner. Wall 720 is built on top of this large ashlar and to the same depth (c. ; 84.50). Wall 720 may terminate after approximately two meters since a block covered ; with plaster is visible on its north face. Wall 830 then seems to be built against Wall 720, ; not bonded with it but continuing its line north. It should be noted, however, that the ; block with plaster may be reused from an earlier structure, and therefore this may not ; indicate a terminal face of Wall 720. Wall 830 could therefore be a continuation of the ; same wall after a short break in construction (perhaps the end of one day’s work). In any ; case, both Walls 720 and 830 have foundations that descend into large pit 733 (which ; extends into the area of Room 8) and rest on the plaster floor mentioned above, at a ; maximum depth of 84.05. This indicates that these walls, and joining Wall 729, must ; have been built after the filling of Pit 733 in the late 13th century. Since the surface level ; into which the pit was cut, and the fill of the pit, was at a height of approximately 84.71, ; this indicates that the foundations of these walls were cut straight down into the soil and ; filled completely with stones, leaving no subsequent sign of a foundation trench. The face ; of the wall above seems to have been the same width as these foundations, making it ; difficult to distinguish between the foundations and the visible wall face.; ; Wall 830 was robbed out in its northern section, where it was built atop the clay floor ; level discussed above (Contexts 836 and 835). However, a small piece of wall to the ; north of this robbing trench can be identified as a continuation of Wall 830; its northern ; side indicates a terminal face because it is flat and makes use of two ashlars ; (approximately 0.50m in length) at its northwest corner. This section of Wall 830, ; however, has been previously assumed to be part of Wall 700/166 and is indicated as ; such on top plans. Wall 700/166 is therefore laid against this preexisting segment of Wall ; 830. Wall 700/166 retains two structure numbers because it was mistakenly given a new ; number in the 2015 Session II season without reference to the preexisting number 166 ; from 2014 Session I. The foundations of Wall 700/166 are at approximately the same ; depth (84.64) as the segment of Wall 830 it is laid against. Wall 700/166 was constructed ; with a foundation trench, rather than a straight cut downwards, as in Walls 830, 720, and ; 729. The fill of the foundation trench of Wall 700/166 dated to the late 13th century based ; on pottery stratigraphic relationships (foundation cut 708, fill 706). At the east, Wall ; 700/166 is laid against Wall 659. Each of the walls is constructed of unworked but ; smoothfac, ; or lightly worked stones, with occasional use of ashlars, facing on a rubble core with lime mud mortar. ; Wall 659 also makes use of tiles between the stones.; ; The northern and southern walls of Room 8 to the west, which abut Wall 729 and the ; segment of Wall 830, are built at significantly higher levels (0.40m higher for northern ; Walls 154 and Wall 830; 0.13m higher for southern Walls 156 and 729). These walls ; therefore postdate the walls of Room 9. It is possible that the robbing trench of Wall 830 ; dated to the period when Room 8 was enclosed by these walls, creating a threshold ; between these two rooms. Since Room 8 southern Wall 156 dates later than Wall 729, ; there was no full north corridor of the church prior to that time.; ; Room 6; ; Frankish Period (12101458); ; As noted by Bennett and Stephens, the area of Room 6 was used throughout the 13th and ; 14th centuries as a burial ground, with surfaces and leveling fills intermittently laid over ; the graves. The earliest level reached during our work was the unexcavated surface ; exposed beneath context 872, which dates to the early 14th century. Into this surface was ; cut the earliest burial excavated this session, grave 201513 (cut context 903; preserved ; coordinates: N. 1081.48, S. 1080.59, E. 120.00, W. 119.62; preserved depth: 0.20; fill ; context 882). It contained the skeleton (context 902, Bone Lot 201520) of a subadult laid ; supine, oriented northsouth, and covered from the waist up by a terracotta cover tile ; (structure 901). The skeleton, structure, and grave cut were later truncated to the north ; and east by the robbing trench of Wall 59, the eastern wall of the room; the absent skull ; would have been at the north. At the time of burial, the grave would thus have directly ; abutted the western face of the nowmissing wall.; ; After the southern area of the room was covered by surface 872, Grave 201511 (cut ; context 899; preserved coordinates: N. 1080.39, S. 1078.68, E. 119.80, W. 119.02; ; preserved depth: 0.35; fill context 881) was cut into the center of the room. This grave ; contained the skeletal remains of at least three individuals: an articulated skeleton, ; truncated at the waist with a disarticulated skull to the west, which initial osteological ; inventory suggests may belong to a second individual (both recorded in the field as ; context 883, Bone Lot 201516), and a second disarticulated skull to the east (context ; 884, Bone Lot 201517), added at a later period. After the initial burial, the grave was ; significantly disturbed: it was truncated to the east by Grave 201510 and south by 1996; 01, and directly above was later placed Grave 199602. This degree of disturbance ; unfortunately removed much of the burial fill, and makes it difficult to determine the ; grave’s original extent.; ; During the course of the 14th century, a variety of surfaces were laid above the level of ; these graves. Unlike those in Room 9, however, these surfaces contained few coins and ; no notable small finds. In the southern portion of the room, drainage or slumping issues ; seem to have arisen due to the density of graves and other cuttings, resulting in patchy ; surfaces (contexts 872, 868, 861) with numerous irregular deposits (contexts 865, 867, ; 87. ; At the north, however, the relative lack of burials allowed for more stable, regular ; floors (contexts 861, 874).; ; Conclusion; ; Room 9; ; Our excavation in Room 9 uncovered a series of deposits dating primarily from the ; second half of the 13th century, indicating rapid accumulation of fills in that area and a ; quickly rising ground level at a time when the area was still an outdoor space just north ; of the Frankish church. The excavation of the Late Byzantine cistern produced a large ; amount of material that can aid in refining the pottery chronology for that period as well ; as the opportunity to study water management in the area prior to the Frankish period. ; With the foundation courses for all the walls of Room 9 now exposed, these structures ; can now be placed in sequence. Further excavation in Room 9, down to the level of the ; plaster floor could provide a more precise date for the construction of the cistern and a ; better picture of the possible lull in activity between the late 12th century and early 13th century.; ; Room 6; ; The phasing of Room 6 remains difficult due to the patchiness of the surfaces, number of ; disturbances, and the nature of the excavation, which has focused on the removal of ; burials. Continued excavation of surfaces would help elucidate the relationship between ; the north and south sections of the room, and the chronology of the surrounding walls. ; Further work should also include the osteological analysis of the human remains from ; these graves, and their comparison with contemporary populations.; ; Coin List, TESE 2015 Sesssion III Blue; ; Context 805; 2015431 (findspot): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015433 (sieve): Roman imperial (4th century), AE; 2015436 (findspot): Byzantine (10781081), AE, Anonymous Folles I; 2015438 (sieve): Byzantine (11431180), AE, Manuel I; ; Context 809; 2015440 (findspot): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015441 (findspot): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015443 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; ; Context 814; 2015444 (sieve): Frankish (12001300), BI, St. Martin of Tours, Castle Tournois; 2015445 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE; 2015446 (sieve): Byzantine, AE; 2015447 (sieve): Byzantine, AE; ; Context 816; 2015448 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; ; Context 817; 2015449 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015450 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; 2015451 (sieve): Byzantine (11431180), AE, Manuel I; ; Context 820; 2015461 (findspot): Latin Imitative (12041261), AE; 2015462 (findspot): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; ; Context 822; 2015464 (findspot): Frankish (12501278), AE; 2015465 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015466 (sieve): Byzantine (11431180), AE, Manuel I; 2015467 (findspot): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; ; Context 826; 2015468 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; 2015469 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015470 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015471 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015472 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; ; Context 829; 2015473 (sieve): Byzantine, AE; 2015499 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, Genoese Gate (?); 2015500 (findspot): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015502 (sieve): Latin Imitative (12041261), AE; 2015503 (sieve): Byzantine (11431180), AE, Manuel I; 2015504 (sieve): Greek, AE; 2015505 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015506 (sieve): Byzantine, AE; 2015507 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015508 (sieve): Byzantine, AE; 2015509 (sieve): Greek, AE; 2015510 (sieve): Illegible, AE; 2015511 (sieve): Byzantine (11431180), AE, Manuel I; 2015512 (sieve): Byzantine (11431180), AE, Manuel I; 2015513 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015514 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; 2015515 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; 2015516 (findspot): Latin Imitative (12041261), AE; 2015517 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), BI, St. Martin of Tours, Castle Tournois; 2015518 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015519 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, Genoese Gate (?); 2015522 (sieve): Byzantine (11431180), AE, Manuel I; 2015523 (sieve): Byzantine (11431180), AE, Manuel I; 2015524 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; 2015525 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; 2015526 (sieve): Byzantine, AE; 2015527 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015528 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015529 (sieve): Illegible, AE; 2015530 (sieve): Illegible, AE; 2015531 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015532 (sieve): Latin or Bulgarian Imitative (?), AE; 2015533 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; ; Context 831; 2015535 (sieve): Not a coin; ; Context 832; 2015536 (sieve): Illegible, AE; 2015537 (sieve): Latin or Bulgarian Imitative (?), AE; ; Context 834; 2015543 (findspot): Roman Imperial, AE; ; Context 836; 2015544 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; ; Context 838; 2015546 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015547 (sieve): Disintegrated; ; Context 840; 2015548 (findspot): Not a coin; ; Context 841; 2015549 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, Genoese Gate (?); 2015550 (sieve): Byzantine (11431180), AE, Manuel I; ; Context 843; 2015553 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; 2015554 (findspot): Latin Imitative (?), AE; Context 847; 2015556 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015557 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; 2015558 (sieve): Byzantine (11431180), AE, Manuel I; 2015559 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; 2015560 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTI, Genoese Gate; ; Context 848; 2015561 (sieve): Illegible, AE; 2015562 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015563 (sieve): Illegible, AE; 2015564 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015565 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015566 (sieve): Illegible, AE; ; Context 861; 2015585 (findspot): Illegible, AE; 2015587 (sieve): Not a coin (?); ; Context 867; 2015590 (sieve): Roman imperial (?), AE; ; Context 868; 2015592 (sieve): Not a coin; 2015593 (sieve): Corroded; 2015594 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; 2015595 (sieve): Latin Imitative or Anonymous Folles (?), AE; ; Context 874; 2015597 (sieve): Effaced, AE; 2015600 (sieve): Latin imitative (?), AE; ; Context 881; 2015604 (sieve): Byzantine (11431180), AE, Manuel I; ; Context 886; 2015605 (sieve): Frankish (12501278), AE, CORINTUM, Acrocorinth; ; Context 888; 2015615 (sieve): Byzantine (11431180), AE, Manuel I; 2015616 (sieve): Illegible, AE; ; Context 898; 2015628 (sieve): Byzantine (919944), AE, Romanos I; 2015636 (sieve): Anonymous Folles (?), AE",""