"Collection","Name","Id","dc-date","Redirect","dc-subject","dc-publisher","dc-description","Type","Icon","dc-title","UserLevel","dc-creator","Chronology"
"Corinth","South Stoa east 2016 by An Jiang and Catharine Judson (2016-04-05 to 2016-04-21)","Corinth:Report:South Stoa east 2016 by An Jiang and Catharine Judson (2016-04-05 to 2016-04-21)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Forum | South Stoa east","","An Jiang, Catharine Judson; 2016 Corinth Session I; South Stoa Excavation, Shop 1 Rear ; Coordinates: N: 1092.3, S: 1084.7, E: 355.9, W: 349.6     ; Excavation Dates: April 5-21, 2016; ; Introduction; This is the final report of the first session of the Corinth excavation for 2016 in Shop 1 Rear in the South Stoa. Guy Sanders (director), James Herbst (architect) and Danielle Smotherman (field director) supervised. An Jiang and Catharine Judson (area supervisors) recorded. The workmen were Panos Kakouros (pickman) and Marios Vathis (shovelman and sieve), Vassiles Kollias and Giannes Oikonomopoulos (wheelbarrow). Photogrammetry has been carried out for every context of the room since April 11, 2016. ; ; In Shop 1 Rear, the area of excavation was bounded by the four walls of the room: Wall 457 to the east (N 1106.511; S 1086.5; E 356.4; W 348.667), Wall 458 to the south (Greek phase; N 1086.379; S 1084.15; E 355.829; W 351.808), Wall 459 to the west (to be measured in Session II), and Wall 461 (N 1092.747; S 1090.634; E 353.638; W 349.193) to the north. The coordinates of the interior space of the room are: NE corner E: 353.85, N: 1092.3; NW corner, E: 349.6, N: 1090.8; SW corner, E: 351.8, N: 1084.7; SE corner, E: 355.9, N: 1086.5. ; ; The goals of the excavation in this room are to determine the chronology of the activities in the room during the use of the Stoa (where these levels are preserved); to investigate the pre-Stoa activities in this area; and to prepare the area for consolidation, conservation, and presentation to the public. The dates during which we excavated are: April 5-21, 2016.; ; Shop 1 Rear was previously excavated by Oscar Broneer in the 1930s and 1940s. The bulk of excavation was carried out in March of 1934 (Corinth NB 139). Broneer began by removing “fill and rough masonry” across the entire area. On March 3, he records removing rubble foundations (c.70 cm thick) from this specific room. These walls may have been Byzantine in date, based on vague references to the general area in the notebook during this part of March. On March 20, Broneer excavated a trench along the entire length of the west wall between crosswalls Wall 371 to the south and Wall 461 to the north. This trench is identified both by the old excavation photos (Corinth 1.IV, pls.6.2, 7.1 and 27) and by the modern material we found in the fills along the western wall (Contexts 298 and 310). In this area, Broneer reports finding “little except some Early Helladic and Neolithic potsherds and a few Greek sherds” (p.116). On March 21, he reports that the fill close to the west wall goes deep below floor level, and that this produced primarily Early Helladic and Neolithic pottery. This may refer to the very deep sounding that we excavated as Cut 301/Context 298. Broneer also excavated in the SE corner of the room on March 21, and along the east wall on March 22, reporting Neolithic fill, Neolithic and Classical sherds, and several coins (late Classical/Hellenistic [Corinth P/T?], 1 coin of Demetrios Poliorketes, 1 coin of Manuel I). The coin of Manuel I came from the level of the toichobate (NB 139, p.122), and possibly indicates the level of Byzantine occupation in this area that was cleared away by Broneer. The trench dug along the eastern and southern walls was probably an excavation of the foundation trenches. Broneer revisited this area in 1946, but appears to have done little but cleaning in this room, based on his description of work in the notebook (Corinth NB194).; ; Prehistoric; Late Neolithic and Early Helladic pottery is present in contexts across the center and southern part of the room, typically mixed with later (generally Hellenistic) pottery. There is an especially high concentration of prehistoric pottery found in layered fills in the central area of the room (especially contexts 424, 438, and 436). The presence of this pottery and associated finds (e.g. obsidian and chert blades, EH spindle whorl [MF-2016-17]) indicates the presence of prehistoric activity in this area of the site. This is also confirmed by the presence of prehistoric levels in the space of Shop 2 Rear immediately to the east. None of the contents of these deposits are in their primary (prehistoric) context, however: all deposits with prehistoric pottery also contain later material and are indicative of later activities in the area rather than prehistoric ones. The mostly likely scenario is that, during the construction of the Stoa, foundation trenches were dug into prehistoric levels and the resulting soil was immediately redeposited as a fill level in the room’s interior with little time for Hellenistic ceramic contamination (especially Contexts 424, 436, and 438). Other contexts (e.g. Context 411) also contain prehistoric material but in lower concentrations, and are more likely the result of later filling and leveling operations within the space after the initial construction of the Stoa walls and the fill event represented by the almost pure prehistoric contexts.; ; Based on the appearance of the section in the scarp of Cut 301 compared to contexts in Shop 2 Rear, and the depth that Broneer dug to against Wall 459, it is likely that Broneer (like the builders of the Stoa) cut into prehistoric activity levels. The Neolithic and Early Helladic pottery that he mentions in both the western part of the room and in the southeast corner probably represent the spread of prehistoric activity levels across the space as well as the redeposition caused by Hellenistic construction. A matte-painted terracotta figurine in the museum comes from his excavations along the east wall (MF 13360). ; ; The pottery demonstrates that prehistoric occupation of the area ran from at least Late Neolithic through Early Helladic II. LN matte-painted and grey burnished ware, and EH red and black slipped wares are the most representative pottery types for the deposits in question. Characteristic shapes include LN fruitstands (cf. C-2016-8, C-2016-10), a LN ritual vessel (C-2016-11), a LN shoulder bowl (C-2016-9), EH bowls with incurved rims, and EH sauceboats. ; ; Classical; There are some traces of Classical activities in the room. Two deposits of fill (Contexts 456 and 478), located in the southern area of the room, date to the 4th and 5th centuries BC respectively, based on pottery. It is currently unclear what sort of activity these deposits represent, as there are no preserved surfaces dating to this period in this part of the room. One whole vessel containing traces of blue pigment was excavated in Context 456 (C-2016-5), but was resting on stones within a fill level rather than on a surface.; ; The exact type of activity in the Classical period in this room is difficult to establish, because we currently have too few excavated contexts that can be securely associated with this period. Context 478 and the associated Cut 497 may indicate the location of any stratified Classical activity in the area of the room, but the pottery from 478 is heavily prehistoric and likely represents redeposited prehistoric fill. Broneer probably also excavated part of this same deposit next to the Wall 457, as he mentions a mixture of Neolithic and Classical pottery from this specific area. His trench cuts through the deposit and exposes it in cross-section. ; ; Based on the quantities of Classical pottery present in other excavated contexts across the room, this period does not appear to form a major phase of occupation in this area. ;  ; Hellenistic; Pre-Stoa phases of activity in the late 4th and early 3rd centuries are most likely represented by a possible floor (or at least well-consolidated surface), removed as Context 449. This context dates to the 4th century BC. Its connection with the 4th century fill Context 456 in the southern part of the room is unknown, as the two deposits are spatially separated and different in appearance and formation. Two pits were dug into Context 449, and probably were meant to hold pithoi (Cuts 389 and 382). These pits were dug into the top of the surface, and therefore are likely contemporary with this 4th century surface.  ; ; The construction of the Stoa, currently dated to c.280 BC by Sarah James' 2015 excavations, is marked in the interior of the room by the redeposition of fills (Contexts 424, 436, and 438) in the center of the room (discussed above in the Prehistoric section). Their redeposition in the large cut through the consolidated surface (Context 449) suggests that this surface was highly disturbed during/by this construction project. The remainder of this surface and the pits cut into it in the northern part of the newly formed room were not covered over as part of the Stoa construction, however, and may have remained in use for some time. The pithoi in pits 389 and 382 may have been removed in conjunction with the Stoa construction. Pit 407 was also dug into the surface (Context 449) during the first half of the 3rd century BC and may mark the point at which it went out of use as a surface. Additional leveling fills were added across the southern part of the room sometime in the 3rd century BC (Contexts 411 and 398). Context 398 sealed the contents of Pit 407 (Context 403) and therefore indicates that there were multiple phases of leveling and remodeling within the room, most likely associated with the construction of the Stoa. ; ; Shortly after the construction of the Stoa, Wall 371 (L 2.5 m, W 0.50 m; N 1087.0, S 1085.8, E 353.7, W 351.3) was constructed in order to subdivide the interior space of the room. This wall was constructed in two successive, but closely dated, phases, sometime in the later 3rd century BC (post-275 BC, Context 374). This represents a restructuring of the use of the space. Probably linked with this is the gradual infilling of the two pits next to the northern wall, which had been left open after the construction of the Stoa and the probable removal of their pithoi. Context 383 (the western pit) was filled in by the late 3rd century BC, and Context 376 was filled in by the early 2nd century BC, based on the pottery (Context 376 is dated primarily on the basis of C-2016-7, a bowl with outturned rim). The coins from both pits corroborate but do not narrow this dating, as they provide a terminus post quem of the mid- to late-3rd century BC for both contexts (Context 383: 2016-78 [Ptolemy II, 285-246 BC], Coin 2016-85 [Argos, 352-228 BC], Coin 2016-86 [Argos, 352-228 BC]; Context 376: Coin 2016-63 [Argos 350-228 BC], 2016-64 [Demetrios Poliorketes, 306-283 BC], 2016-67 [Corinth P/T Group VIII, 287-252 BC]). In addition to large numbers of coins, the pits contain high concentrations of pottery and other small finds, including metal fragments (MF-2016-19: bronze handle), lamp fragments, roof tiles, ostrich egg shell (cf. MF 3957, ostrich egg shell from Broneer’s excavations against east wall), bronze rings, and pebble cement fragments. These two pits were covered and closed with a layer of fill covering the NE corner (Contexts 367, 390). The pottery from this fill event provides a terminus post quem date of the late 3rd century BC, but the fill layer was likely laid down sometime in the early 2nd century BC, based on the contents of Context 376. This fill also contains a high concentration of coins, including a Classical coin from Cleonai (2016-50, 471-421 BC), a late Classical/Hellenistic coin from Argos (2016-56, 400-200 BC), and several Corinthian P/T Type VII coins (2016-88, 2016-89, 2016-90, 2016-92: 303-287 BC). ; ; Roman; There is limited evidence for the Early Roman modification of the Stoa in this space. Pit 361 and its associated fill 364 date to the 1st century BC and are sealed by Context 360, dating to the Late Hellenistic or Early Roman period. This pit likely represents a change in function of the space, and is the first dateable act of deposition after the early 2nd century BC that we can reconstruct in the room. A thin deposit of fill (Context 346) also dates to the Early Roman period, and lies across the entire area of the room. This represents a further modification of the space after the closing of Pit 361. The date of this context is based on the pottery, but this deposit also contains 16 coins mainly dated to the earlier Hellenistic period (2016-44 [Thasos, 300-200 BC], 2016-33 [Demetrios Poliorketes, 306-283], 2016-38 [Antigonos Gonatas, 277-239 BC], 2016-36 [Lokris, 338-300 BC], several Corinthian P/T). There is one much later coin in this context, however (Coin 2016-39, Late Roman minimus), which may either pull down the date of the context dramatically or be later contamination. This level is the latest stratified deposit across the majority of the room.; ; Middle Roman activity in the room is only represented by Cut 334 and associated fills (especially Contexts 332 and 337) in the NE corner. This may be a rubbish pit associated with some construction event in the area, as many of the small finds in these contexts are broken building materials (tiles, marble revetment, cement, plastered blocks, wall plaster fragments, pebble cement flooring). The squared shape of the cutting may indicate that this originally had some other function than for trash dumping, however. ; ; We speculate that the later Roman use levels of the room were removed in the post-Roman period (Broneer mentions Byzantine walls in this area) or during early excavations without any comment in the notebook, and all that remained were traces of various filling operations from Roman construction.; ; Modern; The latest activity in the interior of the room is modern backfilling and trampled fills. Cuts 301 and 316, and Contexts 287, 297, 298, and 310 represent Broneer’s activities, including both excavation and backfilling. The bottom of this modern excavation and backfilling has not been clearly identified in the area of Context 298, since we stopped digging along the west wall after the first week of the session. One of Broneer’s goals in this area was presumably to expose the entire eastern profile of Wall 459 in the area of Context 298. This deposit exposed four courses of the wall, with at least one more likely still buried, as known from the excavations in Shop 2 Rear. In addition, the construction of the stone patch (Context 326) in the NE corner of the room also probably belongs to this period because of the modern material found in it. All excavation in the area took place in the 1930s and 1940s. The terminus post quem for the backfilling of the western soundings in the room is provided by coin 2016-6, a 1954 drachma. In all areas of modern excavation, a number of modern glass, metal and plastic objects were found, including a complete modern medicinal bottle (MF-2016-16).; ; Conclusion; The excavation activities of this session have raised more questions about ancient activities in the room than they have answered. The primary problem that is raised by the types of contexts in Shop 1 Rear so far excavated is that there are no clearly identified floor levels, and therefore no clear idea of activities within the room during different use phases. Most of the deposits represent fill events rather than occupation phases. Various construction phases also severely disrupted earlier levels and therefore caused a high degree of fragmentation of deposits within the space of the room. Nonetheless, we are able to link at least some of the contexts with the construction of the Stoa and therefore can mark chronological points of change to the space (pre-Stoa, Stoa construction, mid- to-late 3rd century restructuring, Early Roman, Middle Roman), even if their function is not always clear. ; ; Future goals; 1. To determine the spatial boundaries and nature of prehistoric occupation in this space, and how it relates to similar deposits in Shop 2 Rear.; 2. To investigate the type of activities in the room in the Classical period (occupation, redeposited fill, etc.).; 3. To determine the date of the construction of the Stoa walls and how this construction relates stratigraphically to other phases of occupation (e.g. relationship with prehistoric levels, Classical levels, Roman levels).; ; ; Appendix; List of Inventoried Objects:; C-2016-2 Corinthian A Stamped Amphora Handle (context 346); C-2016-5 [pottery with blue pigment] (official name TBD) (context 456); C-2016-7 Bowl with Outturned Rim (context 376); C-2016-8 Late Neolithic Fruitstand (context 411); C-2016-9 Late Neolithic Shoulder Bowl (context 478); C-2016-10 Late Neolithic Fruitstand (context 411); C-2016-11 Late Neolithic Vessel: Leg (context 411); MF-2016-9 Bronze and Iron Boss (context 390); MF-2016-12 Bronze Stylus (context 360); MF-2016-14 Conical Loomweight Type X (context 411); MF-2016-15 Conical Loomweight Type IX-X (context 367); MF-2016-16 Modern Glass Medicinal Bottle (context 287); MF-2016-17 Early Helladic Spindle Whorl (context 424); MF-2016-19 Bronze Vessel: Handle (context 383); ; List of Coins (64 in total):; 2016-2 (context 284) Byzantine (Manuel I?); 2016-6 (context 287) Modern 1954; 2016-21 (context 298) Possibly Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-23 (context 320) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-24 (context 320) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-25 (context 330) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-26 (context 330) Antigonos Gonatas (277-239 B.C.); 2016-27 (context 337) (not a coin); 2016-28 (context 337) Greek, illegible; 2016-29 (context 337) Argos (c.350-228 B.C.); 2016-30 (context 337) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-31 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-32 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-33 (context 346) Demetrius Poliorketes (306-283 B.C.); 2016-34 (context 346) Epidauros; 2016-35 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-36 (context 346) Lokris (c.338-300 B.C.); 2016-37 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-38 (context 346) Antigonos Gonatas (277-239 B.C.); 2016-39 (context 346) Roman minimus (5th – 6th A.D.); 2016-40 (context 346) Greek, illegible; 2016-41 (context 346) Greek (Macedonian king?); 2016-42 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-44 (context 346) Thasos (c.300-200 B.C.); 2016-45 (context 346) Greek, illegible; 2016-46 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-47 (context 346) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-48 (context 364) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-49 (context 364) Greek, illegible; 2016-50 (context 367) Cleonai (c.371-321 B.C.); 2016-51 (context 367) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-52 (context 367) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-53 (context 367) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-54 (context 367) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-56 (context 367) Argos (c.400-200 B.C.); 2016-57 (context 367) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-63 (context 376) Argos (c.350-228 B.C.); 2016-64 (context 376) Demetrius Poliorketes (306-283 B.C.); 2016-65 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-66 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-67 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident Group VIII (c.287-252 B.C.); 2016-68 (context 376) (not a coin); 2016-70 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-71 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-72 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-74 (context 376) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-78 (context 383) Ptolemy II Euergetes (285-246 B.C.) golden coin; 2016-79 (context 383) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-80 (context 383) (not a coin); 2016-81 (context 383) Megara (c.307-293 B.C.); 2016-82 (context 383) Greek, illegible; 2016-83 (context 383) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-84 (context 383) Greek, unclear; 2016-85 (context 383) Argos (c.352-228 B.C.); 2016-86 (context 383) Argos (c.352-228 B.C.); 2016-87 (context 383) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-88 (context 390) Corinth Pegasus/Trident Group VII (c.303-287 B.C.); 2016-89 (context 390) Corinth Pegasus/Trident Group VII (c.303-287 B.C.); 2016-90 (context 390) Corinth Pegasus/Trident Group VII (c.303-287 B.C.); 2016-91 (context 390) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-92 (context 390) Corinth Pegasus/Trident Group VII (c.303-287 B.C.); 2016-93 (context 390) Corinth Pegasus/Trident; 2016-98 (context 398) Corinth Pegasus/Trident Group VII (c.303-287 B.C.); 2016-118 (context 449) illegible; ; List of Contexts (51 in total):; 284 Cleaning of dark soil near west wall; 287 Removal of pebbly matrix in western half of room; 297 Dark soil SE corner of cut exposed by 284; 298 Dark soil next to west wall of room; 301 Cut of 298 into 310; 310 Red Soil in NW + SW corners of room; 316 Cut filled by 310; 320 Clay across northern center of room; 326 Patch of stones in NE corner of room; 330 Dark stony soil in NE corner; 332 Red stony soil in NE corner; 333 Cut filled by 330; 334 Cut filled by 332; 337 Cobbles filling cut 334 under deposits 330 + 332; 342 Fill cut into clay surface in room center; 344 Cut filled by 342; 346 Clayey layer in center of room; 360 Clay patch next to southern crosswall; 361 Cut filled by 360 + 364; 364 Fill of cut 361 below deposit 360; 367 Clay patch next to N wall; 371 Late crosswall in S of room—top course; 374 Foundation course of structure 371; 376 Fill of pit abutting N wall; 382 Cut filled by 376; 383 Pit abutting N wall; 389 Cut filled by 383; 390 Clayey patch between Broneer and square cutting in east of room; 394 Soil under western block of wall 371; 396 Small pebbly patch next to N wall; 398 Pebbly matrix in S of room center; 403 Small bothros; 407 Cut filled by 403; 411 Pebbly layer S center of room; 421 Cut filled by 396; 424 Pebbly matrix in center of room; 427 Patch of wash on E Broneer scarp; 436 Small clay patch; 438 Cobbly layer in center of room; 449 Clay deposit in N center of room; 456 Clayey deposit in S of room; 457 N-S wall/ E wall of Shop 1 (Greek); 458 E-W wall/ S wall of Shop 1 (Greek); 460 E-W wall/ N wall of Shop 1 front; 461 E-W wall/ N wall of Shop 1 Rear; 468 N-S wall / E wall of Shop 1 (Roman); 469 E-W wall/ S wall of Shop 1 Rear (Roman); 478 Layer of black soil below 456; 493 Cut filled to S by 411, 424, 438; 494 Cut filled to N by 424, 438; 497 Cut filled by 478","Report","","South Stoa Shop I Rear","","",""
"Corinth","Nezi Field 2012 by George, Charles; Valente, Rossana (2012-06-26 to 2012-06-27)","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2012 by George, Charles Valente, Rossana (2012-06-26 to 2012-06-27)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Charles George, Rossana Valente; Nezi Field Excavations; N: 1015.90 N, S: 1006.90 N, E: 264.20 E, W: 255.50 E; 28 May – 22 June, 2012; ; This is a final summary of the third season of excavation (28th May – 22th June) in 2012 in the northwest area of Nezi field. Guy Sanders (director) and Heather Graybehl (field director) supervised. The blue excavation team consisted of Charles George and Rossana Valente (recorders), Athanasios Sakellariou (pickman), Athanasios Notis (pickman), Christos Sakellariou (shovelman), and Pavlos Sennes (barrowman).; Excavation began in the area bounded by the Giambouranis house (NB 252, NB 262, 1015.90 N) to the north, Wall 540 to the east (264.20 E), Wall 366 to the south (1006.90 N), and the balk of Nezi field (255.50 E) to the west. The lack of preserved architecture, except the partially preserved Wall 747, led us initially to interpret our area as exterior space associated with the Byzantine room to the south, bounded by Wall 366 and Robbing Trench 497 to the north (1006.00 N), Wall 365 to the south (1002.10 N), Wall 332 to the east (262.07 E) and Wall 306 to the west (258.01 E). The goal of this session was to further explore the Byzantine habitation layers found during earlier excavations in the area (2008 and 2009, sessions 1st and 2nd 2012), with the hope of better understanding the use of space in this area during Frankish and Byzantine times and also of reaching Late Roman material by the end of the season.; ; Late Antique (5th-7th AD); ; We have reached Late Antique contexts in the northeast of the area which are overlaid by Wall 540, dated to the late 11th c. For this reason, we cannot see the eastern ends of the contexts, and we suggest close cooperation and contact with the Pink Team’s excavations of the area east of the wall.; We have identified a mid 6th- early 7th c. AD floor (S 936, removed as 957), which seems to continue under wall 540, and we argue that it is equal to a floor in the Pink Area (S941). This context contained two fifth century nummi (coin no.  2012-159, 160), with five fifth century nummi (coin no. 2012- 162-166, 169) also found in what we interpret as the continuation of the floor to the north (959), and two fifth century nummi (coin no. 2012-161, 164 ) found in a suggested floor surface below S 936 (958). The excavation of the floor has revealed another possible floor, which itself was laid over another possible floor surface. This may suggest that we have a stratification of floors indicating several successive habitations during the Late Antique period. The section of the floor called 959 seems to be laid on an E-W wall (S 918), therefore dating the wall earlier. It is unclear when and under what circumstances the wall later was robbed out. However, further excavation in the area and removal of wall 540 should elucidate the relationship. ; ; Above floor S 936 is a tile destruction layer (934), which is likely equal to the tile destruction layer across wall 540 on the Pink Team’s tile destruction layer 929. The elevation of Pink 929 is roughly equivalent to that of Blue 934 and part of Blue 931, a leveling fill directly above the destruction layer. As supporting evidence for this relationship is an AFRS form 99, which has joining fragments both in Blue 931 and Pink 929.; ; Vast quantities of sherds of Late Antique pottery have been found in the fill of a Late Byzantine lime pit (the eastern part of pit is 878 and western part is 917), an ovular Byzantine pit (888), and adjacent cleaning contexts and leveling fills (895, 906, 907, 908). Also, a Late Antique glass bottle (MF 2012-50) and jar (MF 2012-51) have been found in the lime pit (917). While we have interpreted these all as redepositions, the large size of the glass sherds and the size and density of the pottery suggest that the Late Antique material in these fills does not show signs of frequent redeposition.; ; Late Byzantine (1059-1210 AD); ; The most important feature identified as Late Byzantine is the western portion of wall called 747, which dates to the late 11th c. The excavation of the fill to the east of western wall 747 has revealed a finished surface to the wall and an apparent end to the foundation beneath the wall. We think that in this space East of Western wall 747 there was an entrance. As the Western and eastern portions of wall called 747 are on the same axis, despite the gap and differences in construction, we maintain that they are contemporaneous and of the same structure. We still hope to determine whether there was an interior space north or south of the wall. North of 747 may have been exterior as suggested by the massive pit there (C 870, fill 844 and 868, W-E 258.43-261.89, S-N 1011.63-1014.56), which we have identified as a bothros, since it contains a mix of pottery ranging from the Geometric Period to the late 11th c.; ; Western Wall 747 seems to be surrounded by several leveling fills that are also dated to the Late Byzantine period. These leveling fills are both north (854, 855, 857, 858, 859, 863, 868, 869, 875, 876, 925, and 927) and south (897 and 904) of Wall 747. These leveling fills characterized by a yellowish brown soil, are poorly sorted, and there are not many material inclusions. Small quantities of pottery are found across these contexts. These small contexts are overlaid in several areas by various lenses of leveling fill, often consisting of harder-packed and different colored soil, but the pottery dates from all of these contexts suggest that they are all part of a relatively contemporaneous leveling of the area. None of these contexts has a precise date for the Late Byzantine period; we can relate this context to the Late Byzantine leveling activity of this area mainly by stratigraphic relationships. In the middle Byzantine dumped fill of a robbing trench along the W Scarp (950), we have found a likely-Christian clay bread mold (MF 2012-47). These fills seem bounded by Wall 747 in the south but extend as far as the Northern Balk.; ; We have found a lime pit (C 882, W-E 257.54-260.87 S-N 1008.88-1010.10, filled by 878 and 917) directly south of Western Wall 747. All the preserved sides of this pit are covered with lime. It is possible that the walls of this cut were intentionally covered with lime, for building purposes. For example, the lime pit may have been used for the construction of walls 747 and/or 540, which both also seem to date to the late 11th c. In a later action, this cut was filled by a dumped fill (878 and 917). The filling of this cut, dated to the late 11th c, is a secondary deposition of large quantities of Late Antique pottery (5th – 6th C). Excavation of the oven (S 910) and the area between the oven and the pit will elucidate the issue and will provide confirmation as to the western boundary of the pit, which is not yet certain.; ; Last but not least in importance is pit 888 (W-E 262.21-263.10, N-S 1009.06-1007.06). Partially excavated during session 1 (888=680), this pit seems to be a bothros. Its dumped fill, dated to the 11th C, seems to be a secondary deposition of much earlier material including large quantities of Late Antique (5th – 6th C)  pottery, Late Antique coins (2012 22-29, 105-126), and a 2nd-3rd c. incised intaglio (MF 2012-33). ; ; Frankish (1210-1458 AD); ; During the Frankish period E - W Wall 747 was partially robbed out. As noted during session 2, certain fills (833, 744) excavated in the robbing trench for this wall were distinguished both in materials excavated and soil composition, and should be considered the first robbing episode of this structure. ; S of this robbing trench, we excavated a Frankish pit dated by the pottery to 1270 (C 926 filled by 883, 884, 885, 887, 889, W-E 261.88-264.03, S-N 1010.35-1008.90). The pit was particularly rich in finds, including luxurious items such as gilded bone bands (MF 2012-43, 45), incised bone knife handles (MF 2012-48), and gilded bronze flower-shaped clamps (MF 2012-53A, 53B, 54, 55) as well as stone- and metal- working tools such as a lead cupellation bowl (MF 2012-38) and an iron chisel (MF 2012-40). Also found was a pecten shell used by pilgrims travelling on the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela (MF 2012-34).; ; Below the pit, we came on the head of a well, a cistern, or a manhole (S 902 W-E 262.23-262.71, S-N 1009.55-1010.05). The structure is lined with plaster, and goes down 2.35 m, without any visible fill except for a small accumulation of debris, much of which is from our excavation of proximate contexts. The hole seems to have been intentionally closed with blocks. That it is a manhole is suggested by the slightly ovular shape of the hole, but it appears to be self-contained in all horizontal directions, which makes it more likely that it was a cistern or a well. That it is a well is suggested by the nearly intact water jug that was found at the bottom of pit 889, just centimeters away from the hole. Further excavation is needed to ; Another Frankish pit (C 871, filled by 860, W-E 255.51-256.95, S-N 1011.92-1013.63) was excavated during the second quarter of the 13th C, as its dumped fill suggests. This pit, located next to the W scarp of the excavation area has been interpreted as a bothros. Interestingly, the N side of the pit scarp is full of tile. A few large, unworked stones (possibly mined bedrock) are visible at the bottom on the E side. ; These pits may have been created for the purpose of storage. Generally Frankish pits were made along walls, as the surface of the wall offered an easy ready-made boundary for the pit. Our Frankish pits C 871 and C 926 correspond to this interpretation as do two Frankish pits excavated by the Pink Team (C 847, C 867).; ; Early Modern (1831-1945); ; Context 880 is the only context that has been dated to the Early Modern period, specifically Turkish II. We have interpreted the Turkish finds as contamination from the robbing trench for wall 747 (759), and therefore we interpret the context as a disturbance of the Frankish pit (C 926).; ; Recommendations; ; We recommend to future excavators the following:; ; 1.    Take down Wall 540. We are now certain that the Late Antique floors in the northeast of our area (S 936, 939, and those stratigraphically below) continue under the wall and into the Pink area (see above). The excavation and dating of the wall would remove an obstacle to excavating in the area and would be helpful for dating in the area. Lastly, there are many walls in the Blue (S 747 and S 918) and Pink areas that misalign by as few as 0.10-0.30 m, and the excavation of the wall would help in seeing more clearly whether they are related and how.; ; 2.    Excavate oven S 910 and the surrounding contexts in order to determine the relationship between the oven and the Byzantine lime pit to the east (C 882). ; ; 3.    Excavate floors S 911 and S 912 to discern their dates as well as the relationship between the two floors and between the floors and the surrounding area; ; 4.    Take down the contexts east of 949 and then proceed to finish its excavation. Digging in this area is important for understanding the boundary between the Late Antique material to the east and the 11th c. lenses of fill 844 to the west.; We hope that in the future, interior and exterior areas will be able to be identified, and that the Late Antique levels, now appearing in the NW, will become apparent throughout the area.","Report","","2012 Session 3 Team Blue Final Summary","","",""
"Corinth","Northeast of Theater 2022, Trench 16C,  by Madson, Luke and James, Jesse (2022-05-30 to 2022-06-24)","Corinth:Report:Northeast of Theater 2022, Trench 16C,  by Madson, Luke and James, Jesse (2022-05-30 to 2022-06-24)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Northeast of Theater","","Luke Madson and Jesse James, Session III 2022 (May 30 - June 24); ; Excavation Summary:; ; This excavation took place from May 30 to June 17, 2022, during the third excavation session of the season. It continued work done in the same trench in the second session (May 2022) recorded by Kaia Brose and David Picker-Kille, for which see [prior field report]. Jesse James and Luke Madson worked as trench recorders under the supervision of Chris Pfaff (Director) and Manolis Papadakis (Assistant to the Associate Director). James Herbst (Architect) and Ioulia Tzonou (Associate Director) also offered guidance on our complex and sometimes bizarre stratigraphy and Michael Ierardi assisted with the identification of our coins. In our trench, Argyris Tsirikis was our Pickman (newly appointed) and worked hard in consultation and collaboration with Athanasios Notis (Foreman); Argyris was supported by our Shovelman Agamemnon Karbouniaris, our good-natured Barrowman Sotiris Raftopoulos, and our eagle-eyed Sieve Operator Ilias Soli (Hekuran Coli), who also picked occasionally.; ; Area Description:; ; The excavation area consisted of a rectangular trench and was designated NET 16C, that is north east of the Theater, Trench 16C. The coordinates for the area when initially opened were: 35.0 E to 41.0 E and 1387.5 N to 1385.0 N. At the time we began our rotation, the trench had three main architectural features: Wall 27 which runs slightly off N-S axis; Wall 28 running east from Wall 27 and partially embedded in the southern scarp; and Water Pipe 3, running N-S and dividing NET 16 C from NET 16 B. The excavations were carried out largely in relation to Wall 27; from May 30th to June 2nd we worked E of the wall, moving west of the wall from June 2nd to June 16th. On June 10th the architectural features of the Vaulted Drain began to emerge and on June 16th  the Amphora Deposit and Branch Drain were excavated.; ; Phases:; ; Hellenistic: ; ; We found no evidence of activities in this area during the Hellenistic period (but note that two Hellenistic Sikyonian coins were found in contexts that are dated by pottery to the 1st century CE).; ; Early Roman: ; ; We uncovered two apparent drain structures that we have dated preliminarily to the 1st century BCE: a “Vaulted Drain” (Structure 96 in iDig) and a “Branch Drain” (Structure 97), the latter containing the amphora deposit below, with significant remains of approximately ten amphoras. The Vaulted Drain, and possibly the Branch Drain, was likely built shortly after foundation of the Roman colony in 44 BCE and its centuriation at approximately the same time. The Vaulted Drain aligns with a major N/S road of the Roman era uncovered in Trench 16 B (directly adjacent to the W), a road whose width may originally have extended into our trench, although we found no direct, independent evidence of it. ; ; Vaulted Drain; The most significant structure excavated in Trench 16C during the June session was the Vaulted Drain (Structure 96), a stone structure running N-S at the west end of Trench 16C, below Water Pipe 3. As so far exposed in the trench, it consists of a wall, partial arched ceiling, and apparent floor layer. 1.74m of the drain’s N-S length has been excavated. The floor’s elevation is approximately 57.89masi (ca. 3.4m below current topsoil), and the arch’s highest interior point is ca. 1.25m above the floor. The wall of the drain (which is the western wall of the visible structure) consists of a main lower course of large, moderately worked rectangular poros stones (the largest stone is 0.79m tall and 1.22m wide) topped with a course of smaller worked poros stones (ca. 0.2m tall), possibly with mortar between them. At its top this wall curves into the arch of the ceiling consisting of smaller unworked stones (rounded, hard limestone and conglomerate, ca. 0.12–0.35m in length) and bonded into a vault structure with a rough pinkish mortar embedded with small pebbles (0.001 to 0.008m dia.). There is an apparent floor layer consisting partly of worked rectangular stones and partly of soil. The stones run beneath the bottom course of wall stones, indicating that they were set there deliberately, as part of the construction of the Vaulted Drain. Further investigation of these stones and what lies beneath them is needed. They are of different sizes and their top surfaces are now set at slightly oblique angles and elevations, making an irregular floor surface. The larger floor stone measures approximately 0.7m N-S by 0.8m E-W (visible exposed surface); the smaller stone, directly to the N, is 0.31 by 0.33m. The soil around the stones was not compacted to a hard surface, possibly indicating that other floor stones were previously in place and were subsequently removed. An alternative interpretation is that the “floor” stones are not a floor at all but served another function. ; ; The existing arch of the ceiling of the Vaulted Drain appears to peak ca. 0.25m east of the wall surface. Assuming a symmetrical arch, and that we have the highest point of the arch (which seems correct), we would expect an eastern wall to the Vaulted Drain ca. 0.5m from the existing wall. But we found no direct evidence of such an eastern wall: no large worked rectangular stones (no worked stones at all), no other large stones that appeared part of the same structure as the western wall and arch, and no inclusions of mortar matching the mortar of the arch. This evidence suggests one of two possibilities: either the eastern half of the Vaulted Drain was fully disassembled in antiquity (see dating discussion below), removing all traces of the disassembly within the area of our trench; or the drain is significantly wider than appears to be indicated by the remains of the arched ceiling. ; ; The outside top of the Vaulted Drain’s arched ceiling is covered with a reddish, perhaps clayey soil, and Water Pipe 3 sits ca. 0.4m above the top of that ceiling, also in reddish soil. During excavation, that 0.4m depth of soil appeared to be in two layers, which suggests that the pipe may have been laid some time after the Vaulted Drain was built. But the pipe appears to be centered directly over the Vaulted Drain, which could indicate that it was laid at the same time. If that is the case, it may be that this 0.4m of reddish soil was placed deliberately both as a kind of sealing layer over the Vaulted Drain and as a bedding layer for Water Pipe 3.; ; Branch Drain; Slightly to the east of the Vaulted Drain, at the north side of the trench, we discovered what we have called the “Branch Drain” (Structure 97) running roughly SE to NW. It becomes visible in its path from the E (at 36.95m in the easting in our trench, elevation 58.3masl) at a height of ca. 0.5m above the floor level of the Vaulted Drain. At this point the Branch Drain is 0.25m wide, and widens to ca. 0.4m by the time it exits the trench to the N (at 35.25m in the easting, elevation 57.95masl), with a total exposed length of 1.7m and drop of 0.25m. At its westernmost  visible point the Branch Drain is less than 1.0m from the floor of the Vaulted Drain. Some stones still in situ between the SW curve of the Branch Drain and the Vaulted Drain may originally have been part of the Branch Drain walls.; ; We only partially excavated the Branch Drain, even within the boundaries of our trench. We excavated as far E as the west side of Wall 27 (which is a much later wall, for which see below, under “Byzantine”), and have not uncovered the north or south sides of the stones that form its walls. We have also not found a point at which the Branch Drain joins the Vaulted Drain, although we presume such a joint slightly north of the boundary of our trench. Hence the description and interpretation here are highly provisional. ; ; The Branch Drain appears to consist of two walls or sides built of unworked, dry-stacked stones. At the moment of writing there appear to be three or four courses of stones in these walls, but more excavation is needed to confirm what remains of the entire structure. This Branch Drain also has a partial tile floor. At its eastern visible limit the drain is oriented mostly E-W, but curves more toward the northwest as it proceeds west toward the Vaulted Drain. The tile floor slopes down visibly, and the tiles give way to soil after two visible overlapping tile courses. The top tile shows 0.4m of visible length and 0.33m of visible width, and is 0.03m thick. The Branch Drain’s stone sides also slope downward. (Some of this slope of the sides of the drain could be a result of inadvertently removing structural stones during the excavation process. We attempted not to remove any stones that were parts of an obvious structure, but some large stones were excavated in this context and they might originally have been built into the drain sides).; ; Amphora Deposit; One of the major breathtaking finds from the trench occurred on the final day of excavation. A deposit of perhaps eleven amphoras and one mortar, mixed with non-amphora potsherds, some large stones (ca. 0.2 to 0.4m long), and soil, was found in and above the Branch Drain. This deposit, roughly in the shape of a steep wedge, was approximately 0.7m wide (N-S), 1.6m long (E-W), and 1.7m deep at its highest, easternmost point. We were not able to determine definitively whether this deposit was placed into a man-made trench, but its position directly above the Branch Drain indicates that the deposit was made into and onto that man-made drain (the soil within and around the amphoras and stones may have been deposited by natural erosion). All the amphoras appeared to have been lying on their sides (none deliberately placed upright). We did not collect elevation points on individual amphoras in situ, but the highest was found at approximately 59.35masl. All of the amphoras were broken, but the completeness of the remains suggests that none had been moved more than once or twice between the end of its functional life and its final deposition here, and that therefore their deposition was intentional and expected to be final. At least two amphoras (C-2022-7 and C-2022-20) appear to have been deposited as complete vessels, although parts of them (the mouth of C-2022-7 and one longitudinal half of C-2022-20) remain in situ in the trench scarp as of the time of writing. Preliminary analysis indicates that the amphoras date to between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE.; ; As study and cataloging of the amphora remains is ongoing, and additional ceramic material remains underneath Wall 27, this is a preliminary catalog of the approximately ten amphoras from this location: ; ; C-2022-7 (Amphora 1); Dressel 2-4 with dipinto, 1st cent BC to 1st cent CE; ; C-2022-8 (Amphora 2): Dressel 21-22 (resinous substance on interior), 1st cent. CE (cf. C-80-180) ; C-2022-9 (Amphora 3): Spanish Dressel 2-4, 1st cent BC to 1st cent. CE (fragments originally labeled C11 [Amphora 5] and C16 [Amphora 9] have been determined to be part of C-22-09); C-2022-10 (Amphora 4); Dressel 6A(?), 1st cent. BCE to 1st cent. CE; C11 (Amphora 5); see C-2022-09; C-2022-12 (Amphora 6): pompeii vii amphora, end of 1st cent. BCE to 1st cent. CE; C-2022-13 (Amphora 7): thin-walled sandy fabric amphora toe; C-2022-14 (Amphora 8); pompeii vii amphora; C-2022-15 (spouted mortar): late 1st cent. BC to early 1st cent CE (cf. C-2004-12); C16 (Amphora 9); see C-2022-09; C-2022-17 (Amphora 10): Pompeii vii; C-2022-18 (Amphora 11): Pseudo-Coan; C19 (Amphora 12); see C-2022-15; C-2022-20 (Amphora 13 = C19 [fragments originally labeled C19 (Amphora 12) have been determined to be part of C-2022-20) ; ; Water Pipe 3; Water Pipe 3 (Structure 95) runs N-S directly above the Vaulted Drain, centered at 34.645m east, with a top elevation of approximately 59.96m above sea level. Within Trench 16C the pipe slopes slightly from N to S, with a drop of 0.023m over a length of 1.585m (this is surprising because the general slope of the landscape here is gradual from S to N). Its diameter varies from 0.107m to 0.127m (the greater width is at the junctions) with approximately 3 segments (ca. 1.6m) currently exposed in situ. As noted above, the apparent continuity of red clayey soil from the top of the Vaulted Drain up to the bottom of Water Pipe 3, along with the similar orientation of the two structures and Water Pipe 3’s position approximately centered over the Vaulted Drain, suggest that Water Pipe 3 was laid down close in time to the construction of the Vaulted Drain. As explained in detail below, that was likely between 44 BCE and the mid-1st century CE.; ; ; Dating; The Vaulted Drain, Water Pipe 3, and the Branch Drain were likely constructed between 44 BCE and the middle of the 1st century CE. The founding of the Roman colony in 44 BCE provides the terminus post quem. Two separate sets of evidence provide the same terminus ante quem: the dating of the amphora deposit in the Branch Drain, and the pottery deposited around Water Pipe 3.; ; The manufacture and use of the amphoras and the mortar have been preliminarily dated to the period from the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE. A single coin was found in the amphora deposit (Coin 2022-440) and dates to between 40 and 30 BCE, shortly after the founding of the colony. The non-amphora pottery within the amphora deposit dates to the second half of the 1st century CE. These dates provide a terminus post quem for when the Branch Drain went out of use (although not a precise date as the amphoras were likely used for a significant duration after their manufacture). It is unclear how the amphoras came to be in the Branch Drain (deliberate human action? Mudslide?); it is also unclear whether they were all placed there at one time or over a long period of time. Because no material in the amphora deposit dates after the end of the 1st century CE, we conclude that the deposit was in the Branch Drain by that time, and therefore that the Branch Drain was out of use by ca. 100 CE (although the Vaulted Drain may have continued to function). Because it was defunct by the end of the 1st century CE, the Branch Drain was likely built somewhat earlier, probably at or before the mid-1st century CE.; ; Pottery found in the soil directly surrounding Water Pipe 3 (in both Trench 16C, Context 68 and Trench 16B, Context 111), indicates that the pipe was laid in the 1st century CE.; ; As discussed above, stratigraphy indicates that the Vaulted Drain was built either before or at the same time as Water Pipe 3. And because the Branch Drain is apparently ancillary to the Vaulted Drain, it is likely that the Vaulted Drain was built before or at the same time as the Branch Drain (this hypothesis should be clarified in next year’s campaign, when the conjectured meeting point slightly to the north can be explored). These two structures therefore converge on a terminus ante quem for the Vaulted Drain of the mid-1st century CE.  ; ; On present evidence it is difficult to settle on a date for the Vaulted Drain more specific than between 44 BCE and ca. 50 CE. On one hand, the Vaulted Drain appears to be a major infrastructure and planning project aligned with the Roman road. This suggests that it was part of the original centuriation of the colony and therefore was built soon after 44 BCE. On the other hand, Water Pipe 3 may have been laid at the same time that the Vaulted Drain was built. But this points to a 1st century CE date, decades after the founding of the colony.  ; ; ;  ; Late Roman (4th to 6th cent.):; ; Disassembly of the Vaulted Drain; The Vaulted Drain’s fragmentary state within trench 16C--no eastern wall and incomplete arched ceiling--and the lack of remains from the eastern wall and the eastern part of the arch, suggest that at some point the Vaulted Drain stopped being used and that part of it was deliberately removed, i.e., robbed out. The deep deposit of loose sandy fill within the Vaulted Drain (in particular from Contexts 84, 91, and 92) appears to date to the Late Roman period from both pottery and coins (e.g. Coin 2022-403 dates to 347–48 CE). The entire deposit was of similar texture and soil type, with no apparent stratigraphy between layers, suggesting that it was deposited within a short period of time. Because we failed to number the buckets of pottery as they were excavated from Context 84 (a fill whose height was 0.84m containing 34 kg of pottery), we cannot now distinguish between pottery from the top of 84 and that from the bottom, to determine if there is in fact any discernible chronological distinction between the top and bottom layers. Yet Contexts 91 and 92, both beneath Context 84 and just above the Vaulted Drain’s floor layer, also contain a mixture of early Roman and late Roman pottery and therefore indicate that they were part of the same deposit as Context 84. Hence it appears that the Vaulted Drain was partially disassembled, and filled, in the Late Roman period.; ; Bronze ring: One find of particular note was a bronze finger ring (MF 2022-39), located quite close to the Vaulted Drain’s floor in Context 91; while this ring has yet to be conserved, its basic form is that of Type 1A finger ring with a setting (Davidson 1952: 228). It is most similar to Davidson No. 1819 (Plate 102/MF 7176; cf. Davidson No. 1818). As this ring form seems to be common in Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine contexts (see Davidson 1952: 232, indicating a gap from the 5th to 10th centuries CE), it is consistent with a late Roman dating for the deposit.; ; Domitian coin: Another noteworthy find from the fill in the Vaulted Drain was Coin 395, a bronze assarion of Domitian, minted in Corinth between 85 and 87 CE. On the reverse is depicted a tetrastyle temple on Acrocorinth, seen in perspective from the left corner. This coin, with the obverse head of Domitian facing right, is an example of a hitherto unknown die combination (all published examples with this reverse pair it with an obverse head facing left). This coin, found in Context 84, is chronologically consistent with the wide chronological variety of the pottery found in that deposit.;  ; Road; Unlike in Context trench 16B, immediately adjacent to the west, we found no definite road surfaces dating as early as the Late Roman period. To the west of Wall 27 the lowest clear road surface was Context 71 or 72, both of which still contained Byzantine green glazed monochrome and other Byzantine pottery dating to the 12th century. Similar layers of road may lay east of Wall 27 but remain to be excavated. ; ; The disassembly of the Vaulted Drain and the lack of Late Roman road surfaces suggest that the area between Water Pipe 3 and Wall 27 was not used as a road surface during the Late Roman period. There may have been a Late Roman road which was either intentionally removed or naturally washed out. Perhaps a flash flood or a partial collapse of the Vaulted Drain caused the east side of the Roman Road to subside in the Late Roman period. Then inhabitants may have taken the opportunity to partly disassemble the Vaulted Drain, fill it in, and then use the disturbed area as something other than a road. ;  ; Byzantine:; ; We have found no features or objects datable to the roughly 600 years from Late Roman to the 12th century CE. 12th century features include Walls 27 and 28, apparent road surfaces to the W of Wall 27, and levels of fill to the E of Wall 27.; ; Road; In the Byzantine Period a road ran N to S along the western side of the trench, to the W of Wall 27. The width of this road may continue East of Wall 27 but this remains to be seen. While the earliest apparent layer or fill of the road contained some 6th Century CE Late Roman pottery, no layer appears to date earlier than the 12th cent. CE. The manner of road construction appears informal: rather than any sort of paved surfaces, the stratigraphy revealed a series of hard packed earth surfaces with occasional inclusions and/or potholes, though since there was no formal construction we cannot say how many road layers there were or the thickness of a given layer. The precise width of the road is similarly not yet secure. At some point in the 12th Century, a cut was made for a foundation trench for Wall 27 (below). ; ; Wall 27 ; Wall 27 appears to be continuous with a wall segment in Trench 18C to the south (although the two segments may not be in perfect alignment with each other). Its construction dates to the 12th Century CE based on pottery in the foundation trench (context no. 48). This wall (length 2.25 m running the entire width of the trench; width varies from .60 to .66 m; height 1.09 m at maximum surviving height)  is characterized by 2 large worked blocks (block (1) width .71 m; height .44 meters; thickness .36 m; block (2) width .62 m; height .70 m; width .32 m; apparent spolia from another structure) in the east face which sit on 2 or 3 courses of at least partly worked stone blocks. There are a few worked smaller square blocks in the wall placed irregularly. The west face is mostly made of irregular unworked cobbles and larger stones 6 or 7 courses high. The fill that went up and over the remaining portion of Wall 27 also dates to the Byzantine Period (Pottery NPD), suggesting the wall went out of use later in the Byzantine or Post Byzantine Periods. Notably, in the fill directly beneath the lowest course of stones on the west side of Wall 27, an intact Roman unguentarium was found (C 2022 6); when dated, this object will establish a terminus post quem for the construction of the foundation trench and wall. Wall 27 provides a 12th century eastern limit for the width of the road after it was constructed. Whether the wall was cut into the middle of an existing Byzantine road, or built against the side of that road remains to be seen.; ; Wall 28 ; Wall 28 runs along the south edge of the eastern side of the trench (length 0.41 m; exposed thickness 0.35 m in W to 0.23 m in E; height 0.15 - 0.20 m). The stones and tile on top are 0.10 to 0.15 m in width forming a sort of capping cours. Wall 28 is an enigma and remains only partially exposed as the scarp encloses the south-facing side. There does not appear to be a foundation trench on the north facing side but the soil level that is at the level abutting the wall and that was in use with the wall with the first course of stones dates to the 12 century CE (pottery). The date of this fill and the construction of the wall probably date to the 12th or later. Wall 28 appears later than Wall 27 based on two features: (i) its base is at a higher elevation than the base of Wall 28 (suggesting deposition of earth after the construction of Wall 27 and before that of Wall 28), and (ii) Wall 28 butts to the E face of Wall 27 rather than being bonded or integrated into the larger wall’s stonework. Wall 28, as it remains now, consists of three or four courses of irregular cobbles and small flat stones and tile pieces. As with Wall 27, the fill which covered the wall dates to the Byzantine Period (Pottery NPD), suggesting this wall went out of use later on in Byzantine or Post Byzantine Period.; ; Suggestions For Future Excavators:; ; A great deal of further excavation is needed to clarify this trench. A parallel trench to our south might be opened to better account for the south-facing side of Wall 28 and any possible foundation trench. Such southern exploration would clarify the purpose of Wall 28 as it relates to Wall 27 and whether it functions as an internal wall to a larger structure. Similarly, such investigation would continue to clarify the courses of Wall 27, Water Pipe 3, and the Vaulted Drain, and the course of the Branch Drain as it lies in relation to its possible source to the (south?) east. A similar parallel trench might be opened to the north as well, in order to better clarify the relationship between the Branch Drain and Vaulted Drain which may join just beyond our north scarp. Digging both north and south would also clarify the disassembly of the Vaulted Drain, and whether this occurred throughout the Vaulted Drain structure. The Amphora Deposit may continue to the NE as evidenced by the remains of Amphora 1 still in the scarp to the north and Amphora 13 underneath Wall 27 to the east. Additional amphora finds from next year’s campaign will need to be collected in relation to the amphoras we excavated to complete their conservation and show us their level of preservation. The road layers and deposits underneath, like the Amphora Deposit, may be better clarified with the removal of Wall 27.","Report","","Northeast of Theater 16C Excavation Summary","","",""
"Corinth","Nezi Field 2013 by Alison Fields, Jessica Lamont (2013-06-23 to 2013-06-24)","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2013 by Alison Fields, Jessica Lamont (2013-06-23 to 2013-06-24)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Alison Fields and Jessica Lamont; Team White, Session 3; Nezi Field Excavations Interim Report; Area 1: N-S 1016.05-1011.70, E-W 274.18-278.91; Area 2: N-S 1009.51-1005.94, E-W 278.90-271.47 ; May 27-June 14 2013; ; This is the final report for the third session of the 2013 excavations in the northeast area of Nezi field. Guy Sanders (director) and Rossana Valente (field director) supervised. The white excavation team consisted of Alison Fields and Jessica Lamont (recorders), Athanasios Notis (foreman and pickman), Tasos Kakouros (pickman), and Vasillis Kollias (shovelman and barrowman).; ; The excavation consisted of two separate areas: Area 1 was bounded to the north by wall 5334, to the east by walls 1137 and 1138, to the south by wall 851, and to the west by wall 746, and began at H 86.28 m. in elevation.  Area 2 was located due south but contained no physical relationship to Area 1.  Area 2 stretched from N-S 1009.51-1005.94, E-W 278.90-271.47, and began at H 87.21 m. in elevation.; ; The goal of this session was to explore the final traces of early Byzantine activity in the excavation area, and to further illuminate the Late Antique/Late Roman levels. The initial aim was to gain a better understanding of the Late Roman/ Late Antique occupational activities in the area. However, excavation of these Late Antique levels exposed a good amount of earlier material, including a puzzling section of Late Classical/Early Hellenistic interior space, possibly containing evidence of ritual activity. ; ; ; LATE CLASSICAL (4TH CENTURY B.C.E.): the Room with the Posthole Feature; ; A small section of a Late Classical (4th century B.C.E.) room (floor 1215) and an associated stone posthole feature (1196) are currently the earliest remains visible in Area 1 (both unexcavated).  These remains are limited at the north by a Late Roman robbing trench (1178), and at the south by a Late Roman foundation trench (1166), both of which have cut away the original N-S extent of the room.  This interior space is represented by a hard-packed clay floor (1215) partially underlying and partially laid up against the western face of the posthole feature.  The small deposit to the east of the posthole feature (limited at the east by Wall 1138) was left unexcavated, so the eastern extent of floor 1215 is unknown, but analysis of the north-facing section created by the Late Roman robbing trench (1178) mentioned above does not show a clear continuation of floor 1215 beyond the posthole feature to the east, which suggests that the posthole feature serves as an eastern boundary for our room.  The western boundary of the room is unknown as floor 1215 runs underneath a Late Roman wall (746) and outside our area of excavation.; ; The posthole feature is composed of two cut stones, set at an approximate NW-SE orientation; however, due to the Late Roman disturbances mentioned above, it is possible that the feature might have extended further to the north and/or south.  The northern stone measures c. 0.38m L x 0.28m W x 0.14m D; the southern stone measures c. 0.52m L x 0.28m W x 0.19m D and contains a cylindrical cutting, slightly off-center toward the north, with a diameter of 0.185m and depth of 0.19m.  The size of the cutting suggests that the stone might have originally supported a wooden column, although no traces of ash or other carbonized remains were found within the posthole, itself.  The construction of the posthole feature and floor 1215 appear to be contemporary as the floor runs underneath the northern stone but appears to be partially laid up against the southern stone.  While it is possible that the northern stone might have been installed later (after the final construction of floor 1215), the similar masonry style and orientation of the two stones suggests they should be interpreted as a unit.; ; Adding to our interpretation that floor 1215 was an interior space was the discovery of an embedded vessel nearly abutting the posthole feature at the SW.  At some point after floor 1215 and the posthole feature were installed, a circular cut (1216) was made into the floor, c. 0.20m in diameter and .05m in depth, in order to accommodate a nearly-complete Late Classical cooking pot (as Corinth VII.6, III-59), dating broadly to the second half of the 4th century B.C.E.  This cooking pot (deposit 1217) was not set on its base, however, but rather upside-down and perfectly vertical, and was thereby embedded beneath the floor from the rim to the shoulder.  This curious and intentional placement indicates that the pot had been re-appropriated for a use alternative to cooking.; ; At some point, perhaps also in the second half of the 4th century B.C.E., a second hard-packed clay floor (1203) was laid c. 0.10m above floor 1215 and was laid up against both the posthole feature and the cooking pot.  The continued use of both features adds their significance and indicates a continuation in the use of space.  Embedded in this same floor, just ca. 0.30m north of the cooking pot and nearly abutting the posthole feature at the northwest, was a shallow depression (0.35 L x 0.26 W) blanketed with a thin layer of sterile, white clay and filled with ash.  Curiously, the ash must have been re-deposited in this feature as the clay itself was unfired.  Just under this feature and partially embedded in the clay was a fine bronze pin (MF-2013-19), a bronze ring (MF-2013-21), and a silver gilded pin with a floral design incised onto the head (awaiting conservation, MF-2013-18).  All of these prestige objects date to the Archaic period, and were thus retained as heirlooms in this Late Classical context. In the case of both pins, the best comparanda come from Archaic sanctuaries such as that of Hera Akraia at Perachora and Artemis Orthia at Sparta.; ; The deposit of these prestige objects inside or just below the clay feature, the re-deposition of ash, and the continued use of the upside-down cooking pot—both nearly abutting the posthole feature—suggest this space was the focus of ritual activity.  Although the base of the upside-down cooking pot was disturbed by a later robbing pit (1206), we speculate whether a hole might have been cut into the base (top) in order to receive libations concurrently with burned offerings upon the clay feature.  In this context, the posthole feature might have served as a focal point, supporting a central, venerated column or monument rather than a beam to bear the weight of the superstructure of a building.; ; This interior space west of the posthole feature might have remained in use for two more phases, represented by clay floors 1195 and 1184; unfortunately any possible relationship they had either with the posthole feature or the venerated cooking pot was obscured by a robbing trench (1198) marking the final use of this interior space.;  ; ; LATE CLASSICAL – EARLY HELLENISTIC (4TH-3RD CENTURIES B.C.E.); ; In the late 4th or early 3rd century B.C.E., the posthole feature was put out of use and covered with a leveling fill or possible surface (deposit 1193, dated by the presence of echinus bowls and a body sherd of West Slope ware).  Perhaps contemporary with this surface was a feature constructed of various tiles fragments (1182) embedded in earth to create a square paved unit (55 x 62 x 9 cm).  Only the northern and western sides were fully preserved as the south side had been cut by the foundation trench for wall 851 and at the east by a robbing trench (1206).  The robbing trench (1206), which was square in shape, ran parallel to the tile feature cutting into deposit 1193 as well.  The shape of the cut suggests that the tile feature originally extended to its eastern edge before being robbed out and covered with a leveling fill (1181). The tile feature consisted of 18 tiles pressed into deposit 1190 at a uniform elevation; the tiles, furthermore, were of (at least) three distinct fabrics arranged at deliberate angles, with little earth separating the individual pieces (typically 1-2cm).  This careful arrangement of tiles atop 1190 rules out a dumped-deposit, suggesting rather the creation of a possible surface.  Notably, the earth packed around and under the tile feature contained a high concentration of carbonized remains, including many fragments of what appear to be whole olives (awaiting archaeobotanical analysis).; ; Interestingly, the tile feature (in its original state) was constructed directly over the area which had contained the embedded cookpot, the clay feature, and the posthole feature (although separated from these by two other floor levels, 1195 and 1184); furthermore, directly overlying the tiles were several joining fragments of a Classical perirrhanterion, suggesting that this area continued to be a locus for ritual activity into the 3rd century B.C.E.  Perhaps the tile feature served as a surface for the perirrhanterion.  Furthermore, the possible related surface to the east, 1193, contained several fragments of miniature vessels, possibly of a votive nature, providing further evidence for ritual activity in the area.  The tile feature and deposit 1193 represent the last clear strata of ritual activity, however, as this level was then filled with two distinct leveling fills, 1181 and 1179, with no discernable features or remarkable finds.  ; ; It is interesting that this ritual activity was concentrated in the same area from the Late Classical period down into the Early Hellenistic period. This quiet interior space and ritual transcended the political turbulence that marred Korinth in the late 4th century BCE. The most contested of battlegrounds, Korinth hosted the armies of Phillip II and his son Alexander (338-323), the Antigonids (323-308), the Ptolemies (308-304), and then, under Demetrios Poliorketes, a second period of Antigonid hegemony. Confronted by chronic war and (forced) foreign rule, it is possible that this ritualized space, which had definite roots in the Classical period, served as a discreet assertion of longstanding Greek identity in the face of a new, Macedonian regime.; ; ; LATE ROMAN (5TH-6TH CENTURIES C.E.); ; In the 5th-6th centuries C.E., but perhaps closer toward the mid-6th century C.E., two substantial pits were dug into our area.  The first was a robbing trench (1178), which ran east from wall 746.  The cut extended from E 276.71 to E 275.07 to a total depth of 1.28 m, at which point the cut reached sterile soil.  The original eastern extent of the trench is unknown, as it was truncated by another pit dating to the Early Byzantine era (1163, see below).  It is likely that this trench was dug in order to rob out an earlier E-W wall that existed before the construction of Wall 746 as the robbing trench fill (1170) appears to continue below the foundation of Wall 746 toward the west and outside our area of excavation.  In addition, the deposits to the north of the robbing trench are distinct from those to the south, which provides further evidence that the deposits were originally separated by some sort of structure. A pre-existing E-W wall running underneath wall 746 in this location would have provided a sharp boundary between the deposits to the north and south and presents the most probable explanation for the different deposition pattern on either side of the cut.  ; ; Much of the cultural material recovered from the robbing trench fill (1170) included Archaic-Hellenistic pottery, including the base of an early Archaic aryballos painted and incised with two hoplite figures; two miniature vessels (skyphos and krater); 2 terracotta figurine fragments; and a bronze earring (selection lot-2013-).   Perhaps these objects were originally used in the Classical period as votives, within the ritual contexts described above, before being cut away by robbing trench 1178.  Although the contents of the robbing trench fill (1170) do not post-date the 1st century C.E. (Early Roman period), we have attributed the creation of the robbing trench to the Late Roman period for two reasons.  First, a leveling fill (1168), which was directly overlying the robbing trench fill (1170), was nearly identical to the robbing trench fill in respect to soil color and composition, but contained a rim of African Red Slip Ware, Form 61B.  This single sherd would down-date the entire deposit substantially, placing it in the 6th c. C.E.  We believe this fill (1168) was part of the same action as the filling of the robbing trench (1170) and served as a subsequent surface.  Secondly, at approximately the same elevation and orientation but further to the south (N 1012.81 – N 1012.48), a foundation trench (1166) was cut in order to construct wall 851.  The fill for the foundation trench (1164) dates securely to the Late Roman period based on an Eastern Aegean micaceous fabric cooking pot as Hesperia 2005, II-35.  The similar orientation and elevation of the cuts suggest they were probably constructed at the same time.  Consequently, we believe that the area lacks undisturbed Early-Middle Roman contexts.; ; It is possible that the removal/destruction of the E-W wall once filling cut 1178—which we believe to have been a robbing trench—happened in connection to a large destructive event, such as the earthquake of 522 CE. After this event, households in the area were dumping debris in various areas (e.g., Nezi Field 2013 Session 1 excavations, contexts 870 and 1040), and likely looking for blocks for reuse and rebuilding. This would explain the chronological discrepancy between the Early Roman pottery of the robbing trench fill (1170), and the Late Roman date of the trench and its leveling fill (1168). With little to no habitation in this area after the Early Roman period, this spot would have been ripe for stone mining after the 522 earthquake. While the pottery could support this in a general way, we are currently reluctant to connect this robbing trench/leveling fill to a single historical event without further excavation. ; ; After this robbing episode, Walls 851, 746, and perhaps also 1138 and the latest phase of Wall 5334, were constructed in order to create an interior space comprising the entirety of our excavation Area 1.  The only datable evidence for this construction episode, however, derives from the foundation trench of Wall 851 (mentioned above).  Although bonded to Wall 851 with plaster and founded at approximately the same elevation, the construction of Wall 746 left no trace of a foundation trench.  The construction of Wall 746 therefore lacks associated pottery.  The latest phase (upper two courses) of Wall 5334 at the north also lacked a foundation trench, and the eastern-most wall of our area, 1137, retained no associated deposits as its western face was cut by an Early Byzantine pit (1163).  However, the bottom elevation of Wall 1137 (H 85.25m) is relative to the bottom elevation of Wall 851 (H 85.38m).  The fact that all four of these walls were founded as approximately the same elevation, and are bonded and aligned perpendicular and parallel to each other, suggests that the space confined by these walls was designed intentionally as a unit, with an entryway at the SE (between Walls 851 and 1137). ; ; ; EARLY BYZANTINE (610-802 C.E.); ; In the late 7th-8th centuries C.E., the interior space confined by the Late Roman walls mentioned above became the location for a massive destruction dump.  Here, abutting wall 5334 at the north and 1137 at the east, a large pit (1163) was constructed (2.55 x 2.06 x 1.55 m; 1015.38 N, 1013.74 S, 278.11 E, 276.73 W).  The cut for the pit reached a total depth of 1.55m, cutting into sterile soil.  The fill of the pit (1145) contained ca. 70% inclusions of large coarse building materials, such as tiles, marble, mosaic floor, and storage vessels, which suggests that the pit might have been dug in order to dump this debris after the destruction of a nearby building.  ; ; The latest datable feature in Area 1 is Wall 1138, which is a solid block of plaster foundation aligned N-S and resting on a single course of stone.  These foundations abut Wall 851 at the east.  Although the structure is lacking a foundation trench and thus all datable material, its construction cut through our Early Byzantine pit at the south, placing the date for the construction of the wall to the 8th century C.E. or later.; ; ; LATE BYZANTINE (1059-1210 CE); ; Excavations in our southernmost area (N-S 1009.51-1005.94, E-W 278.90-271.47) illuminate activities during the Late Byzantine Period, during which this expanse functioned primarily as a dumping ground. Almost all deposits with few exceptions were characterized by large and diverse inclusions such as iron slag, broken tile, pottery (predominantly burnt, broken coarse and cooking ware), rocks, shell, and large bones (jawbones, ribs, etc.). This area contains two pits: a large, late 11th c. CE pit to the east, and a later (mid-late 12th c. CE), smaller pit to the west. The smaller pit (Cut 1229) cuts the topmost level of the larger pit (Deposit 1244, in Cut 1245) and thus postdates it.; ; Most striking in this area is the large pit east of Wall 746 (Cut 1245, N-S 1008.95-1006.39, E-W 277.94-275.39). This pit is square in shape but has rounded edges, and appears to have been cut into a reddish soil visible on the pit’s eastern edge (unexcavated). Measuring 2.7m. L x 2.3m. W x 1.34 m. D, the fill of this pit was excavated in several baskets, created arbitrarily to monitor changes in ceramics relative to elevation. Of particular interest from this pit were the substantial amounts of Byzantine White Ware, painted and glazed in the Polychrome technique. The presence of White Ware Polychrome (Type I & II) cups and plates within four levels of the pit (Deposits 1214, 1234, 1238, 1241) offers new evidence in support of an 11th-early 12th c. CE chronology for the ceramics (as per G. Sanders, 2001, “Byzantine Polychrome Pottery,” pp. 89-104.) In the lowest level of the pit, furthermore, sherds of White Ware Polychrome were found alongside Slip Painted Ware, perhaps explaining the resemblance in shapes between this late regional style. ; ; This big pit continued in use for a long period of time; accordingly, few architectural or large-scale building debris were found, suggesting that this pit was not cut after a single episode or destruction. Rather, at all elevations the pit contained striking amounts of iron slag (over 100 circular slag amalgams, possible “hearth blooms.”) The large presence of iron slag throughout the pit suggests metalworking activity in the area; possibly these highly ferrous deposits are related to Byzantine industry, such as the nearby lock-production. One specimen, containing vitreous blue glass within the slag amalgam, may also suggest nearby glass production. In either case, this area functioned as a dumping grounds for large amounts of metal waste, in addition to organic and rubble debris. ; ; After the full excavation of this pit (Cut 1245), we determined that it was cut in the late 11th century CE, and continued to function until the first half of the 12th century CE when it was put out of use. Despite encountering a few pieces of Frankish fine ware pottery in the bottommost and topmost levels of this pit (Deposits 1244 and 1234, respectively), we interpret these sherds as contaminants from beyond the pit’s southernmost boundary, accidentally breached by our workmen. Likely cutting Pit 1245 was a later Frankish pit further to the south, running under our southernmost scarp. The Frankish sherds emerging in contexts associated with Pit 1245 are thus contaminants, coming from a breach of this later, Frankish context. ; ; Our chronological interpretation of this area—which we date to the Late Byzantine rather than the Frankish Period—can be tested by future excavation of the reddish soil into which Pit 1245 was cut. A substantial deposit is extant to the east of Pit 1245, and a smaller deposit can also be found east of Wall 746, into which the NW part of Pit 1245 was cut. This deposit should be contemporary with or earlier than the late 11th century CE, as it was cut by pit 1245 and filled with debris during the Late Byzantine period. If, however, excavation of this orange earth deposit reveals Frankish pottery, then pit 1245 and its associated deposits (1234, 1238, 1241, and 1244) must be Frankish, too. Further excavation under the southern scarp should also bring to light Frankish activity, namely the deposit(s) into which our pickmen scratched while excavating 1234 and 1244.; ; Finally, the excavation of these pits revealed the southern extent of Wall 746, which by the Late Byzantine period was used as the western, sub ground-level retaining wall for Pit 1245. It was covered over completely in the mid 12th c. CE by the latest fill of Pit 1245.; ; ; FRANKISH PERIOD (1210-1458); ; The same southern area described above (N-S 1009.51-1005.94, E-W 278.90-271.47) exhibits continuity of function into the Early Frankish period, continuing to be used as a dumping ground for debris and organic waste. All strata feature large inclusions such as tile, rough stones, bone, ceramics, shell, etc. in large quantities. ; ; Our latest levels (Deposits 1219, 1212, 1221) date to the Frankish period on firm ceramic grounds, but still feature sherds of Byzantine fine ware. It is likely that in these deposits, we are glimpsing the transition between the Late Byzantine and early Frankish Periods. This scenario serves as a reminder that the material culture at Korinth did not alter instantly in the wake of the Fourth Crusade; the change was gradual. The ceramic record reveals more of an ease into the Frankish era, with vessels categorized as “Byzantine” being used well into the mid-late 13th century CE. ; If politics changed overnight, it appears that the ceramics—and likely other aspects of daily life—did not. ; ; ; RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE:; ; 1.    Contiguous excavations south of Wall 851 to determine whether contexts 1196, 1215, 1216, 1217, 1203, 1197, 1195, 1184, 1198, 1194, 1190, 1182, 1206, and 1181 have parallel strata to the south.; ; 2.    Excavation below floor 1215 and stone feature 1196 to determine whether ritual activity predates the Late Classical period, and how early continuity can be established.; ; 3.    Excavate the deposit immediately east of stone feature 1196 to determine whether the stone feature marked a boundary, or whether the interior space (and associated ritual activities) continued as a related context.; ; 4.    Excavate west of Wall 746 to expose the foundation trench and the strata through which it cuts, and whether the interior ritual space and floor 1215 continues to the west.; ; 5.    Excavate south of the southernmost scarp, and east of Pit 1245 into the red-soil deposit to more firmly secure the chronology of Pits 1245 and 1229.","Report","","Session 3 2013 White:  Late Classical to Frankish Strata in NE Nezi Field","","",""
"Corinth","Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Danielle Smotherman and Tim Brannelly (2015-05-04 to 2015-05-22)","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Danielle Smotherman and Tim Brannelly (2015-05-04 to 2015-05-22)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","","Danielle Smotherman; Timothy Brannelly; Temple E, Southeast Excavations; Session II; Unit 2, Room 9; N: 1086.73, S; 1079.10 N, E: 132.85 E, W: 126.83 E; 4-22 May 2015; ; 2015 Session II, Frankish activity in Unit 2, Room 9; ; This is the final summary of the second session excavation for 2015 in Room 9 of Unit 2 in the Frankish quarter, Temple E Southeast. Guy Sanders (director) and Larkin Kennedy (field director) supervised. Danielle Smotherman and Timothy Brannelly (area supervisors) recorded. The workmen were Thanasis Sakellariou (pickman), Christos Sakellariou (shovelman), and Panagiotis Rontzokos (barrowman, sieve). ; Excavation work focused on Room 9. In Room 9, the area of excavation was bounded by the walls of the room: the East wall (Wall 659: N. 1087.97; S. 1079.86; E. 133.18; W. 130.68), the North wall (Wall 700: N. 1087.11; S. 1086.23; E. 126.99; W. 130.93), the West wall (Wall 720: N. 1086.14; S. 1079.21; E. 128.46; W. 126.48), and the South wall (Wall 729: N. 1079.62; S. 1078.48; E. 132.11; W. 128.35). Excavation in room 9 was done in order to clarify the dating and the relationship between the walls of this room to the other areas of Unit 2 in preparation for the area being presented to the public as part of the Frankish Quarter. Especially of interest was the relationship between the church and the construction of Room 9. ; ; Excavation in Room 9 was begun in Session I 2015, prior to that it had not been excavated since 1996 (NB888 P1-46). The final two days of Session I excavation, 27th and 28th of April, were spent in Room 9. In Session II, Room 9 was excavated 4th-22nd May 2015. The majority of the excavation time in Session II was dedicated to the removal of a very large pit cut into the space, which produced an enormous amount of soil, pottery, bones, and small finds. On the 11th of May, there was a significant amount of rain, which necessitated putting aside soil to dry on the morning of the 12th prior to sieving and created a backlog on the sieve. This soil was not completely sieved until the 15th.  The large pit has been a massive endeavor and the team has been greatly aided by Angela Stamati (sieve), Vasillis Kollias (barrowman), Kostas Arberoris (acting as shovelman), Wesley Bennett (sieve, pottery, small finds), Kurtis Tanaka, and Emilio Rodriguez-Alvarez (sieve).; ; Unit 2, Room 9, excavated 4/5/2015-15/4/2015; ; Frankish Period (AD 1210-1458):; All contexts excavated in the Session II excavation in Room 9 date between the late 13th and 14th centuries by pottery and coins. ; During the third quarter of the 13th century, it is most likely that the space of Room 9 was outdoor. A courtyard surface (Context 772) is preserved in the eastern half of the room, cut by several pits. That courtyard surface is securely dated to the second half of the 13th century by three William Villehardouin coins (coins 2015-227, 2015-228, and 2015-230) all of the CORINTVM type that date AD 1250-78. The courtyard surface was prepared by a leveling fill (Context 792) that was probably put down at one time, even though the pottery represents a mix of periods, because the fill is homogenous throughout. The fill contained three minor finds: a marble stopper (MF-2015-18), a fragment of a glass bracelet (MF-2015-17), and a glass tessera with gold leaf (MF-2015-34). The leveling fill was above an earthen surface, which was not excavated this season. The fill is also securely dated to the second half of the 13th century by three definite William Villehardouin coins, two CORINTI (coins 2015-266 and 2015-313), the other a CORINTVM (coin 2015-312), and two other coins that are most likely also Villehardouin CORINTVM or CORINTI (coins 2015-316 and 2015-320).; ;  A large pit (Context 733/717/726/747, L. 5.7 m, W. 3.1 m, N. 1083.88; S. 1079.99; E. 130.80; W. 127.50) was dug into the courtyard surface during the fourth quarter of the 13th century and filled with a mix of pottery, animal bones, industrial rubbish such as iron crucibles, part of a glass kiln, and domestic refuse including crochet hooks. The middle layer in the pit, Context 726, contained a stamped amphora handle from Zakynthos (C-2015-1), and the following minor finds: an iron weight (MF-2015-11), an iron door handle (MF-2015-10), an iron knife (MF-2015-35), an iron blade (MF-2015-38), a square iron buckle (MF-2015-36), a pierced bronze disc (MF-2015-37), a bone die (MF-2015-30), a bronze pendant (MF-2015-33), a glass bead (MF-2015-39), a silver pendant (MF-2015-9), and a silver necklace with a coral pendant, silver cross, bronze cross, and glass bead (MF-2015-21). The top level of the pit, which spills outside of the cut of the pit, included a pilgrims’shell (MF-2015-19) and a bronze earring (MF-2015-40). The pit most likely represents a trash dump that may not reflect the use of nearby spaces. Excavation of the pit also revealed the side of a cistern, which was not excavated this session as it remains under nearly a meter of fill in the eastern half of the room. ; ; Numismatic finds in the pit were numerous with a total of 40 coins found, several of which securely date to the Frankish period. In addition to several Byzantine coins, several of which belong to Manuel I, AD 1143-1180 (coins 2015-143, 2015-161, and 2015-204), Context 726 yielded several Frankish coins belonging to William Villehardouin as well as several French Royal coins also belonging to the 13th century. Coins 2015-124 and 2015-127 are Villehardouin CORINTI coins, Coin 2015-139 is a Villehardouin CORINTVM coin (both dated c. 1250-1278). Coin 2015-138 is a French St. Martin of Tours coin utilizing the imagery of the castle Tournois, which Villehardouin also used on some of his coins, dated to the 13th century, while coins 2015-145 and 2015-201 belong either to the reign of Louis VIII or Louis IX and are dated 1223-1270. In addition, coin 2015-149, although illegible, is most likely either a French royal or a Frankish Villehardouin coin. Likewise, Context 747, the lower sense of the large pit, yielded a similar assortment of coins, albeit a smaller number. Several of the coins from Context 747 were unfortunately illegible, but are most likely Frankish, including coins 2015-184 and 2015-186. The only secure Villehardouin coin from context 747 is Coin 2015-164, a CORINTVM type. Furthermore, the deposit at the bottom of the pit (Context 773), which, according to pottery, is actually not part of the pit and represents the level to which the pit was cut, has a date of the fourth quarter of the 13th century, indicating that the pit must have been cut and filled during the later part of the fourth quarter of the 13th century. Context 773 also yielded a single Villehardouin CORINTI coin (Coin 2015-215), which may have found its way into this lower level when the pit was cut. For a list of all the coins by their respective contexts and with their dates, see the attached chart. It is worth noting that none of the coins postdates William Villehardouin and 1278.; ; In the fourth quarter of the 13th century, the area ceased to be used as a trash dump and became an indoor space. The first wall definitely constructed in the space of Room 9 was the North wall (Wall 700: N. 1087.11; S. 1086.23; E. 126.99; W. 130.93). The pottery from the foundation trench for the N. Wall, Context 706, indicates a date of the fourth quarter of the 13th, and the three Villehardouin CORINTVM coins from the trench, Coins 2015-111, 2015-112, and 2015-113, can be dated 1250-1278, thus confirming the date from the pottery. A leveling fill which covers the foundation trench also dates to the late 13th century by the pottery (Context 696) and indicates the beginning of the indoor use of the space. The floor itself was excavated in 1996 (NB888 B38 P42; NB888 B41 P45-46), at a higher elevation. The East wall (Wall 659: N. 1087.97; S. 1079.86; E. 133.18; W. 130.68) and its respective foundation trench (Contexts 673/672) is only generally dated to the early 14th and late 13th centuries by the pottery. The West wall (Wall 720: N. 1086.14; S. 1079.21; E. 128.46; W. 126.48) rests on the bottom of the large pit (Contexts 733/717/726/747), which could have served as the foundation trench for the wall in the late 13th century and was partially robbed out in the later 13th/early 14th centuries, so the foundation and the robbing out of the wall may be very close in time (Contexts 664/663). Excavation thus far has not indicated a date for the South wall (Wall 729: N. 1079.62; S. 1078.48; E. 132.11; W. 128.35), but it may be contemporary with Wall 720 because they do meet at the SW corner of the room along with Wall 156. It is not clear how the walls bond, so their stratigraphic relationship is in question. In general, the corners of the room are obscured or the walls appear to rest against one another without clear stratigraphic relationships: the Northwest corner of the room is obscured by a robbing trench (Walls 700 and 729), the Northeast corner includes touching walls (Walls 659 and 700), the Southeast corner is disturbed by the pit in the corner (Walls 659 and 729), and the Southwest corner (Walls 720 and 729) meet. It is possible that the relationship at the corner of 729 and 720 could be clarified by further excavation, but it is not clear at the current level of excavation. Wall 729 was later extended to the west by Wall 156, which dates to the mid- to late-13th century (cf. Bennett Session I summary), indicating that Room 9 was an interior space prior to either the creation of an enclosed passageway north of the Church or prior to the enclosure of the southern end of Room 8.; ; Multiple layers of fill, unevenly distributed in the room, were excavated and represent multiple depositional activities in the space during the late 13th - early 14th centuries, dated generally by the pottery (Contexts 652, 674, 676, 679, 683, 685, 699, 694, 704, 712, 715). These layers of fills appear to be contained within the walls, with only the unexcavated earthen surface appearing to go under the east wall (Wall 659).  In part, some of these could be leveling fills to raise the floor level, possibly to the 14th century floor level excavated in 1996, a small portion of which was excavated in Session I (NB888 B38 P42; NB888 B41 P45-46; Contexts 628 and 634). Among the levels of fill, a bronze hinge comes from a layer of ashy fill (MF-2015-32, Context 652), a lead mending strip was recovered from Context 712 (MF-2015-20), a lead seal was recovered in the trench 692/695 (MF-2015-31), and another bone die in the fill directly above the pit (MF-2015-29, Context 685). It is possible that the space went out of use for a short period of time when two small and relatively shallow circular rubbish pits (Contexts 660/665 and 661/666), a small post hole (Context 689), and a larger rectangular trench of unknown use (Context 695/692, L. 1.87 m., W. 1.0 m., D. 0.20 m., N. 1083.60; S. 1083.00; E. 129.50; W. 127.68) were cut into the fill.; ; Above the tile floor removed in 1996, the previous excavators also encountered a layer of destruction debris, primarily tiles, which was originally dated to the late 13th-early 14th century and now thought to be 14th century in date (NB888 B32 P36, NB888 B37 P41) providing evidence for when the room went out of use. ; ; Early Modern:; The pit in the center of Room 9 is a later intrusion (NB888 B18 P22-23; NB888 23 P26; NB888 B24 P27; NB888 B25 P28). It was excavated in 1996 to a total depth of 0.80 m and the material of the fill dated primarily to the 18th and 19th centuries, with some earlier materials included (a 12th century coin, Coin 1996-150, and some 16th century pottery). The final lense in the pit contained 13th century pottery, but this most likely indicates material disturbed by the cut of the pit rather than the date of the pit itself. This pit cut through a portion of the large pit (Contexts 733/717/726/747) excavated in Session II. ; ; Future goals:; 1.    Full inventory of all the minor finds from Room 9. As time was limited, not all minor objects were fully inventoried by the end of Session II, although all were noted. These objects can provide more information on the use of the space in the late 13th-early 14th centuries. ; 2.    Try to find a foundation trench for the South wall (Wall 729) of Room 9 to help clarify the construction dates of the wall as well as to identify the relationship between Wall 729 and Walls 270, to the North, and 156, to the West. ; 3.    Explore the cistern under the courtyard, the side of which was revealed by the excavation of the large pit, and which needs to be excavated and filled prior to the final consolidation of Room 9. ; 4.    Further excavate the room to get a better understanding of its function prior to becoming an indoor space and its relationship to the church. ;  ; APPENDIX I: COINS; ; Context 639; Coin 43 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); ; Context 647; Coin 49 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 51 (sieve)    Frankish (1223-1250); Coin 53 (sieve)    Frankish (1200-1299); ; Context 652; Coin 56 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 57 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 62 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 63 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 64 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 65 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); ; Context 663; Coin 75 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); ; Context 676; Coin 91 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); ; Context 679; Coin 93 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 94    Illegible; Coin 95    Frankish (1223-1270); ; Context 683; Coin 96 (sieve)    Not a coin; ; Context 688; Coin 97 (sieve)    Frankish (1223-1270); ; Context 692; Coin 98 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); ; Context 696; Coin 100 (findspot)    Frankish; Coin 106 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); ; Context 704; Coin 109 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); ; Context 706 (foundation trench for Wall 700); Coin 111 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 112 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 113 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); ; Context 715; Coin 130 (sieve)    Frankish ; Coin 117 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 132 (sieve)    Not a coin; ; Context 717 (top of large pit?); Coin 118 (findspot)    Greek (400-300 BC); Coin 119 (sieve)    Frankish (1223-1270); Coin 120 (findspot)    Byzantine; Coin 121 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1184); Coin 122 (sieve)    Greek ; Coin 123 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 125 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 126 (sieve)    Frankish; ; Context 720 (Wall, under a loose rock); Coin 212 (findspot)    Illegible; ; Context 726 (large pit); Coin 124 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 127 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 128 (findspot)    Roman Imperial; Coin 129 (sieve)    Frankish; Coin 137 (findspot)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 138 (findspot)    Frankish (1235-1278); Coin 139 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 141 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 143 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 144 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 145 (findspot)    Frankish (1223-1270); Coin 149 (findspot)    Frankish (1223-1270); Coin 152 (sieve)    Byzantine (1150-1190); Coin 153 (sieve)    Byzantine ; Coin 154 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 155 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 156 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 159 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 160 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 161 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 162 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 194 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 201 (sieve)    Frankish (1223-1250); Coin 203 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 204 (sieve)    Illegible; Context 747 (large pit); Coin 163 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 164 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 180 (sieve)    Byzantine (1082-1118); Coin 181 (sieve)    Byzantine (1075-1080); Coin 183 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 184 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 185 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 186 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 187 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 196 (sieve)    Byzantine (1078-1081); Coin 199 (sieve)    Byzantine (1070-1095); Coin 202    Not a coin; ; Context 772 (courtyard paving); Coin 227 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 228 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 229 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 230 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 231 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 232 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 261 (sieve)     unread; ; Context 773 (level at bottom of large pit); Coin 213 (sieve)    Byzantine; Coin 215 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); ; Context 792 (leveling fill under courtyard paving); Coin 261    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 262 (findspot)    Greek Imperial (193-217); Coin 266 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 268 (findspot)    Byzantine (1081-1118); Coin 270 (findspot)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 291 (sieve)    Roman Imperial; Coin 293 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 309 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 310 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 311 (sieve)    Roman Imperial; Coin 312 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 313 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 314 (sieve)    Roman Imperial; Coin 315 (sieve)    Roman Imperial; Coin 316 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 317 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 318 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 319 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 320 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 321 (loose dirt in Wall 659)    Frankish (1250–1278)","Report","","2015 Session II, Frankish activity in Unit 2, Room 9","","",""
"Corinth","Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Stephanie Kimmey and Jennifer LaFleur (2014-04-07 to 2014-04-28)","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Stephanie Kimmey and Jennifer LaFleur (2014-04-07 to 2014-04-28)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","","Stephanie Kimmey and Jennifer LaFleur; Session 1; TESE Excavations, NW Passage; N: 1073.00 N;    S: 1058.07 N;     E: 108.91 E;     W: 94.00 E; April 7-May 3, 2014; ; This is the final summary of excavation for the first session of the 2014 excavation season which took place in the Frankish quarter, southeast of Temple E.  Guy Sanders (director) and Jody Cundy (field director) supervised.  The area supervisors were Stephanie Kimmey and Jennifer LaFleur (recorders), and the workmen were Thanasis Sakellariou (pick man), Christos Sakellariou (shovel man), and Agamemnon Karbouniares (wheelbarrow man).  Excavations began on April 7, 2014 and ended on April 25, 2014.; ; Excavations occurred in the NW passage, in the courtyard and exterior areas between Units 1 and 2 of the Frankish quarter, in an area roughly shaped like an ‘L’.  Thus there is a secondary east and north boundary dictated by the west and south walls of Unit 2, Room A. To the north our area was bounded by a modern water pipe (1073.00 N; NB 839).  On the west by an excavation scarp to the west of Wall 8 (also known as NB 866, Wall 4) that lay on the grid at 94.00 E.  The south boundary was determined by the north wall of the courtyard of Unit 1 (1058.07 N).  The eastern boundary was the west wall of Unit 2, Room 3 (also known as NB. 830, Wall II) on the grid at 108.91 E.  For the first week work concentrated along the western part of the area and for the remaining two weeks, within the eastern half of the courtyard proper.  In the last week of excavation, we sectioned off the northeast corner of the courtyard (N: 1063.53; S: 1062.00; E: 108.85; W: 103.01 E).; ; The goal of excavation this session is to better understand the activities and chronology of the Frankish quarter.  Concerns related to the future consolidation and conservation of the area in order to open it to the public also determined excavation activities.  More specifically, our area will allow for a clearer sense of exterior activities bordering both the domestic space (TESE Unit 1) and the church complex (TESE Unit 2); ; Frankish (13th and 14th century); ; Roads; In order to facilitate communication between the church complex (TESE Unit 2) and domestic spaces (TESE Unit 1) within the Frankish quarter, a series of roads were built on a north-south axis running to the west of the buildings.  One of these was a very well built, level road surface (Deposit 36, N-S: 1071.61-1065.68) that was laid up to the west wall of the church complex (Unit 2).  This road was later cut by two pits, one possibly a post hole due to its circular shape (Cut 35, N-S: 1068.13), the other is irregular and possibly due to animal activity (Deposit 27; N-S: 1069.60-1069.1).  Both of these pits were filled in either by wash over the road or naturally, since both fills contained no material culture.  The pits are still clearly visible in the lower layers of roads.   The roads were built and maintained over a long period of time, as evidenced by their superimposed nature.  The purposefully built roads are typically characterized by their use of round and angular pebbles and cobbles mixed with a sandy silt soil.  Over time these roads were either relaid or resurfaced as a result of wear and damage from extended use and human activity.  Thus it is also possible that the western part of the preserved road was later resurfaced to cover the post hole, evidenced by the thin lens of a small rounded pebble road surface laid above the post hole (Deposit 33; N-S: 1069.42-1066.89; E-W: 97.12- 96.32).  It is clear that these roads were important in the Frankish period because of their location within a high traffic area and the continual maintenance over time.  To the south the roads allow for the shops on the west side of the domestic space (Unit 1) to communicate with the extended Frankish community.; ; Also cut into this series of roads (most clearly evident in the unexcavated surfaces) was a possible foundation trench (Cut 65; N-S: 1070.23-1068.76) for a north-south wall (Structure 51; N-S: 1070.18-1068.50) that forms the west wall of the church complex (TESE Unit 2 Room A, NB 839).  After the wall was built, this cut was filled first with a layer of large subrounded stones (in situ), followed by a dark yellowish brown soil fill (Deposits 57 and 60).  Within this fill (Deposit 60) was found a Corinthian Villehardouin coin (Coin 2014-17) of Frankish date (1246-1278).  This can provide a terminus post quem of the third quarter of the 13th century for the construction of Room A.; ; Courtyard; A rectangular courtyard lies between the church complex (TESE Unit 2) and the domestic space (TESE Unit 1), which can be accessed from an alley in the southeast corner (N: 1058.20; E: 107.89) or from the west, which is open to the roads.  It was an area of high activity as evidenced by the multiple layers of surfacing and leveling within a short period of time, spanning the end of the 13th and beginning of the 14th centuries.  Upon these surfaces was built a circular stone structure (Structure 94) that was laid against the exterior face of the west wall of the church complex (NB 830, Wall II; TESE Unit 1, Room 3).  This structure is one course 0.57m high with an exterior diameter of 2.66m, built of roughly hewn limestone, conglomerate, and tiles, with no bonding material (N-S: 1063.37-1060.70; E-W: 109.03-107.04).  Its function remains a mystery, but was filled in the late 13th century (Deposit 96: Lot 2014-013) by a layer of light brown soil with pebbles, bone and material culture that does not appear to be related to its use.; ; Within the northeastern area of the courtyard (sectioned at N: 1063.53; S: 1062.00; E: 108.85; W: 103.01 E) a clayey silt layer (Deposit 173: Lot 2014-015) was deposited in preparation for the laying of a pebble courtyard surface (Deposit 172: Lot 2014-016).  The leveling fill contained a purple steatite button (MF 2014-14) and a Frankish coin of Guy I or II de la Roche of Theban mint dating to 1280-1308 (Coin 2014-70).  This functioned as a leveling fill to cover a circular cutting (Cut 178), which may have been a post hole, a large pit (Cut 187), and a possible refuse dump (Deposits 180 and 186: Lot 2014-014) within the northern area of the courtyard.  Included in the refuse dump was a small iron key (MF 2014-8).  Upon this leveling fill a small bench of three roughly hewn stones, measuring 0.69 x 0.31 x 0.15m (Structure 147; E-W: 105.67-104.98), was installed parallel to the south wall of the church complex (TESE Unit 2, Rooms A and B).  Both the surface and the bench were laid upon the leveling fill, but since the two do not interact with one another it is not possible to know which activity came first.  Into this pebble surface a shallow, oval pit (Cut 171) was dug, and its fill (Deposit 170: Lot 2014-017) was characterized by its high concentration of ash.  This pit may be the result of an outdoor cooking event, which seems contemporary with the use of the pebbled courtyard.  Subsequent to this activity, a second layer of pebbles (Deposit 163) was laid to resurface the area, in which were found two adhering iron keys (MF 2014-7a, b) and a small fragment of a stamped Arretine plate (C 2014-5).  This second layer of pebbles had larger, rounded pebbles in comparison with the first layer of pebbles (Deposit 172).  The layer not only resurfaced the area, covering over the ash pit, but extended further to the north to abut the bench (N: 1064.51) and further to the west (103.01, western limit of section).  These pebble surfaces stand out because of their high concentration of river pebbles indicating that they were specifically intended for the courtyard surface.  The use of river pebbles would allow for better drainage of water within the courtyard, which may have been necessary after using clay as a leveling agent.  These phases of activity happened in relatively quick succession at the end of the 13th century; the material culture from these surfaces is not sufficient to provide more specific dates.  As a result of sectioning the courtyard to focus in the northeastern area, it is impossible at this time to make generalizations about the use of the courtyard and its relationship to the larger Frankish quarter based on observations in this limited space. ; ; The activity in the northeast corner of the courtyard may reflect a separate series of events within the 14th century.  The surfaces were destroyed by several pits of varying sizes (unexcavated), which allowed for a later disposal of a large amount of material (Deposit 167: Lot 2014-018), including a high concentration of bones and ceramics, including a ceramic waster of a coarse ware basin (C 2014-4).  The origin of this material is unclear, but there was a similar amount of fine and cooking wares, which is notable.  This, in addition to the bones, may suggest a refuse dump.  Over this dump, a leveling fill (Deposits 152 and 158) of dark brownish black soil with rare shell and carbon was deposited, unrelated to the earlier clay leveling, which lies further to the west.  Also in this fill were two Frankish coins, one a Corinthian Villehardouin dating to 1250-1278 (Coin 2014-64) and the other a Charles I of Anjou from Avignon dating to 1246-1285 (Coin 2014-65).  This fill also served to cover a small pit in the far northeastern corner of the courtyard (Cut 161; E-W: 108.41-107.74) and its light brownish black soil fill (Deposit 160), which may be associated with the leveling (Deposit 152).  The pit’s function cannot be determined as it was truncated on the north and east by the reconstructed walls of the church complex (Wall II and Wall III, NB 853).  There was not sufficient material culture within the pit to provide a more specific date than the Frankish period.  Upon the leveling fill, the bench (Structure 147) was extended to the east (Structure 146; E-W: 107.01-105.71) in a second phase that was not as well built as the first.  This addition measured 1.13 x 0.40 x 0.19m.  The four stones were not of identical shape or size, nor were they laid as carefully.  There is no constructed surface associated with this leveling.  These two factors suggest that a project to expand the pebbled courtyard surface to the east was begun but not completed.; ; In the 14th century, the majority of the courtyard was leveled by a substantial fill (Deposit 117: Lot 2014-020; N-S: 1064.44-1059.75; E-W: 108.80-100.23).  The dark brownish black fill had a high concentration of ceramic, while the rest of the inclusions made up only 5% of the soil matrix.  Also within this layer were the following special objects:  a blue-threaded glass lamp (MF 2014-10); a lead weight (MF 2014-12); a marble capital fragment (A 2014-1).  In addition to these were three Villehardouin Frankish coins from Clarenza (Coins 2014-40, 2014-42, 2014-44) and one of Corinthian mint (Coin 2014-47), all dating to 1250-1278.  By the early 14th century, as dated by the pottery, the courtyard was completely covered  (Cut 143; N-S: 1060.81-1059.81; Cut 145; E-W: 103.64-100.19). One pit was filled with dark brownish black clayey silt (Deposit 142) and had very little material culture.  It does not seem to be intentional because of its location and irregular cutting, but may be the result of animal activity.  The other pit was filled by dark grayish brown sandy silt with a high concentration of ceramics, bones, shell and carbon (Deposit 144: Lot 2014-019).  The contents suggest that this was a refuse dump.  Also within the fill was one Frankish Villehardouin coin of Corinthian mint dating to 1250-1278 (Coin 2014-62), which supports the ceramic dating of the fill to the late 13th to early 14th century.  Its full southern extent is unknown because of the reconsolidation of the north wall of the domestic space (TESE Unit 1) truncates the pit.  To the west and northeast the fill and cut of the pit are truncated by a drain (Structure 164; N: 1060.40; S: 1058.00; E: 101.65; W: 99.36), which enters the courtyard from the south and turns to the east in a curve 2.76m in length.  The drain was constructed with a tile lining at the bottom and orthostates of a variety of materials, mostly rough hewn: marble, limestone, and conglomerate.  The drain was then capped with stone.  The relationship between the leveling fill (Deposit 117) and the drain (Structure 164) is unclear due to previous excavation in the early 1990s (B. 15, 29, 40, 41, 42; NB 880).  In addition, the leveling fill covered the southwestern part of the circular stone structure (Structure 94) where its upper courses had tumbled due to its lack of bonding agent.  This indicates that the structure had gone out of use by that time.; ; After the courtyard was leveled, no well-built surface was immediately laid.  In the southeast corner of the courtyard were two superimposed surfaces made of pebbles, cobbles, and shells (Deposits 109 and 113).  It is possible that the later deposit was a resurfacing and extension of the earlier one. Within that later deposit were two coins, one illegible (Coin 2014-35) and one a Frankish coin minted in Corinth (Coin 2014-36: 1250-?).  These surfaces did not extent far into the courtyard (Deposit 109; N: 1060.83; Deposit 113; N: 1059.58).  Their southern extent is unknown due to excavation boundaries, but it is possible that these surfaces continue into the alley that runs between the church complex and the domestic space (Units 1 and 2), while their full northwestern extent was not preserved.; ; The only surface (Deposit 102) to follow the massive early 14th century leveling event (Deposit 117) is not well made.  It did include flat cobbles and tile at a low concentration, but was mainly made of light brown black sandy silt.  Also within the deposit was found the upper part of a terracotta female figurine, Greco-Roman in date (MF 2014-11) and a Frankish coin of Clarenza mint with a terminus post quem of 1250 (Coin 2014-29).  This surface was not only laid upon its leveling fill, but also seemed to cover a pit (Cut 108; N-S: 1064.12-1063.13), which was mostly filled with cobbles and tile (Deposit 107) that seem to have been deposited as part of the preparation for the laying of the surface.  Within this fill were found two Villehardouin coins of Frankish date (Coin 2014-31: Clarenza mint, 1250-1278; Coin 2014-32: Tours mint, 1223-1270).  The pit also cut into a very thin, irregular lens of light reddish brown clayey silt that lay between the leveling fill and the subsequent courtyard surface, which may have been some kind of debris dropped in the courtyard.  ; ; In the northwest corner of the courtyard is a 1.87m deep bothros (Cut 80; N-S: 1063.80-1062.93; E-W: 101.88-101.03), in which was found a homogenous deposit of dark brownish black sandy silt with a high concentration of ceramic and bone (Deposits 78, 88, and 100: Lot 2014-021).   The material culture within the fill included some joining fragments, suggesting that the ceramics and bone were part of quick filling during a single event.  The bothros was carefully cut into a bell-shape (Diam. of top: 0.79; Diam. of bottom: 1.53) with a flat bottom, as well as the addition of four hand-holds.  These hand-holds are regularly placed, two cut into the northwest and two in the southwest.  The concern for ease of access to this space argues against a single use for the bothros; perhaps it was originally dug as a storage area.  Although the layers through which the bothros was cut are still unexcavated, an architectural fragment possibly of Roman date is visible at the bottom of the cut.  The neck of the bothros had a much higher concentration of large tile fragments and boulders, forming a seal for the deposit.  The top of the fill was capped by four large stones.  The ceramics date the fill and quite probably, then, the cut as well, to the 14th century.  A coin found near the top of the fill supports this date (Coin 2014-21).; ; Turkish II (18th and 19th century); During the Turkish period, a series of superimposed roads continued to be laid on the north-south axis within the corridor to the west of the domestic space (TESE Unit 1) and continuing to the western edge of church complex (TESE Unit 2).  Many of them were later truncated by modern activities, so their full extents are unknown.  One of the Turkish roads (Deposit 30) that ran to the west of TESE Unit 2, Room A (N-S: 1071.90-1069.80; W-E: 96.95-98.62) was a metalled road made primarily of tiles and medium angular cobbles.  Although it has been interpreted as a road, it was a very thin lens and thus possibly the result of an underdug context from the 1995 excavation season.  In 1995, a series of superimposed Early Modern and Turkish roads were removed from the area, and Deposit 30 may be associated with B. 45 (NB839).  The Turkish roads appear to have been laid directly upon the layers of Frankish roads with no activity from the Post-Medieval or Venetian periods.  This leads to several suggestions about the use of this N-S corridor.  While this space continued to be used to facilitate communication between buildings in the Frankish period, its identity as a road continued through to the 19th century (B. 40 and 61, NB 839).  Its exact direction and function during the Turkish period is unclear since only a small part of it has been preserved.; ; Modern (1992 to the present); The modern feature that had the most impact on the excavation of ancient layers was Deposit 12, the fill for Cut 16, both associated with the modern water pipe.  Prior to World War II, Mrs. Kosmopoulou excavated in the area to Neolithic levels (Grid 83G; B. 81, NB 839, p. 139); her trench was subsequently backfilled.  Then at some point before 1995 a foundation trench was dug through the backfill in order to lay the water pipe.  The preserved portion of this trench extends east to west (E: 97.10; W: 94.97), while the water pipe continues in both directions to an unknown extent within unexcavated areas.  In 1995, the water pipe was again exposed as a result of excavation activities.  At some point after the 1995 season, it was backfilled a second time, probably to preserve the stability of the water pipe.  Thus the current excavation revealed a cut stepped on the south side (top elevations 86.17 and 85.72) as a result of several phases of activity.  The cut truncates the northern extent of the series of roads that run to the west of Unit 2 and along the corridor between Units 1, 3 and 4 (at 1070.15 N).  The fully exposed length of the modern water pipe is 5.81m (circumference 0.21m); only 2.15m of this was exposed this season.; Throughout our area excavations had previously been conducted in the 1992 through the 1995 seasons.  These excavations had revealed several features within the area including a wall, Structure 8 (Wall 4, NB 866 and NB 880), a Frankish water channel (NB 880, p. 79), a second drain to the north of Unit 1 (Structure 164; also see NB 880, p. 62-77), and modern water pipe (NB 839, p. 139).  In the subsequent years, though unknown to the current excavators, these features were backfilled.  The area was backfilled to allow for the ease of transportation of materials and machines needed to consolidate the walls of the buildings for Units 1 and Unit 2.; ; Conclusions and Recommendations for Future Work:; 1.    Explore the date of the circular stone structure in the courtyard (Structure 94) by removing the surface upon which it sits.  This may also aid in determining its function.; ; 2.    Continue to excavate the lenses of fill in the northeast corner of the courtyard, especially what Deposit 167 revealed to determine if it was either overdug or taken out of sequence. ; ; 3.    Clarify the use and construction for the south drain (Structure 164).; ; 4.    Remove courtyard layers into which the bothros cuts (Cut 80) to support or refute the currently proposed date.; ; 5.    Continue the removal of the superimposed roads to the west of Unit 2.  This will answer several questions: What is the relationship between the roads and Wall 51 and the vaulted chamber?  Is the currently exposed cut for the north drain related to excavation, cleaning, or repair?  This will also allow for the discovery of the drain’s foundation trench, which seems to cut these roads.; ; 6.    Excavate the possible graves in the western side of our excavation area.","Report","","Final Summary, Session I (NW Passage)","","",""
"Corinth","New Apotheke: D. Kokolopoulos and E. Lambraki Field 2016 by  (2016-05-30 to 2016-08-13)","Corinth:Report:New Apotheke: D. Kokolopoulos and E. Lambraki Field 2016 by  (2016-05-30 to 2016-08-13)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | New Apotheke: D. Kokolopoulos and E. Lambraki Field","","This excavation was undertaken from May 30-August 13, 2016 in the area of the planned new apotheke of the ASCSA’s Corinth Excavations. As the excavation permit requires, the primary objective was to reach floor levels within the rooms of three different houses exposed in this area. The stratigraphy investigated in these buildings ranges from the 11th century to the third quarter of the 12th century and suggests that there are two main architectural phases before a period of abandonment in the late 12th century. Traces of the foundations of structures datable to the early Byzantine periods were also investigated. ; ; The site itself slopes from south (60.023 masl) to north (58.586 masl) with the highest wall of the southernmost Byzantine house (Wall 34) at 59.646 masl or roughly 0.5m below ground level (see cross-sections). Most of the walls of the Byzantine houses are preserved only to their lowest foundation courses. The best-preserved wall (Wall 283) consisted of seven courses and stood 1.45m high (with the top at 59.47 masl). Furthermore some of the walls were robbed out after the abandonment of the houses and during excavation their robbing trenches were identified. The Byzantine architecture was built, in the southern part of the site, directly over the foundations of three Early Byzantine structures. The rest of the Byzantine structures were constructed over a mixed fill that contained small amounts of primarily Classical to Byzantine pottery or built directly on top of a deep layer red clay stereo without any material culture. The existence of the consistent layer of red clay stereo across the site was demonstrated by the excavations of six test trenches (labeled 1-6 on Master Plan) within the original bulldozer trenches that all reached this same layer at approximately 57.35 masl on the south side and 56.87 masl towards the north end of the site (see cross-sections). The deepest wall foundations of the Byzantine structures (including Wall 373) were set directly upon the red clay stereo level (see below) and we can therefore conclude that any earlier features (including the Early Byzantine) that may have existed were heavily disturbed by the construction of these houses. Furthermore, the very small amount of pottery datable to before the 5th century AD that was recovered in excavated contexts throughout the site, in comparison to the Forum area or other ASCSA excavated-sites in ancient Corinth, strongly suggests that there was no significant activity here before the Early Byzantine period. The site is therefore primarily a single-period site consisting of three Byzantine structures.; ; The following report will summarize the main phases of the Byzantine structures before discussing the evidence for Early Byzantine and Early Modern activities in the excavated area. Please refer to the attached plan (Master Plan) for wall and room numbers from all periods.; ; The Byzantine Houses; ; 1) The southernmost house consists of rooms 1-6, 8, and 17, as well as the area immediately west of room 17 (see Master Plan). It appears that the earliest phases of this structure date as early the first half of the 11th century on the basis of Pits 234 and 238, which provide a terminus post quem of the second half of the 11th century; as does the material in Contexts 92 and 99.  Three structures of the Early Byzantine period were also truncated by the construction of this house (see below). The latest material in this house dates to the third quarter of the 12th century (see Rooms 5, 6, 8); the same period that courtyard and northern rooms of the central house were remodeled. It is likely that the original floor surfaces associated with this last phase of this southern house were highly disturbed by later agricultural activities. A 19th-century cistern (Structure 12) was also cut through Room 1 (see below). ; Rooms 1, 2 and 3 (see Master Plan); The stratigraphy south of Wall 11 in Room 1 appears to be highly compromised by 19th-century activities and as a result the interior spaces are poorly preserved. Before this period, the latest material in Room 1 belongs to the early 12th century (dated by pottery in Contexts 17 and 32), while all earlier deposits contained 11th-century ceramic material. ; During the course of the 11th century or early 12th  century, Wall 11 was remodeled to insert a drain (Structure 45), which runs N-S along the east side of Wall 18; it also appears to continue south beneath the extant segment of Wall 18.  Based on pottery found in the exposed segment of the drain (Context 44 – pottery dated to the 11th century), this drain likely went out of use when the house was remodeled in the 12th century.; Room 2 is delimited by Wall 6 (running east-west along the south edge of the room), Wall 20 (running north-south along the west edge of the room, its stones robbed out in its southern section), Wall 11 (running east-west along the north edge of the room; cut by the bulldozer trench 8), and Wall 159, a north-south wall running along the east side of the room (also cut by the bulldozer trench 8). Room 2 had been excavated to the tops of the walls throughout most of the room in 2015.; The latest fill in Room 2 dates to the third-quarter of the 12th century (Context 2) and probably relates to either abandonment or remodeling of the house in that period. A possible 11th-century occupational level, represented by an earthen floor (Structure 23, excavated as Context 31) in the eastern half of the room.  A fragment of a pietro ollare vessel (NA #4 from Context 27) was also found associated with the floor. ; Room 3 is a small room immediately to the south of Room 2. It is delimited on the north side by Wall 6 (running east-west), on its west side by Wall 35 (a continuation of Wall 20 to the north, running north-south), on its east side by Wall 36 (running north-south) and on its south side by two walls running east-west: Wall 42, dating to the 11th century, and Wall 34, probably dating to the later 12th century phase. ; Room 3 contained a series of fills dating to the 11th century (Contexts 37 and 39) that were laid up against Walls 34 and 35 and therefore provide a terminus ante quem for these walls of the 11th century and may be part of the leveling operation in the second phase of the building. ; Walls 34, 35, and 42 belong to the first late-11th-century phase of the house. This space was remodeled in the later 12th century with the addition of Walls 6 and 36. At this point, this room seems to have been a fully enclosed space. It is unclear where the entrance to this room was, but it is possible that access was from the NW corner of the space, as there is a break in the northern part of Wall 35. However, due to the damage caused to this wall by a later robbing trench, it is unclear if this wall contained an entrance to Room 3.; ; Room 17; ;     Room 17 is located east of Room 2 (see Master Plan).  It is bounded on the north side by Wall 283, on the south side by Wall 380, on the west side by Wall 159, and on the east by Wall 381. On the basis of their construction and orientation, these walls all belong to the first phase of the house in the later 11th century. This 11th-century room overlies an earlier Byzantine well (334) and wine/olive press (325) (see below). Evidence for the 11th-century construction phase comes from a leveling fill that covered both the earlier Byzantine wellhead and the press (Contexts 323, 321, 333, 336, 337, and 344 – all dated to the 8th-11th centuries on the basis of pottery). Wall 283 had a foundation trench associated with it (Cut 314 and Contexts 316 and 335) that contained Middle Byzantine pottery dateable to the 10th to 11th centuries, which accords with the 11th century construction date of the house. Furthermore, the original construction of Walls 159 and 6 have been dated to the later 11th century based on pottery in contexts found in Room 2 to the west (see above). ; ; Room 8; ; The northeastern and southern sections of Room 8 were excavated down to floor level, whereas the northwestern section was excavated to a leveling fill (367) beneath a floor.  The area is delimited by four walls: Wall 49 (along the north edge of the room; also the north wall of Room 5), Wall 50 (along the east edge of the room), Walls 352 and 353 (along the west edge of the room), and Wall 11(along the south edge of the room) that can be dated to the first phase of the house in the late 11th century (see below and Master Plan). The dates of Walls 49 and 50 are provided by fills (Contexts 92 and 99) in a pit (105) that (see Master Plan) underlies both walls, which date to the 11th century. Walls 102 and 103, which bisect the room and are separated by a threshold that linked the eastern and western sections of Room 8, are contemporary with Walls 252 and 253 due to their identical alignment and construction technique (see below and Plan1). All that survive of these walls are their foundation courses and as a result, the original entrance to Room 8 cannot be determined.; The latest contexts excavated in this area confirm the 3rd quarter of the 12th as the last phase of construction of this part of the house. All occupation levels were fragmentarily preserved, and a series of levelling and debris deposits have been excavated, that exposed an earlier floor level likely dated to the 11th century. This surface (Contexts 364 and 365 – both dated to the early 12th century) is the earliest floor reached in the northwestern section of the room.  In the northeastern section of the room, the excavation has also revealed a series of earlier floor surfaces that lay above pit 105. Contexts 121, 132, and 135 (all also dated by pottery or stratigraphy to the early 12th c. AD) are a series of floors, leveling fills, and pits in the northern section of Room 8. At least one of these floors, the one lowest in elevation (at 58.345m) seems to correspond to the earlier phase of Wall 49, and may be chronologically similar to the floor unearthed in the adjacent Room 5 (at the bottom of Contexts 72 and 73 – both dated by pottery to the 11th to early 12th century). These overlay Context 99 in the pit (see Master Plan) in the northeast corner of Room 8, which provides a construction date for Walls 49 and 50 of the second half of the 11th century. ; A circular stone-built storage bin (Structure 354) was inserted into the west side of Room 8. The material from the fills within this structure does not suggest a clear chronology. An 11th century terminus post quem can be suggested by the levels cut through by the pit excavated for the construction of this feature, therefore it should belong to the second phase of the house in the late 12th century AD.  Contexts 358 (which contained NA #106 – a bronze earring), 366, and 368 provide an additional terminus ante quem of early 12th century for the silo and for the robbing event of wall 103 in the southern half of the room – both of which support the date for the second phase of this house.  The floor surface in the southern half of Room 8 was not excavated, but it has a terminus ante quem of the 11th or 12th century, based on pottery from the fill of a pit (Pit 363 filled by Context 362) that was cut into it.  It appears that Structure 354 was installed after the southern space was expanded when part of wall 103 was removed. An ashy deposit (Context 366) laid against the Structure 345 and a contemporary fill to the south (Context 368), that provided examples of olive pits (NA #112, 113), are leveling fills of the 12th century associated with the remodeling of this room. Context 366 was water sieved and yielded many archaeo-botanical samples. Overall the evidence suggests that Room 8 had two major phases.  The room was constructed in the 11th century and then remodeled and expanded southern end to accommodate the circular stone-built storage bin (Structure 354) in the 3rd quarter of the 12th century AD.; ; Room 5; ; This room is south of the Main Courtyard and is delimited on its north side by Wall 49, on its east side by Wall 52, on its west side by Wall 50 and on its south side by Walls 51 and 54, which are divided by an entryway that connects this room to Room 4 to the south. The foundation trenches of Wall 49 (Context 72 – dated by pottery to the late 11th to early 12th century) and Wall 52 (Context 73 – dated by pottery to the 11th century) provide a date of the late-11th/ early 12th century for their construction and therefore they belong to the first phase of the southern house. A terminus post quem for Wall 50 is also provided by Context 99 (see above). A large marble threshold block was found in the northwest corner of the room and is likely spolia that was displaced from one of the adjacent walls. Part of a surface (Context 70) from this earlier phase was preserved in the southern half of Room 5 is dated to the late-11th century. Several large fragments of a pietra ollare vessel have been found in the SW corner of the room, possibly in relation to this floor.; The second construction phase of the house in the later-12th century consists of a series of leveling fills (Contexts 48, 53, 55, 62, and 63 – dated by pottery to the 12th century, including NA-140 from Context 48) below a possible floor (Context 46, from which NA-141 came), dated to the 3rd quarter of the 12th century. A low stone platform was found near the center of the room that belongs to this phase; its purpose is unknown.; ; Room 4 ; ;     This room is bounded on the north, and connected to Room 5, by Walls 51 and 54. It is bounded on the east by Wall 52, on the south by Wall 11, and on the west by Wall 50. From the original late-11th century phase of the house, this room was connected to Room 5 as demonstrated by the shared Wall 52. It is possible that Walls 51 and 54 were added in the later remodeling phase to separate Rooms 4 and 5 into two distinct spaces. Room 4 was heavily disturbed by bulldozer trench 8, which cut right through the center, and the section revealed by that cutting showed no architectural features within the room. The decision was therefore made to not excavate this space. ; ; Room 6 ; ; In its latest phase, Room 6 was enclosed by Walls 52, 58, 59, 60, and 61. These were uncovered and the uppermost fill layers were removed in 2015, including a probable surface level associated with the 12th-century phase of this room. Bulldozer trench 5 cut through its southern wall and extended all the way through Room 17. On the basis of the surviving portions of Walls 60 and 61, it is possible to reconstruct a central doorway between them (similar to that between Walls 51 and 54 in Room 5).; Wall 58, on the north side, also has a threshold block, which suggests access to a room to its north. There is an architectural space consisting of one or two rooms of this house and/or the house immediately to the north of Room 6 but these were not excavated because of the large baulk in the area. It is reasonable to assume that Walls 59 and 69 originally extended to the north and that Wall 49 extended to the east to create a northeastern room of this southern house. The date of the later 12th century for the latest walls comes from the fact that Wall 69 was covered by a heavy concentration of stone debris (Context 57– dated by pottery to the third-quarter of the 12th century). The northern doorway of this room may have been reinforced with large threshold stones during these renovations as well. The superstructure of many of the walls in Room 6 was probably made of mudbrick as shown by Context 68, which contained a few extant mudbrick pieces and the soil was heavily mixed with concentrations of mudbrick detritus. ; The earlier contexts excavated in Room 6 (in conjunction with somewhat similar material uncovered in neighboring Room 7), may point toward a function of this space in the late 11th to early 12th centuries as kitchens as these layers contained a noticeable amount of ash, animal bones, cooking wares, and some charcoal (i.e. Contexts 65, 67, 68, and 71). ; ; West of Room 1; ; This area included four walls (195, 196, 197, 376) of the Byzantine period and re-used Wall 198 (see early Byzantine section below), each with multiple phases of use (probably with late 11th and later 12th century phases). Wall 376, at the very south edge of the excavated area, runs east-west and is possibly part of the original southern wall of the house. None of these walls form clear architectural spaces at least partly because of later activities in the area including the bulldozer trenches. Before the initial construction phase of Walls 195, 196, and 197 were two large pits located west and north of Wall 198. These pits are represented in the cut contexts of 237 and 238. These deep pits were cut into a sterile reddish clay soil, which was also cut by the foundation of Wall 198. The chronological relationship between these pits cuts remains unclear. Arguably, Pit 237 is the earliest as it most clearly is truncated by Pit 238. The fills of both Pits 237 and 238 are remarkably homogenous in their soil compositions and inclusions. ;     Within Pit 237, it is likely that there were multiple contemporary deposit events with multiple different soils. The majority of the pit fills were of two soil profiles: a reddish grey soil and a soft ashy grey soil. Both soils are characterized by sizable amount of pottery and bones. Extensive sieving was performed in grey ashy contexts yielding finds such as: coins (NA #67, 68, #72-78; all pre-Medieval), two bone stylus (NA #66 and NA #79), bronze buckles (NA #65 and NA #71), and an amethyst bead (NA #122). The contexts that are most likely to have filled Pit 237 include: 201 205, 207, 208, 213, 216, 217, 222, 225, and 234. The pottery within Pit 237 was remarkably consistent in date belonging to the late 10th possibly 11th centuries from top to bottom. Examples include NA-136 and NA-137 from Context 222, NA-133 (which joins with NA-138), NA-134, and NA-135 from Context 225, and NA-138 (which joins with NA-133) and NA-139 from Context 234. There was just one instance of a survivor—a LHIIIB2 deep bowl (NA-145). All the pits fills postdate Walls 199 and 198. This is clear from Context 234 (the lowest stratigraphic context that filled Pit 237) which is laid against Walls 198 and 199. It is therefore likely that the cutting of pit 237 or related pits removed whatever remained of the foundations of the Early Byzantine structure that is the earliest phase of Walls 198 and 199 (see below for a description of this structure).; Pit 238 was located immediately to the west of Pit 237 and was truncated by bulldozer trench 4. The soil in Pit 238 was a relatively consistent dark greyish/brownish brown/grey sandy silt, a profile which was similar to the fills of adjacent Pit 237. Moreover, like Pit 237, the soil of Pit 238 had a substantial amount of pottery and bones. Finds included a bone pin (NA #107), a bronze weight (NA #109), two glass goblets (NA #114 and 115), some fruit pits (NA #116), and a pietra ollare fragment (NA #83). Pit 238 was filled with Contexts 194, 248, 263, 266, 272, 277, 278, and 289. Several of these contexts were water sieved and yielded much charcoal, some carbonized seeds, and bird and fish bones. Like Pit 237, the fills of Pit 238 are consistently late 10th to early 11th century in date on the basis of pottery (such as NA-144 from Context 289) and an Anonymous Follis class 3 coin with Leo VI on it (866-912 AD) (NA #92). One LH III closed vessel from Context 272 at the top layer  (NA-147) was the only survivor found in the pit fills. In addition, Contexts 272, 277, 278, and 289 in Pit 238 appear to directly correlate with the grey soils of Contexts 222, 225, and 234 in Pit 237 (see above). Both Pits 237 and 238 also contained many cooking pots and animal bones and should be interpreted as debris from food consumption and preparation and general household rubbish.; ; The Central House; ; Most of the excavated area is occupied by the central Byzantine house, which is mostly preserved at its foundation levels (see Master Plan). It consists of Rooms 7 and 9-15.Unlike the houses to the north and south, it was left relatively undisturbed after it was abandoned in the 13th century. The exceptions are the eastern walls of the house that were robbed out completely after the house was abandoned. This house was emptied before it was abandoned because there were no finds on the floors of the rooms on the north and west. It is likely that the earliest phase of the structure dates to the late 11th/early 12th century on the basis of pottery found in Contexts 92 and 99 (see Master Plan). The original courtyard surface is therefore that into which Pit 275 (see below) was cut and is represented by Contexts 332 and 340 (that also date to the late 11th/early 12th century). Numerous fills within the rooms on the north and west side allow for an architectural sequence to be reconstructed spanning the 12th century. Leveling fills with tile, rubble and pottery in Rooms 9-12 date a major remodeling phase in the third-quarter of the 12th century. In this second phase, the courtyard was rebuilt and the rooms on the north opened to the outside; as shown by the creation of a number of pits and post-holes in Room 14 (see below). As in the house to the south, it is likely that any occupational layers and surfaces associated with the rooms of this Late Byzantine phase were removed in the 2015 excavations and/or by later agricultural activities. The destruction debris in the northwest corner of the courtyard consisting of mudbrick and rubble, but little tile, indicates that the tiles of this house were probably removed and the walls allowed to decay sometime in the early 13th century. ; ; Central Courtyard; ; The central courtyard is bounded to the south by Wall 49, to the east by Walls 82 and 373 (the latter was removed to its lowest foundations by bulldozer trench 2), to the west by Walls 86 and 143, and to the north by Wall 185. In the late 11th century, there were two entrances to the main courtyard from the east and west. During the remodeling in the third-quarter of the 12th century, the western entrance was blocked by Wall 382 and Structure 157. Approximately 75% of the courtyard was excavated stratigraphically along the west side of bulldozer trench 3 and the north half between bulldozer trenches 2 and 3.; The excavation of the southwest section of the Courtyard provided a preliminary chronology for the use of the Main Courtyard and for the construction of the rooms north of Wall 49 (i.e., Rooms 9, 10, and 11). The latest deposits excavated in this southwest area (Contexts 83, 87, and 182) are dated, as suggested by the pottery and stratigraphy, to the third quarter of the 12th century: this period might be interpreted as the last phase of use of this area. ; The latest floor surface level (Structure 98) exposed in the Main Courtyard has been partially sectioned and excavated as Context 95, and it has been dated to the early 12th century. A series of fills (Contexts 84, 88, 90 and 94) in the southwest part of the courtyard are dated by pottery to the late-11th / early-12th century and confirm the construction and use of the courtyard in the first phase of the central house. ; Evidence for the initial construction of this house comes from Context 92 (see Master Plan and discussion in reference to Wall 49 in Room 8 above), which was overlaid by Wall 86 of Room 9. Furthermore, Context 92 (and 99) appears to be partially overlaid by Wall 49. The pottery from these deposits has been dated to the second half of the 11th century. Therefore, this rubbish pit provides a secure terminus post quem for the construction of Wall 86 and for Wall 49. These contexts therefore establish both the date of the first construction and the contemporaneity of the central and southern houses.  ; Excavations in the northwest section of the courtyard, west of trench 3, confirmed the basic chronology of the courtyard and established a phase of remodeling in the courtyard in the third quarter of the 12th century (on the basis of Pit 275). During this remodeling, the courtyard surface was re-made and a well (Structure 369) that belonged to the earliest phase of the house was put out of use. A circular stone-built storage bin (Structure 157) was inserted into the west entrance to the house and wall 382 was created to close off that side of the house. Contexts 202, 203, 204, 211, 227, 235, 246, 251, 261, and 265 are leveling fills associated with the third-quarter of the 12th century remodeling of the courtyard and are dated by pottery (with only one survivor—a LH IIIB1 deep bowl from Context 265).; These fills covered Pit 275, which was 2.15 m x 1.7 m x 0.71 m, making it the largest pit excavated in the courtyard. It contained a variety of well-preserved pottery, vast quantities of animal bones, fish scales (NA #111), a steatite button (NA #119), and fragments of glass vessels. A sample of the soil was also taken for the water sieve, which yielded evidence of possible kitchen debris. The pit was excavated in six different contexts (arbitrarily divided for vertical control – Contexts 274, 279, 281, 285, 286, 287), but joins between sherds of the same vessel in different contexts (e.g. between NA-127 in Context 281 and a sherd not numbered from Context 286 as well as NA-124 from Context 279 and another unnumbered sherd from 286) indicate that it is all one dumped fill. The glazed pottery (such as NA-124, NA-125, and NA-126 from Context 279 and NA-127 from Context 281) and cooking wares (like NA-128 from Context 281) provide a date of the third-quarter of the 12th century and give a clear terminus post quem for the construction of the courtyard and this remodeling phase. Below this pit are multiple surfaces and lenses (Contexts 309, 306, 303, 298, 297, 296, 295, 291, 288, 284, and 271) that also date to the third-quarter of the 12th century AD. It was in these various, prepared clay surfaces that the formal pits (275, 317 and 327) were cut and they also support the late 12th century date for a major remodeling of the courtyard. ; The earliest fills below these surfaces that were excavated in this area (i.e. Contexts 332 and 340) consisted of a mixed fill with some Middle Byzantine pottery (dated to the 11th century). As seen in section, this thick (1m +) level sits below all major occupational surfaces excavated in the courtyard and with the exception of a well/cistern (Structure 369), exists below any architecture or architectural feature. Structure 369 is cut into this stratum. Consequently, these contexts may represent the leveling or accumulation related to first phase of the courtyard in the later 11th century.;     The northeast area of the courtyard is bounded by bulldozer trenches 2 and 3, and previously on the east by Wall 373. A possible staircase, Structure 220, possibly built or at least remodeled in the third-quarter of the 12th century may have accessed an upper floor above Room 15. Surface 343 and the fills below it (Contexts 349 and 356) all date to the mid- to third-quarter of the 12th century. Surface 343 was composed of pebble and soil and corresponds to that of the floor surface (Structure 271 to the west). This context therefore supports the date of the remodeling of the courtyard in the third-quarter of the 12th century. This layer connects to and was probably built around the same time as the possible staircase Structure 220. No further excavation was undertaken in this northeast area of the courtyard.; ; West Rooms of Central House; ; Rooms 9, 10, and 11 ; ; Rooms 9 and 10 are bounded to the west by Wall 127 and to the east by Wall 86, in which a doorjamb is preserved connecting Room 9 to the courtyard in the first phase (there is no similar opening to connect Room 10 to the courtyard). These two rooms are divided by Wall 133, which has a threshold to allow passage between these two spaces. Finally, Room 10 is separated to the north by Wall 134. Structure 157 is a circular stone-built storage pit that was inserted into the western group of rooms – it is bordered by Wall 382 to the west, wall 144 to the north and wall 133 to the south. The space occupied by Structure 157 in the original 11th-century phase of the house was likely an entrance into the central courtyard. This entrance was blocked by Wall 382 and the construction of Structure 157 in the third-quarter of the 12th century. Room 11 was possibly bounded to the west by Wall 382 in a later phase, but it was robbed out completely at some point in its later history (excavated in 2015 with no dating evidence), Wall 142 to the north, Wall 144 to the south and Wall 143 to the east. ; Rooms 9, 10, and 11 contained tile leveling fills (Contexts 125, 152, and 160 respectively) at elevations ranging from 58.05-58.22 masl that all date by pottery to the 12th century or more specifically the third quarter of the 12th century, confirming that also these rooms were remodeled in this period and the floor levels raised to create easier access to the central courtyard. Moreover, the absence of any complete, mendable, or even large fragments of tiles in these fills identifies them simply as fills rather than as roof collapse (contrary to the excavator’s original interpretations). In their earlier phases, possible storage pits, (Room 9: Cut 116, Room 10: Cut 137) that were virtually empty aside from irregular stones, were cut into the floor. The threshold of Room 11 was raised with the addition of a block during the late 12th century remodeling (see description of Wall 143). ; ; ; North Rooms of Central House; ; Rooms 12, 13, and 14; ; Room 12 is bounded to the west by a wall that was completely robbed out in antiquity. Wall 185, which is the south wall of Rooms 14 and 13, was partially robbed out as well (Cut 206), perhaps as part of the late 12th century remodeling of the house and courtyard in which Room 14 was perhaps made into an exterior space (i.e., a northern extension of the central courtyard). Rooms 12 and 13 are separated by Wall 153, which has a threshold or opening towards the south that connected the two rooms. Rooms 13 and 14 are separated by wall 168, the southern part of which was robbed out at some point. The original eastern wall of Room 14 was also robbed out and/or destroyed at a later point. Tile-rich leveling fills were excavated in all three rooms (Room 12: Context 161, Room 13: Context 167, Room 14: Context 170) with dates ranging from the 10th to the 12th centuries and elevations of ca. 58.20 masl. Below these deposits relatively level surfaces were exposed. In Rooms 12 and 13, the same floor level appears to have been reached. In room 12, a peculiar oval-shaped pit built in regular courses of tiles and clay pit (Structure 166) was identified, but its function remains unclear. It was filled with pottery of the third-quarter of the 12th century (Context 162) and therefore should be associated with an earlier phase of Room 12. ; Similar pits found in the west end of Room 14 (Structures 186 and 188) are plastered with clay and the tile fragments are irregularly laid against the vertical sides of these structures. These odd pits did not contain any datable material. They were cut into Context 200, which contained Coin NA #59 (Anonymous Follis 1070-1075 AD) suggesting a terminus post quem for these fills of the 11th century, but the pottery dates to the third-quarter of the 12th century and so  they are part of the later remodeling of the space.  The earliest floor level was found in the northwest corner of the room in Context 262, which dates to the 11th century on the basis of pottery and a coin of Nicephoros III (NA #80). This confirms the date of the first phase of the house in the later 11th century.; In the center of Room 14 was Surface 219, which had a series of small pits cut into it (filled by Contexts 228 and 233). East of Surface 219 was Context 249 (dated by pottery to the second half of the 12th century) which had another set of oval pits (Contexts 241, 243) with flat bases and vertical sides similar to cut 229. The fills in these oval pits (Contexts 240 and 242) can be dated to the Middle Byzantine period on the basis of pottery.  There was, however, little pottery in the oval pits and so the date of their construction is given by Context 249. These pits are therefore also part of the late 12th century remodeling of the space. Down the center and on the southern edge of Room 14 (along the robbing trench for Wall 185) were small regularly-spaced cuts (Contexts 244, 247, and 232), which, due to their small and semi-circular appearance, may have been used for postholes for the space. It is likely therefore that Room 14 was turned into a partially exterior space during the second remodeling event and that posts supported the ceiling rather than Wall 185. The pits may perhaps be associated with keeping animals in the area or perhaps a household level industry. No further excavation of this room was conducted during the 2016 excavation season. ; ; East Rooms of Central House; ; Room 15 ; ; This room was bounded on the north by Wall 185, to the west by Wall 373 (now robbed out by bulldozer trench 2) and to the south by Wall 375. The space between Wall 375 and Wall 81 to its immediate south was the east entrance to the house and the central courtyard in all periods. ; The east wall of Room 15 is not preserved nor was a robbing trench identified for it. There is no sign that any walls bonded or were perpendicular to Wall 373 and therefore this room may originally have been very long and narrow, like Room 14 to its north. The scarp in bulldozer trench 2 and some test excavations across the trench in Room 15 suggested that there was little material culture remaining in this area. It appears to correspond to the soil in Contexts 332 and 340 and is Middle Byzantine in date. This area was not excavated further.; ; Room 7; ; In its late 12th-century phase, Room 7 was bounded by Wall 81 to the north, Wall 82 to the west, and Wall 80 to the east (these three walls were exposed in 2015). Wall 80 in all phases likely continued into the unexcavated baulk to the south and perhaps abutted Wall 49 and/or 59 to create a long, narrow room like Room 15. Excavations in this area in 2016 revealed Wall 379, below layers containing later 12th century pottery and kitchen debris. It is likely therefore that, in the late 11th-century phase of the house, Wall 379 truncated Room 7 and created another room to the south and below the baulk.  ; ; The North House; ; The most highly disturbed of the Byzantine houses is the northern house (see Master Plan). This is for two reasons: 1) the excavated site slopes down by two meters from south to north and therefore the architecture was closer to the original ground surface and more vulnerable to later activities, and 2) five bulldozer trenches (1, 6, and 9-11) cut through it both north-south and east-west. There are several 19th century features in the north-central section (marked with a dotted line on Master Plan), which also may have destroyed earlier features. The remaining walls suggest that it is a similar type of house as those to its south. The two best preserved and architecturally-bounded areas were excavated and provide a date of the third-quarter of the 12th century for the surviving architecture of this house. Most of the architecture is preserved in only the foundation courses which are less than 0.2m high. ; Room 16; Room 16 is bounded by Wall 180 to the west, Wall 269 to the south, and wall 270 to the east. Wall 270 consists of small blocks of spolia including marble and granite, in addition to what appears to be evidence of a stone with square cut for a doorway leading into the area east of the room. If there was a northern wall, it was removed by bulldozer trench 10. The only surface reached was Context 273, a layer of fill on the western portion of the room that produced a coin (NA #87), which is an issue of Manuel I and therefore gives a 12th century terminus post quem for this context. Cut into Context 273 is Context 268, a pit measuring 1.01 x .97 m. The fill of this pit, Context 267, dates to the 3rd quarter of the 12th century during the Late Byzantine period. No further excavation was conducted in this room during the 2016 season.; ; Area East of Room 16; ; Moving east of Room 16, we find a large rectangular space reached by an alley formed between Walls 269 and 154 from the west and also from a doorway leading from Room 16. The possible northern boundary of this space was Wall 282 and it is also possible that Wall 377 is part of the same structure. The earliest stratum excavated in this area is Context 300, which is the second floor surface in the eastern half of this area. This context is dated to the third-quarter of the 12th century on the basis of pottery and a coin, NA #98 (Anonymous Class 3), which supports a date in the Late Byzantine period. ; Context 300 gives a third-quarter of the 12th century date for a pebble floor covered entire area—Structure 294, which also contained pottery of that date. There is substantial evidence for remodeling and leveling activities in this area.  Contexts 292 and 280 both dated to the 3rd quarter of the 12th century. The pebble flooring and compact surface support the interpretation of this area as an exterior space during the 3rd quarter of the 12th century. No further excavation was undertaken here. ; ; Other Phases; ; Early Modern (19th century); In Room 1, in the area west of Wall 20, there is evidence of a 19th century occupational level (Context 4), which heavily impacted the earlier stratigraphic levels. The identification of a cistern (Structure 12) and the recovery of a Koronaika pithos, found with fragments of a grindstone and mortar (NA #3), and 19th century utilitarian vessels are in fact indicative of the occupation of this area in the Early Modern period. ; ; Early Byzantine ; ; A bottle cistern (Structure 304) was excavated in the area west of Room 1.  It was truncated on its western half by the bulldozer Trench 7 but the eastern half is still extant except the northernmost course of stones, which was removed when wall 353 was constructed.  It was made of random courses of roughly hewn limestone with a plaster coating on its interior and a tile floor at the base. The cistern was filled with pottery of the late 8th-early 9th century (Contexts 305, 311, 351, and 355), examples of which include NA-129, NA-130, and NA-131 from Context 305 as well as NA-132 from Context 351.  The bottle cistern was likely covered before Pits 236, 237, and 238 were created in the 10th – 11th centuries but the exact stratigraphic relationship between these pits, wall 353, and the bottle cistern remains undetermined due to soil disturbance by the bulldozer.  The bottle cistern sits on top of the sterile red soil or stereo into which the pits are cut, therefore the fills are the only source for the date of the cistern’s use.  It is possible that the use of the grape/olive press from Room 17 is roughly contemporary and/or post-dates the closure of this bottle cistern.   Samples of the soil were taken for water sieving and yielded small pieces of charcoal, grape pips, and grain. ; In Room 17, a well (Structure 334) and a grape/olive press (Structure 325) were discovered. The latter was identified by its lack of drain and the presence of grape and olive pits recovered from water floatation samples. Excavation revealed that Well 334 had been cut into a thick, white floor surface (not excavated) and that a post-construction leveling fill had been laid against it on the west side. These contexts (345, 346, and 347) all contained 5th and 6th century AD pottery and had been deposited against the well (perhaps in a single event), giving the construction of the well a terminus ante quem of the 7th century. ;     The lowermost fills around the press (Structure 325) also had an Early Byzantine signature. Contexts 338 and 339 can probably be associated with a post-construction leveling event that is contemporary with Contexts 345, 346, and 347 around Well 334. Context 338 contained the fill below the north section of the western wall of the press which had been robbed out or destroyed. It appeared to have been cut into the soil below it, while the 11th century leveling fills (see above) had been laid against it. The pottery from both of these contexts cannot be dated to anything more specific than the 6th century, but this agrees with the fills around Well 334 and with its 7th century terminus ante quem.; The space enclosed by Walls 199 and south of Wall 198 yielded a date of the 7th c. AD or later based on pottery (filled by Contexts 254- 259, but dated on the basis of one fragment of an African Red Slip Form 105 from Context 259). These contexts therefore provide a terminus ante quem for the last use of those walls and their associated structure of the Early Byzantine period. At the bottom of context 259 was a tile surface that was laid against wall 199, thus post-dating the original construction. No contexts have been excavated that can be directly associated with the construction of Wall 199. The excavation of the lowermost fill of Pit 238, Context 289, revealed a foundation trench for Wall 198 (Cut 301). Though it had been truncated on its western side, probably by the cut for Pit 237 or Pit 238, the trench and fill were still preserved to the east. Context 302 filled the trench, and the pottery tentatively dated the fill to the Early Byzantine period, giving a broad terminus ante quem for Wall 198, which accords with our previous interpretation of Wall 198's date. No contexts have been excavated that can be securely identified as fill for the original structure, however. ; ; Earlier Material; ;     There is no archaeological evidence from anywhere in the excavated area for substantial activities that pre-date the Early Byzantine period. In comparison to other excavated areas in Corinth, such as the Forum area, the Panayia Field, or other ASCSA-excavated sites, pottery from earlier periods that might be interpreted as survivors in later contexts is virtually absent from this excavation. The absence of even moderate quantities of earlier pottery demonstrates that there is no significant pre-Byzantine presence. If there were earlier structures, they would have been cut into or above the red clay stereo level across the site and then destroyed by the Early and later Byzantine activities in the area that reach into the same stereo level. Yet, they also would have left some archaeological trace in the form of pottery that was redeposited or survived in later levels. The absence of such pre-Byzantine pottery is therefore very strong evidence that the earliest major activity dates to the Early Byzantine period. As noted above in relation to their contexts, there was a total of three prehistoric sherds found in the entire area.","Report","","Final Report on the Excavations for the ASCSA’s New Apotheke","","",""
"Corinth","Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Sitz, Anna and Katz, Philip (2015-06-02 to 2015-06-26)","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Sitz, Anna and Katz, Philip (2015-06-02 to 2015-06-26)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","","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","Report","","Unit 2, Room 9: later half of thirteenth century and earlier cistern; Unit 2, Room 6: Frankish burials and 13th century surfaces","","",""