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"2015 Session I, Late Byzantine - Early Frankish activity in Unit 2, Room 2 and Frankish fill in Unit 2, Room 9","Report","","","","Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Danielle Smotherman (2015-04-21 to 2015-04-30)","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Danielle Smotherman (2015-04-21 to 2015-04-30)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","Corinth","Danielle Smotherman; Temple E, Southeast Excavations; Session I; Unit 2, Room 2; N: 1066.50 N, S: 1065.00 N, E: 119.27 E, W: 116.57 E; Unit 2, Room 9; N: 1086.73, S; 1079.10 N, E: 132.85 E, W: 126.83 E; 21-28 April 2015; ; 2015 Session I, Late Byzantine - Early Frankish activity in Unit 2, Room 2 and Frankish fill in Unit 2, Room 9; This is the final summary of the first session excavation for the 2015 season in Room 2 of Unit 2 and Room 9 of Unit 2 in the Frankish quarter, Temple E Southeast. Guy Sanders (director) and Larkin Kennedy (field director) supervised. Danielle Smotherman (area supervisor) recorded. On the last day of excavation, Danielle was assisted by Alžbĕta Lorenzová. The workmen were Thanasis Sakellariou (pickman), Christos Sakellariou (shovelman), and Panagiotis Rontzokos (barrowman, sieve). ; On account of the delayed permit, the first half of Session I was spent on research and development of a webpage for the Frankish Quarter of Corinth as well as cleaning the areas for excavation in Unit 2. Excavation during Session I was limited to six days. ; Excavation work focused in Room 2 and then moved to Room 9. In Room 2, the space was subdivided and only the northern portion of the room was excavated this session. The full extent of Room 2 is bounded by walls 556, 557, 558, and 559 (N: 1066.50 N, S: 1061.55 N, E: 119.27 E, W: 115.30 E), and the area under excavation is: N: 1066.50 N, S: 1065.00 N, E: 119.27 E, W: 116.57 E. In Room 9 the area of excavation was bounded by the walls of the room, which have not yet been numbered (N: 1086.73, S; 1079.10 N, E: 132.85 E, W: 126.83 E). Excavation in both rooms was done in order to clarify the dating and the relationship between the walls of those rooms to the other areas of Unit 2 in preparation for the area being presented to the public as part of the Frankish Quarter. Consolidation and restoration work continued contemporaneously to the excavations. ; ; Room 2 was previously excavated in 2014 Session III by E. Wilson and J. Swalec. During the first session of the 2015 season, only the northern part of the room was excavated on account of the limited time available. The goal was to find a foundation trench or means of dating the construction of the North wall of the room (Wall 556: N: 1067.50 N, S: 1066.10 N, E: 119.80 E, W: 114.20 E) to better help our understanding of the date of construction  of Room 2, its function, and how it relates to the rest of the complex. This was also facilitated by sectioning the room. As part of the restoration work of Unit 2, portions of  the N, E, W and S walls (Walls 556, 557, 558, and 559) have all been restored since the 2014 excavation season, leaving a c. 20 cm wide construction trench abutting each reconstructed wall in the room. At points, these construction trenches cut contexts and obscured relationships between the walls and contexts. The construction trench for the N wall of the room did not cut across the one original block of the wall, thus contexts that bordered the wall at that point were still able to be discerned. Excavation in Room 2 ceased when it was clear that we had not found a foundation trench for Wall 556 and that we were now in Byzantine period levels, which appear to be earlier than the construction of the wall.  ; Excavation then turned to Room 9, which 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. During those two days, we removed the surface that had been exposed since 1996 throughout the room, cleaned the edge and sides of the big pit, removed two construction fills and stones resting on the surface, and defined the edges of a previously unexcavated pit in the S part of the room that will be excavated in Session II. Excavation will continue in Room 9 during Session II. ; ; Unit 2, Room 2, excavated 21/4/2015-27/4/2015; ; Middle Byzantine Period (AD 802-1058):; During the Middle Byzantine period, there was a small patch of hardened fill (Context 627; 1066.90 N, 119.05 E, L. 0.9 m, W. 1.35 m). Shortly after the deposit of this hardened fill, the floor level was raised. Only an iron tack, a bronze strip, and two very small pieces of glass were found in this layer. ; Late Byzantine Period (AD 1058-1210):; During the Late Byzantine period, a deep fill (D. 0.29 m) with cobbles, tiles, and pottery was dumped to raise the floor level (Context 620), although the floor the boundaries of this room were different during this period. The material of the fill dates from the late 11th to the early 12th centuries by pottery and included coins from the Late Roman period (Coins 2015-25, 2015-27). The plastered floor (1066.60 N, 118.17 E, L. 1.6 m, W. 2.86  m, Context 617), dating to the second half of the 12th century by pottery, surmounted this raised level and appears to go under Wall 557, indicating that the room as it was excavated belonged to a later period. Two separate fills cover the floor (Contexts 612 and 614), related to use activity of the space during the Late Byzantine period, in particular the mid to late 12th century by the pottery. The activity layers contained few finds other than the pottery, although the earlier layer had a piece of glass making waste and a piece of iron slag.  ; ; Frankish Period (AD 1210-1458): ; A robbing trench for wall 556 cuts through the Byzantine fills (1066.60 N, 118.60 E, L. 3.2 m, W. 0.23 m, D: 0.26 m, Cut 643, Context 608). Previous excavations along the wall had encountered a robbing trench dating to the Turkish period (Context 553, Skeleton 562, NB839 B13, B15, B24). The excavated trench (Cut 643, Context 608) represents an earlier robbing activity in the room, which was then cut by the later robbing trench. The trench included pottery dating to the mid-13th century. This fill is consistent with the overlying context (Context 603) and could represent a slump of this fill. ; The continued use of the room during the Frankish period is indicated by five separate deposits of fill in the space (Contexts 593, 599, 602, 603, and 607), likely to continue raising the floor level, which are all dated to the mid 13th century by pottery. These deposits include coins dating from the Greek (Coin 2015-20), Late Roman (Coins 2015-11, 2015-12, 2015-13, 2015-14), Byzantine (Coins 2015-9, 2015-21), and Frankish (Coins 2015-15, 2015-16) periods. The two Frankish coins date between 1250 and 1278 (both from Context 603), which corroborates the date of the pottery. A bronze pendant, generally dated to the Byzantine period, was recovered in the earliest lense of fill in the room (MF-2015-3). Its decoration includes an inscribed circle on the body of the pendant with an inscribed cross with letters at the ends of each arm of the cross. The vertical axis (top to bottom) reads Chi and Rho. The horizontal axis (left to right) reads Theta and Epsilon. In the later lenses of fill, domestic items such as a bronze crochet hook and bronze and bone sewing needles were recovered along with industrial refuse, including iron slag, glass wasters, and crucibles, indicating a mixed origin for the fill material. ; ; Conclusions:; The dates for the construction of Room 2 and, in particular, the N wall of the room are still uncertain, but must date to the Frankish period since the Late Byzantine floor goes under the later eastern wall of the room. The excavations revealed that the space had been used as an indoor space since at least the Late Byzantine period, albeit with different boundaries. The robbing trench indicates that there was some robbing activity of the N wall of the room during the mid-13th century, which may have also included some rebuilding as the space continued to be used as a room afterwards, and is distinct from the later robbing activity of the wall.; ; Future goals:; 1.    Excavation in Room 2 this Session revealed another large block under the orthostate in the North wall (Wall 556). If excavation were to be resumed in the room, continuing excavation along the N wall to find the bottom of the original wall could aid in the understanding of the development of the space and dating of the room.; 2.    The southern portion of the room was not excavated this session. Further excavation in this area could help clarifying the dating of the Frankish levels. In particular, if Context 620 is continued in the southern part of the room, further investigation of the fill could help clarify if the date of the fill represents the date of the dumping activity or if the material was brought in from elsewhere in the site that contained earlier materials. The dating of the East and West walls would be important for understanding the change in the use of the space from the Late Byzantine to Frankish periods.; ; Unit 2, Room 9, excavated 27/4/2015-28/4/2015; ; Frankish Period (AD 1210-1458):; All contexts excavated in the two days of excavation in Room 9 date to the 14th century by pottery. Multiple layers of fill, unevenly distributed in the room, were excavated and represent multiple depositional activities in the space during the 14th century (Contexts 628/634, 638, and 639). The earliest fill removed contained a Latin imitative coin dating 1204-1261 (Coin 2015-43). A reused threshold block (L. 0.596 m, W. 0.510 m, H. 0.157m, N: 1086.45 N, S: 1085.30 N, E: 131.25 E, W: 130.50 E, Context 631) rested on a 14th century floor, perhaps also represented by by a small patch of tile floor left over from the 1996 excavations (NB888 B33 P37; NB888 B38 P42; NB888 B41 P45-46). The threshold could have been used as a step up to a doorway, as previously thought, although there does not seem to be evidence for a doorway in that wall.; The tile floor encountered across the room in the previous excavations (NB888 B33 P37; NB888 B38 P42; NB888 B41 P45-46) had a bottom elevation of 85.03 m and rested on a clay surface that was left exposed for 19 years, [the remnants of ?] which may be included in Contexts 628 and 634. The bottom elevation of the floor, (85.07) is very close to the top elevation of Context 628 (85.05 m). The difference between the elevations most likely is a result of weathering during the 19 years of exposure of the area. The pottery of Contexts 628/634 dates to the 14th century and included one 18th century intrusion, probably from the central pit previously excavated. A pit was identified in the SW portion of the room and its edges defined; excavation of the pit, however, was left for the next session. Above the tile floor, the previous excavators 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 big pit in 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. Only the edges and sides of the pit were cleaned during Session I, but it may need revisiting in Session II. ; ; Future goals:; 1.    Assign wall numbers to each of the walls in the room to facilitate discussion of their dates and relationships with the use periods within the room. ; 2.    Determine the relationships of the walls to one another within the room and to the walls of the other rooms, such as Wall 156 that abuts the southern wall of Room 9. Was Room 9 a later addition to the complex or was it a free-standing building at one point? When were the walls subdividing Room 9 from the rooms to the north and west added? ; 3.    Complete cleaning of the pit excavated in 1996 which has been exposed since 1996. ; 4.    Explore the unexcavated pits in Room 9: the pit in the SW corner and the pit N of the big pit. ; 5.    Further excavate the room to get a better understanding of its function.",""
"2009 Excavation summary","Report","","","","Nezi Field 2009 by Martin Wells, Katie Rask (2009-06-17 to 2009-06-18)","","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2009 by Martin Wells, Katie Rask (2009-06-17 to 2009-06-18)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","Corinth","Katie Rask, Marty Wells; ASCSA Corinth Excavations; End of Season Report; Blue Team; North of Nezi; ; The following is a summary of the excavations carried out in the area north of Nezi field during the 2009 season. Three teams worked in this area over the three sessions. In the first session, 29 March – 24 April, Ryan Boehm and Joanna Potenza were supervisors. They focused on four areas: the westernmost room bounded by walls 5631 and W54; the room bounded by walls 10080, 10076, 10077, 10087 and W55, both east of the central courtyard of a Byzantine house (E: 274.70 – 281.69; N: 1026.30 – 1032.55 including the southern walls); the room bounded by walls 10081, 10082, 10083, 10086, and 10079, an addition built outside of the eastern edge of the house (E: 282.15 – 284.95; N: 1027.15 – 1030.25); and a series of roads running N-S east of this addition (E: 285.4 – 286.65; N: 1029.30 – 1032.40). In the second session, 27 April - 22 May, Katie Rask, Dreya Mihaloew and Martin Wells were supervisors. They focused on the room between walls W55 on the north (N 1034.30), 6267 on the south (N 1026.97), 10086 on the east (E 282.15) and W54 on the west (E 273.95). Rask and Wells continued supervising in the same room during the third session, 25 May -12 June. This report provides a summary and interpretation based on the season as a whole.; ; Our objective this season was to expose the 11th century levels for the purpose of opening up this house for public display. The director was Guy Sanders, the field director Alicia Carter, the pickman Thanasis Notis, the shovelman Tasos Kakouros and the barrowman Vasilis Kollias. The dry sieve was operated primarily by Sula Anastasopoulou, Kollias, Rask, Mihaloew, and Wells.; ; Previous Activity: 1961; ; Under the directorship of Henry Robinson, Section F of the Byzantine house was explored by William Berg III in the spring of 1961. At some time after the completion of excavation (either in 1961 or later in the 60s when excavation in the Agora Southwest was closed) portions of the room were back-filled, while other areas were left exposed. Following his work, no archaeological activity was undertaken in the area except for a cleaning in 2007, when it was weeded, covered with plastic, and back-filled.; ; In the room which was the focus of our excavation throughout all three 2009 sessions, Berg had exposed walls W54, W55, 10080, 10083, 10086, 10088,10094, 5631,  an E-W drain (5938), and well 6288. Additionally, he sunk trenches in all four corners of the room; these may have been further excavated while searching for the Roman road. The combination of back-filled and exposed areas, as well as the recording practices in the 1960s, had an effect on our ability to interpret the pre-60s stratigraphy. For this reason, extensive study of Berg’s photographs and excavation notebooks was undertaken in order to determine how his activity impacted the space of the room prior to our renewed excavations. A detailed discussion of the four corner trenches is attached as Appendix B of this report. More general references to Berg’s results are included in the pertinent discussions below.; ; ; Frankish (1210-1458); ; The Frankish period seems to have witnessed a great deal of activity and renovation in our space, with the most active period being the second half of the 13th century. Of the features dated to this period, most can be placed either in the third quarter or in the later part of the century. During this time span, the form and use of the room changed on several occasions. A wide variety of new or changed elements in the room indicate this, including the addition of rooms, walls, a drain, thresholds, floors and fills. ; ; Well 6288; ; One of the main actions pointing to the changing use of space was the closing of well 6288, which was filled sometime in the third quarter of the 13th century. Because the excavation and processing of the well was a significant part of the season’s work, and because its contents will be the subject of considerable further study, in what follows we will provide a detailed description of our results from the well’s excavation. Afterwards, the discussion will return to the other 13th century activity. ; ; The well had originally been examined on May 13, 1961 (NB 229, p. 109) and designated Well OA-107 (coordinate designation) at that time. Berg excavated it for less than a meter and recorded no finds. He postulated that it belonged to the Turkish period and did not excavate deeper because of its narrowness. Our own investigation began by removing 0.45 m of backfill and debris before excavation. Initially we attempted to determine context changes based on differences in soil composition and inclusions; however, after approximately 2.0 meters of excavation, the Director advised that we should change contexts approximately every 0.30 m. This was our primary method of excavation, but we also changed contexts when stratigraphically necessary.  All the material from the well was dry sieved with 7mm screens and 3mm starting with context 6420. Water flotation samples (15 L) were also collected from every context. 32 contexts were removed in total, but the bottom of the well was not reached nor was the structure (6288) itself excavated.; ; The material removed from the well indicates three discernible dumping actions dating to the Frankish period, between 1270-1290 C.E. The character of these deposits, however, suggests that the well was filled over a short time. The latest dumping layer (6286, 6291, 6297, 6360, 6361, 6365, 6368) fills the top 2.75 meters of the well. The contexts comprising the layer included a large amount of pottery, bone material, and various smaller finds such as iron nails, glass, and bronze objects. The proceeding (and underlying) dumping action revealed a dramatic decrease in the number of inclusions, with a very small amount of pottery and bone, and a significant increase in the ash and charcoal content of the soil (6369, 6371, 6374, 6378, 6383, 6386). Below and proceeding the ash deposit was another dumping action (6394, 6400, 6405, 6412, 6416, 6420, 6430, 6438, 6447); this deposit was characterized by soil with a high clay content and very little ash, extremely large amounts of pottery (with a high proportion of fine ware) and a very large amount of animal bone. ; ; At a depth of 11.70 m (elev. 73.40 m) we reached the water table (context 6518). The pottery and bones were still present at their normal high amounts so we continued excavating for another 37 cm, to a depth of 11.88 (elev. 73.03 m), at which point we felt that it was unsafe to continue. The last context was 6524.  ; ; The latest pottery found in the well dates to a twenty-year span (1270-1290), but the three dumping actions apparent amongst the contexts are not chronologically separate, despite their stratigraphic relationships.  In addition, the presence of complete vessels suggests primary deposition, but the occurrence of incomplete and fragmentary body sherds also indicates the secondary deposition of pottery. This interpretation is supported by the bone material. The excellent preservation of delicate and small bones (e.g., of fish, cats, birds), as well of the articulation of some bones, can be indicative of primary deposition; on the other hand, a large amount of weathered and fragmentary bones suggests the secondary deposition of animal remains.; Personal communication with Thanos Webb, the excavation’s zooarchaeologist, emphasized the distinct nature of the bone material that had been removed from the well. The preservation was very good, with little weathering and the presence of smaller and more fragile elements. There was an abundance of different anatomical elements, representing parts from the entire skeleton. The surface modification of the bones was also distinctive, with the butchery marks on multiple elements being far more extensive than that on bones from areas outside the well. Finally, the species representation from the well was also conspicuous, ranging from common domesticates to large birds and fish, and with an age distribution ranging from fetal to mature.  Additionally, large amounts of microfaunal remains and fish scales were collected from the dry sieve.  These have yet to be analyzed.; ; In addition to the pottery and bones, we recovered small finds of both a utilitarian and luxury nature. These included stone and bone tools, iron nails, bronze lumps, worked bone artifacts, spindle hooks and whorls, and glass. Twenty-seven coins were recovered. Nearly half of these were illegible, and of those which we could date, most were Late Byzantine and Frankish. None need to be later than the 3rd quarter of the 13th century, chronology in agreement with our pottery. A complete list of the contexts and coin dates can be found in Appendix A of this summary.; ; The well structure itself was not excavated, so our only evidence for the construction date of the well comes from our limited excavation of the fill (6536) inside the construction cut (6535). The pottery from this context dated to the 10th/11th centuries. Given the large amount of dumped 10/11th century fill in other parts of the room which stratigraphically date to the 12th century (see below), the small sample provided by the construction trench cannot assuredly date the well’s first use phase. Still, if one considers the dating of the contexts surrounding the well (see below), we can speculate that well was in use from the 10th/11th centuries until it was closed at the third quarter of the 13th century.; Other 13th century activity; ; The character of the other 13th century actions in the room also reflects an alteration of the space. In the 3rd quarter of the century, sometime around the closing of the well, a long drain (5938) was laid running E-W and extending eastward out of the room. In order to extend the drain completely to the road, a small portion of wall 10083 had to be removed. The pebble/cement floor associated with the drain (5934) suggests that the room continued to act as an outdoor space, as it had previously in the 12th century. Two piers (5957, 10077) set up at the room’s south east boundary and a threshold (5919) placed between served to monumentalize the passageway between our room and the one to the south. At the same time, another pier (6148) was placed to the north on an axis with the eastern pier; it was placed against the west end of wall 10087 and can be dated by the fill which it cuts to the south (6141). Together the three piers must have served a supporting function for an upper level or arch.  By the end of the century the threshold had been walled up and two connecting N-S walls (10094, 10080) were added at the western pier to slice the entire room in half, separating the well and staircase from the room’s eastern portion. ; ; In order to build wall 10094 it seems that digging activity of some sort was undertaken, probably to clear the space for construction. We have not settled on a firm interpretation of the activity here, however. Originally we believed we had found a robbing trench for another pier foundation (6273), located on an axis with the other three. Further excavation revealed that the pier foundation cut was part of a longer N-S cut (6254/5, 6240, 6565, 6569) truncated by Berg’s corner trench (6570). The lower portion of the cut contains fill with 12th century dates (6274, 6581); the robbing of the upper portion, evidently begun at the southern end, can be associated with the 13th century (6225, 6240). Conclusions about the history of activity in this region are tenuous, but may include, for example: a) an earlier wall was robbed out in the 12th century, another placed in the same cut at a higher layer, and that robbed out in the 13th century, b) a wall was removed at some point and a pier foundation was sunk in its place to coincide with the other three, then removed for 10094. ; The removal of other features was also necessary to reshape the space. For example, an E-W wall (6052) ending at 10086 must have been removed to accommodate the threshold placed just at its south. The robbing trench left behind by the wall’s removal was later cut by pit 5935. This pit may have been dug to remove a large pithos, evidenced at the south end of the pit by its deeper circular depression, perhaps located at the corner of  walls 6052 and 6424 and therefore outside the boundary of our room and adjacent to its south (see Appendix B).; ; 12th century; ; Whereas the 13th century activity in the room involved the movement and construction of numerous built features, at present it seems that the 12th century activity, while extensive, cannot be linked to any extant architectural elements within the room. Instead, the 12th century activity is marked by a series of leveling and dumping activities that can be situated in two general time periods, the early 12th century and the second half of the century.; The most dramatic of these is a deep layer of multiple dumping actions in the southern part of the room. In the early part of the century, an extensive cut was made that truncated a grey clay floor in the west and extended to the eastern edge of the space. The cut was filled with many deposits of a mixed nature; in particular, several lenses of fill contained pottery of multiple periods and included large dumps of roof tiles (e.g., 6191: 21.4kg, 6186: 24.9kg). The mixed nature of the pottery deposit suggests that it was removed from another context before deposition in the room. In fact, the majority of the lenses were dated by pottery to the 10th/11th century (6629, 6626, 6622, 6194, 6196, 6198, 6225), while the dumping activity can be securely dated to the 12th century by the lowest fill level (6662). ; ; Redeposited 10th/11th century material was also used to make up the matrix of a series of pebble floors in the room’s NE corner (6593, 6592, 6591). The floors were truncated on all sides, but can be dated by a deep fill beneath (6605) containing early 12th century pottery and very well-preserved bones (with nearly complete and fragile examples, suggesting primary deposition).  Because the patchy pebble floors exhibited wear patterns compatible with the pooling of water, during the early part of the century we suspect the room to have been an outdoor space. ; The evidence for architectural adaption in the courtyard during the twelfth century is scanty. A feature running N-S east of the well may have been removed (see above). An E-W wall (6426) may also have been removed, since a series of robbing trenches were found (6042, 6046), but since the wall has not been fully excavated, we cannot be certain of its chronology. ; ; 10th/11th century; ; Our understanding of the 10th and 11th century phases of the room is currently incomplete, since our efforts have focused primarily on removing 12th and 13th century remains. As mentioned, many of the dumped fills that we have encountered were dated by pottery to the 10th/11th century, but belong stratigraphically to later periods. We also have 10th/11th century dates for the patchy floors and some of the fills below them in the NE part of the room, but these are stratigraphically dated to the 12th century as well. ; ; A large drain was located outside the room, east of wall 10086 under the later additions to the Byzantine house, curving from the southwest (10079) north and west to 10083. Situated under what was once the wider Medieval road, the drain was covered by squared limestone slabs probably removed from the nearby Roman road. The fill and surface above the drain contained pottery of the 10th and 11th century, but as the cut and fill excavated seems to have been related to a later repair, we are not able to establish a firm chronology for the drain’s construction. Moreover, given the stratigraphically later 10th/11th century fills common in the room, the date should probably remain speculative for the time being.; Otherwise, we have no structures that can be assuredly dated to the 10th and 11th centuries. In the western portion of the room, a grey clay floor has been uncovered through which the well was cut. The fill inside the well construction cut was dated to the 10th/11th century, as were the fills above this floor and the cut. However, as stated above, given the limited excavation of the construction cut, the unexcavated well structure, and the disturbed nature of this part of the room, we only tentatively date the well construction to this period. ; ; Suggestions for further excavation; ; One area of particular interest for future research is the architectural phasing of the area. This is especially relevant since the room appears to have served as a courtyard in the 12th century and its boundaries seem to have shifted on several occasions. For this reason, it might be worth considering the room’s relationship to the other external courtyards. It is also a possibility that the space’s form and function changed as the larger building was broken into smaller units. ; ; In keeping with the premises of open-area excavation, we have endeavored to extract all 13th century and later levels from the room (the exception being the unexcavated well deposits below the water table). Nearly all 12th century levels have been removed. We recommend that the following steps be taken to clear any remaining 12th century evidence before proceeding to the earlier Byzantine periods. ; ; 1)Any remaining fill from the unfinished portion of 6662 should be removed, particularly the dumped fill in the area north of 5935 and west of 6556/7. The relationship between that fill and the eastern area of the room should be further clarified (particularly in the region of wall 10086 and cut 5935). ; 2)If permission to remove wall 6426 has been acquired, then it should be taken out and the area beneath it examined in more detail. It may have been partly robbed out in the 12th century, but its construction date has not yet been identified.; 3)The staircase (6324, 6325, 6333) can be further examined by excavating the space between the lower and upper steps. It is probable that the staircase was added after the well was closed, since it partly overlies the well packing, but a more precise date for its construction would be helpful.; 4)The triangular area 6648 laid against walls 10086 and 10087 should be excavated. We believed that it may have been outside cut 6678, but its stratigraphic make-up should be determined more precisely, since its last level to be removed was part of the larger context 6648.; 5)The grey floor south of the well should be examined in an effort to understand its use phases, the date and function of wall 6422 and the collection of rocks visible in the 1960s sondage section.; 6)The uneven fills in the northeast part of the room should be removed to explore their make-up and to determine if they actually date to the 10th/11th century or if they are part of the 12th century leveling action. Their removal will also allow the investigation of the floors beneath them that had been cut by 6678. ; 7) If the lower levels of the room are reached, three particular questions that have been created by earlier excavation might be addressed:; A. What were the circumstances of the skeleton’s deposition in the NE corner? (See Appendix B) Why was the body haphazardly laid out and why was its skull covered by 10087?; B. What is identification of the line of stones at the bottom of the N-S cut (6273)? The soil south of the stones seemed to be full of hollows. Might it be an earlier well, as Thanasis has suggested, or another type of open space?; C. A N-S wall was uncovered by Berg in the NW trench (6570) and re-found in 2009. It appears to be a finely constructed wall abutting the earlier phase of W55, forming a precise corner. How does this change the plan of the building and the understanding of the long entrance alley to the north? Does the wall have any relation to the Byzantine house at all or is it entirely pre-Medieval?; ; ; Appendix A: Well coin dates; ; Context   Coin # and date; 6286; #123 Corinth medieval 1245-1250; 6291; 6297; 6360; 6361; 6365; 6368; 6369; 6371; 6374; 6378; 6383; 6386; 6394; 6400; 6405; #99 medieval illeg.; #102 Manuel I 1167-1183; 6412; #103 medieval illeg. 1092-1399; #104 Villehardouin 1250-1260; #107 illeg.; 6416; #114 illeg. 1092-1261; #115 Roman Imperial; 6420; 6430; #119 Manuel I 1143-1180; #120 medieval illeg. 1092-1261; #121 illeg 324-599; #122 Greek – Corinth 400-146 BC; 6438; 6447; #126 illeg. 1092-1261; #127 illeg. 1092-1399; #128 illeg. 1250-1330; #161 illeg.; 6455; 6469; #137 Alexius I 1085-1092; #139 illeg.; #140 illeg. 1204-1261; 6474; #142 Manuel 1 1143-1180; 6483; #149 illeg.; 6486; #146 medieval illeg.; #150 illeg.; #151 Byzantine illeg.; 6492; 6497; #153 medieval; #154 Byzantine; #155 Byzantine; 6515; 6518; 6524; ; Appendix B; NB = Berg’s notebook, #229.; PV = Photograph volume 18, 1960 II; ; Berg included a number of plans of Section F, which he updated throughout the season as new information came to light. His drawings have been useful for reconstructing his activity at the time, although his plans do often focus on architecture to the expense of other important features (e.g., he never depicts well 6288). His adherence to the overall grid is often inexact. It appears that his elevations, in contrast, are quite accurate; they can be tested both at the 13th century drain (5938) and at the bottom of 6173.; ; Two of the corner trenches were cleaned during 2009’s Session1 by Potenza and Boehm, that in the southwest (5935) and southeast (6223).; ; 5935: This area was originally excavated by Berg on June 10th, 1961 (NB: 192, 195). He mentions working in the area between his walls #33 (10080/10094), #27 (10086/10087), and #23 (10076/10077). Although Berg does not describe the excavation of a deep pit or bothros, a figure-eight-shaped pit is visible in the end-of-excavation photographs (PV: p 32, 61-24-4); it was cleaned, defined and recorded by Potenza and Boehm as cut 5935. Berg’s silence on the issue of the pit may be due to the fact that its excavation was done on the last day of the season, with work ending at noon. The material was saved as Lot 662. Because the stratigraphy was so disturbed by both Berg’s excavation and by later weathering, 5935’s original digging cannot be placed securely in the room’s sequence of events. It clearly occurred after the filling of 6042/6046 (RT for 6052), which it truncates, but otherwise we can not exactly place it on the Harris Matrix and have thus left it floating.; ; 6623: Berg refers to this area, excavated on June 6th, 1961 (NB: p. 182), as the space between his walls #34 (W54), #33 (10080/10094), and #25. No photographs of the specific area were taken, but it is depicted in the post-season views found in PV. The photos indicate that in this area, Berg excavated everything to the level of the top of the well, with two specific features down to a lower level. The first is the sondage taken at the corners of W54 and 6267/5361; it was cleaned by Potenza and Boehm but not given a number. According to the photos, Berg’s excavation of the sondage revealed the northern face of 6267/5361, the wall located about a meter or so north of Berg's Wall #25 and the southwest boundary of our own trench. Berg did not include wall 6267/5361 on his plans, but it does seem to have been drawn on the 2009 Nezi field plan. The pit that he excavated at this time has a large number of jumbled rocks on its east face (under wall 6422). It is unclear if 6422 was excavated by Berg, but on his final plan (p. 188) he draws a small structure that jogs east and then south from W54 in a similar way to how we originally interpreted 6422; this may be a reference to his sondage and the jumbled rocks therein, or to 6422. Also likely, however, is that the structure drawn by Berg refers to a pile of larger rocks possibly visible north of the sondage and south of the staircase in photo 61-26-5 (p35); again, this interpretation is based on a general photograph of the area as there was no detailed description in Berg’s notebook. ; ; The second delineated feature visible in the photographs is a circular pit to the east of the sondage and up against Berg's wall #33 (our 10080). This is probably what Berg refers to on p. 182 as a circular pit just west of his wall #33 and north of his wall #25. He indicates that the pit had a plastered southern face and was filled with fine white ash. The pottery was saved as Lot 683. He excavated the pit to an elevation of 84.16m. Our season’s closing elevation was 84.18m, a difference of only .02m, and was taken approximately under the pit’s location as visible in the photographs (at the bottom of 6662). ; ; The placement of Berg’s corner sondage had some bearing in our interpretation of contexts 6620 and 6338. 6620 was made of an extremely soft and ashy fill that was exposed by Potenza and Boehm’s cleaning at the beginning of the season, and was partly removed by 6338 and further sweeping. Its softness and the its straight northern boundary suggested that it might be back-fill. In the 1961 photographs, the sondage does not appear to be located so far north, leaving the possibility that the softness of the soil was a result of exposure to the elements, foot traffic and other 2009 excavation activity. Nevertheless, it is still possible that the area was excavated further after the 1961 end-of-season photos were taken and that 6620 was composed of re-deposited earth - if so, the excavation activity must have been completed after Berg's 1961 efforts. See PV: p. 34, 61-26-4; p. 35, 61-27-1, 61-27-2, 61-26-5.; ; The two corners in the northwest (6570) and northeast (6173) were cleaned by Rask and Wells in 2009’s Session 2 and 3: ; ; 6173: This northeast corner was originally excavated by Berg on June 9th, 1961 (NB: p. 192) and continued on June 10th, the final day of the season. Berg stopped digging at a hard surface found at 84.20m, at which point the wall foundation trenches for W55 (#34) and 10086 (#27) were visible. At this level he also uncovered a skeleton lying in a disheveled E-W position with its head beneath10087 (PV: p. 25: 61-15-3). Berg makes clear in his notebook that the area would not be excavated any further beyond their stopping point at 84.20m, the level of the skeleton. Our excavation has shown, however, that some time later digging must have taken place, as an irregular pit cuts through the hard surface at which Berg stopped (our measurement shows the disturbed hard surface to be 84.10m, slightly lower than Berg’s stopping point at 84.20m). The later digging cut through the wall foundation trench noted by Berg and continued to a presently undetermined depth. It is unclear when this digging happened and by whom it was undertaken.; ; 6570: The northwest area was originally exposed on May 26, 1961 (PV: p. 35, 61-27-7). It began as a soft fill that was excavated to a hard level at 84.06m. He speculated that the soft fill was W54/55's foundation trench (p.151). The hard soil was then removed from W54 eastward towards Berg's wall #33 (10094/10080). Berg originally drew #33 as extending from our room northward beyond W55 (plan, p. 101); if the wall truly extended that far north than its northern portion must have been removed by Berg. Unfortunately, the end-of-excavation photographs do not clarify the matter, although they do seem to indicate that Berg excavated a N-S trench possibly crossing over W55 that terminated in a large round pit to the north (PV: p. 36, 61-27-3). It is not possible to say much more from the photographs nor to determine if that cut/pit had any relation to the activity in our room. Moreover, no mention is made in Berg's notebook of the wall we designate 10095 and which seems to have been the easternmost point of their trench here. It is drawn on two of his plans, although it seems to be indicated in the wrong spot on his last plan (p. 157 and 188).   The area of 6570 was excavated down “to levels of obviously Roman or Classical date"" (p. 167) and was presumably closed on May 30th, 1961. The pottery from Berg's exploration was saved as Lots 672, 673, 675.; ; Our interpretation of the N-S cut 6273 was affected by 6570, since Berg’s excavations truncated the cut. It is also unclear if Berg partially exposed the line of rocks at the preserved northern end of 6273.",""
"Unit II, Room 6 and Room 8, Session I","Report","","","","Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Sarah Rous, Rebecca Worsham (2014-04-06 to 2014-04-25)","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Sarah Rous, Rebecca Worsham (2014-04-06 to 2014-04-25)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","Corinth","Sarah Rous, Rebecca Worsham; Session I; Temple E Southeast Excavations; N: 1087 N, S: 1075.25 N, E: 129 E, W: 116.5 E; 6–25 April 2014; ; Introduction; ; This is the final summary of the first session of excavation in 2014 in Rooms 6 and 8 N of the church in Unit II in the area of Temple E SE. Room 6 was last excavated in 1996 and recorded in NB 864 (p. 57–119). Room 8 was last excavated in 1995 and recorded in NB 877 (p. 73–198) and 845 (p. 33–75).  In Room 6 excavation was conducted from April 6 to April 23 of 2014, while Room 8 was excavated from April 23 to April 25 of 2014. Guy Sanders (director) and Jody Cundy (field director) supervised, and Sarah Rous and Rebecca Worsham recorded. In Room 6, excavation was carried out exclusively by Sarah Rous and Rebecca Worsham. In Room 8, Athanasios Notis and Panagiotis Stamatis were pickmen, Angeliki Stamati and Hekouran Çoli were shovel(wo)men, and Panagiotis Rontzokos was the barrowman.; ; Excavation in Room 6 was bounded by Wall Context 58 (1076.94–1083.30N, 117.20–118.12E), the W wall of the room, and by Wall Context 59 (1077.48–1084.33N, 119.64–121.55E), the E wall of the room, and its associated robbing trench. The S boundary was effectively a pedestal surrounding the reused Hymettian orthostate at the entrance to the narthex of the church to the S (1076.5N). The N boundary was artificially established at 1082.5 N as the northern extent of Room 6 is as yet unknown. Coordinates for our excavation area are: N at 1082.5 N, S at 1075.25 N, E at 122.5 E, and W at 117.5 E.; ; Excavation in Room 8 was bounded on all sides by walls. At the N was Wall Context 154 (1085.91–1086.65N, 124.04–126.17E) and the abutting Wall 166 (1086.27–1087.30N, 126.20–130.82E). At the E was Wall Context 155 (1079.23–1086.27N, 126.50–128.65E). At the S was Wall Context 156 (1077.50–1078.97N, 123.58–128.40E), and at the W was Wall Context 157 (1078.37–1085.05N, 122.55–124.63E). Coordinates for our excavation area are: N at 1088.00 N, S at 1077.00 N, E at 129.00 E, and W at 121.00 E.; ; We did not excavate in Room 7, between Rooms 6 and 8, at this time. Goals for the excavation season included the clarification of the function and phasing of the rooms N of the church to prepare them for consolidation.; ; Frankish (1210-1458 CE); ; Room 6; ; The earliest level reached in this room is the unexcavated Floor 7 of NB 864, previously exposed beneath NB 864 B62 on the E face of Wall 58. It may also have been revealed in a small area in the southern central portion of Room 6 under our Context 90 (possibly equal to later Floor 6; 1077.93–1078.76N, 119.62–119.93E), which dates to the late 13th to early 14th centuries. Floor 7 must therefore antedate the late 13th–early 14th centuries. Beneath Context 90 the surface was not finely finished, and so it may not be the same as the Floor 7 revealed by earlier excavations. ; ; Grave 2014-02, a child burial, was cut into this surface and filled also in the late 13th to early 14th centuries (Cut Context 125; 1077.96–1078.61N, 118.57–119.79E; Fill Context 71). The grave was a simple pit, 1.23m long, 0.38m wide, and 0.24m deep. The burial was oriented roughly W-E with the W end against Wall Context 58. It contained a fairly well preserved skeleton of a subadult (Skeleton Context 72) in a supine position with the head at the W. In association with the skeleton were a tile supporting the chin and a heavily worn Latin imitative coin (2014-48) made after 1204. This burial was overlying another unexcavated burial of which only the top of the skull and possibly part of another skull were visible at the W end of the grave. No cut was found for this earlier burial, and so it cannot be firmly associated with the chronology of this room. ; ; Apparently a short time after the filling of Grave 2014-02, another overlying burial was made, Grave 1996-5, which certainly truncated the cut of Grave 2014-02 at the W and may also have truncated the face of the skeleton associated with this burial (Context 72). Another infant burial was made to the N along the face of Wall Context 58, Grave 1996-6.  Neither of these graves contained closely datable pottery. All three of these burials were sealed by Floor 6 (NB 864 B62) of the previous excavations of Room 6, which the excavators had dated to the mid-13th c., but which clearly must post-date the fill of Grave 2014-02, which is dated by pottery to the late 13th to early 14th centuries. A probable portion of Floor 6 (Context 90) was dated by pottery to the late 13th–early 14th centuries.; ; Into Floor 6 was cut Grave 1995-2, which truncated the central portion of Grave 2014-02. The tibiae of this later grave seem to have been set almost directly on top of the femur of the earlier grave, indicating the heavily disturbed nature of this area and the extremely high density of burials, and may suggest a botched effort to re-associate disturbed bones with the correct skeleton. No date is given for this burial, but it was covered by a leveling fill (NB 864 B59, 1250s–1260s) for another floor, Floor 5 (NB 864 B56), dated by the excavators to the 1260s to 1270s, though again it must actually date somewhat later.; ; Several burials were then cut into Floor 5, including the previously excavated Graves 1996-1, 1996-2, and 1996-4, as well as Grave 2014-05. Grave 2014-05 was a pit grave (L. 0.65m, W. 0.20m, depth at least 0.14m) containing an infant burial cut into the floor against the E face of Wall Context 58, oriented roughly N-S (Cut Context 165; 1079.50–1080.14N, 118.03–118.37E). Pottery from the fill of this grave (Context 130) was not able to be dated before the end of the first session. The skeleton (Context 54), laid supine with the head at the N, was fairly well preserved and had tiles on each side of its skull, as well as a necklace of red glass beads in situ around its neck (MF 2014-16). ; ; This grave was truncated by the probably roughly contemporary Grave 2014-01, a tile-lined cist (L. 0.48m, W. 0.29m, depth 0.15m)containing the S-N oriented skeleton of a neonate (Context 37). The skeleton was positioned supine, slightly twisted to the right, with the head at the S. The fill of this grave (Context 13) was dated to the mid-13th c. by pottery. A lead disc with a string hole, probably an undecorated lead seal (MF 2014-01), was also found in association with this infant. The burying group was perhaps related to the burying group of Grave 2014-05, as an effort was apparently made not to disturb the bones of the earlier skeleton (Context 54), left in situ below, although the skull is at the same level with this later burial and must have been visible. The infant was then covered over with fragments of the same tile used to line the cut of the grave (Context 128; 1079.54–1079.99N, 118.08–118.44E). These burials were then sealed by Floor 4 (NB 864 B52, B53, and B54), dated by the excavators to the last quarter of the 13th c.; ; No further investigation of this room was conducted during the first session of the 2014 season.; ; Room 8; ; The earliest level reached in Room 8 was an unexcavated surface hardened by foot traffic (under Context 184) with flat-lying sherds, possibly extending across the S portion of the room (unexcavated, under Context 174 and 168). This surface was probably a part of a general fill, onto which a lens of inclusion-rich leveling material (Context 184; 1079.01–1081.51N, 125.99–127.63E) was spread. This construction fill is dated to the third quarter of the 13th c. by pottery. It abuts Wall Context 156 (1077.50–1078.97N, 123.58–128.40E), the S wall of the room, which should then be earlier. Because Wall Context 156 may bond with Wall Context 155, this fill may be related to the construction of both these walls.; ; Following the laying of this fill, the foundation trench of Wall Context 155 (1079.23–1086.27N, 126.50–128.65E), the E wall of the room, was cut into it (Context 182; 1079.24–1081.03N, 127.28–127.86E). Wall 155, the wall dividing Rooms 8 and 9, was then constructed. This wall seems to bond with Wall Context 166 (1086.27–1087.30N, 126.20–130.82E), which forms the N wall of Room 9, at its N end. It may however, also bond with the S wall of the room, Wall Context 156 (which otherwise seems to predate it). The foundation trench of Wall 155 was then filled (Contexts 176 and 177). This fill is dated by pottery to the late 13th–early 14th centuries. In the N preserved section of the foundation trench (Context 176), some disturbance represented by an unexcavated soft fill and a later red, stony deposit excavated in Context 183 (1082.59–1083.72N, 126.61–126.96E) intruded into the foundation trench. The red stony deposit is not closely datable, but contained a coin of 602–604 CE (2014-74) on its interface with the unexcavated level below (possibly the same as Context 181).; ; At the W side of the room, a firm fill including many cobbles was laid along the wall (Wall Context 157; 1078.37–1085.05N, 122.55–124.63E), possibly as a foundation for a bench (Context 175; 1078.93–1081.26N, 124.05–124.80E). A lens of ashy debris—remains of the earlier use of this room?—was laid against this foundation (Context 174; 1079.24–1081.07N, 124.39–125.27E) and contained a bronze weight (MF 2014-4) and a mould for lead seals (MF 2014-15). A more finely finished white clay floor was laid over the entire southern half of the room, excavated in Context 168 (1079.15–1083.27N, 124.90–127.76E).  With this floor was found a small bronze buckle (MF 2014-9). This floor covered the fill of the foundation trenches, and may continue in fugitive patches to the N, excavated in Context 153 (1081.41–1085.81N, 123.50–126.04E), though this context was marked by a much higher density of inclusions. Both of the contexts representing the possible floor are dated to the late 13th to early 14th c.; ; Into the N part of the room, a large pit was cut into this surface (Context 159; 1082.60–1085.07N, 124.30–125.80E). The fill of the pit (Context 162) was dated by pottery to the 14th c. A coin (2014-66, postdating 1204 CE) and a bronze earring with silver and gold plating (MF 2014-17) were recovered from the fill, along with discarded ceramics, bone, and iron. The upper elevations of this fill may have been composed of eroded floor surface.; ; On the S side of the room, some disturbance was caused perhaps by the installation of furniture along the N face of the S Wall 156. The first of these was a strip along the S wall that may represent a bench or perhaps untrodden soil along this wall (Context 151; 1078.93–1079.02N, 125.42–126.83E), similar in dimensions to the earlier bench excavated in Context 175. This context was dated to the late 13th c. by pottery, and contained a coin dating to after 1204 CE (2014-63). Both of these possible benches were later disturbed by a circular deposit, perhaps also representing furniture, in the SW corner of the room (Context 150; 1078.73–1079.15N, 124.65–125.39).; ; The so-called Frankish floor of the earlier excavations was found across the full length of this room as a well-preserved light clay floor. This was excavated in Context 140 (1078.58–1086.12N, 123.07–127.84E), though after years of exposure it was no longer recognizable as a floor. Within the make-up of this surface were deposited a number of significant finds, including a bone die (MF 2014-6) and a bronze weight (MF 2014-5) similar to that found with the ashy deposit against the bench (Context 174, MF 2014-4). Additionally, two coins (2014-59 and 2014-60) were recovered, both dating to the Byzantine period, the first to after 1204 and the second to 1143–1152 CE. The floor itself was dated by pottery to the 14th c.; ; The N wall, Wall Context 154 (1085.91–1086.65N, 124.04–126.17E), seems to have been laid on this surface, perhaps indicated by a lens of sandy clay directly beneath it that may be the ""Frankish floor."" The wall is therefore built without a foundation, directly on the surface of the room. It abuts Wall Context 166, the N wall of Room 9, and closing off Room 8 on the same line.; ; Following this, the room was abandoned, and tile fall (a small portion excavated in Context 149; 1079.04–1079.84N, 127.29–127.76E) covered the whole room (NB 877 B91, B92, B114, B149, B150, B167, Lots 1995-14 and 1995-16). This fall (nerk) has been dated to the late 13th–early 14th c. by pottery, and to ca. 1300 CE by the previous excavators. If the floor is 14th c., it must be later.; ; ; Conclusion; It is likely that the bottoms of the two sections of the foundation trench (Context 176 and 177) have not yet been reached. Context 181 was only partially excavated out of sequence and its relationship to the surrounding features should be established.; ; Recommendations for Future Excavation:; ; Room 6; 1. Finish removal of the skeleton Context 54 in Grave 2014-05. Finish removing the fill (Context 130) to the bottom of the cut (Context 165). Elevations must be taken beneath the skull and at the bottom of the cut. Read pottery. Take sample up to flotation.; ; Room 8; 1. The soft, dark soil surrounding and possibly interrupting  the foundation trench (Contexts 182 and 176) in the NE part of the room should be removed in order to continue the excavation of the foundation trench and because it seems to be the latest deposit in this area of the room.; ; 2. Clean the intersections of Walls 155 and 156 and 156 and 157 to see how these walls are bonded and abutting. The foundation trench for Wall 157 should be near the current excavated level.; ; 3. In the scarp on the N side under Wall 154, the grey clay floor visible in the sides of the cut Context 159 is clearly visible and apparently running under Wall Context 166. If it is going under this wall, how is it related to the foundation trench of Wall Context 155 at its N preserved section?; ; 4. Explore the interfaces of the red, pebbly soil along the S part of the room. A similar soil is visible in the center of the room under Context 184 (at the NW of this context) and at the N of the unexcavated area under Context 174.",""
"Final Summary, Session I (NW Passage)","Report","","","","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","Corinth","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.",""
"Final Report 2009 - rooms south of the courtyard of the Byzantine House, first  phase of the Byz House","Report","","","","Nezi Field 2009 by Sarah Lima (2009-05-25 to 2009-06-15)","","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2009 by Sarah Lima (2009-05-25 to 2009-06-15)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","Corinth","Sarah Lima; Session 3 ; End of Season Report; 15 June, 2009; ; Between the dates of May 25, 2009 and June 15, 2009 (Session III), our excavation team  comprised of Sarah Lima (recorder), Panos Kakouros (pickman), Panos Stamatis (barrow man), and Agamemnon (siever) continued investigating several rooms south of the courtyard of the Byzantine house previously excavated by Lattimore (NB 229) and Berg (NB 229) in the 1960s. In 2008, Panos Kakouros excavated in the same area with Anne Feltovich, Emily Rush, and Catherine Person recording; in 2009 session I, Dan Leon and Ben Sullivan recorded there; and in 2009 session II, excavations were conducted by Mark Hammond, Kierston Spongberg, and Sarah Lima. The aim for Session III was to understand the phasing of the three rooms where our team had worked - how the space had been manipulated to serve the needs of the people inhabiting and using the area, and how people would have moved from room to room at different times.  In particular, we were interested in reaching 10th century levels in order to understand the earliest phases of the rooms south of the courtyard area, which once served as the hub of the house.   ; ; During Sessions II and III, we worked in three rooms: the “Central Room” (in Session II summary, the “East Room”) bounded by walls 5483, 5403, 6027/6284/6300, and 6267/5631/5671 with foundations 6245 (271.10-277.70 E, 1027.70-1023.67 N); the “West Room” bounded by walls 5483, 5484, 5284, and 5519 (265.90-270.70 E, 1028.00-1023.65N); and the “East Room” bounded by walls 10078/10085, 6624, 6027/6285/6300, and 5341 (1027.24-1022.98 N, 281.50-277.62 E).; ; East Room; ; We began our work in the East Room by excavating a surface exposed by DB and BS during Session I 2009. A majority of the room, primarily the central and western portion, was excavated during the 1960s. Several deep pits cut most of the southern half of the room, and on the northern edge of the room, two deep pier cuttings cut the remaining surfaces from higher elevations, leaving just a thin balk available for excavation. Joanna Potenza and Ryan Boehm had recorded the removal of a threshold of the Frankish period on the northern boundary of the room [5919], which may have been in use along with walls 10077 and 10076 to the east and with walls 5552 and its superstructure 5922 to the west. While JP and RB did uncover a floor surface in contemporary use with the threshold on the northern side of the room’s boundary (5290), only floor surfaces predating the installation of the threshold were uncovered by BL and DB to the south, the final of which was 6080; the room was then left for future excavation. ; ; The first surface that we excavated was surface 6445, which was contemporary with the use of wall segment 6426. Excavation of 6445 revealed what may be the foundation trench for that wall. The closeness of the wall to the numerous pier cuts made excavation impossible without toppling the entire balk, so the foundation trench was not further explored; we made every effort not to include fill from near the wall in our subsequent deposits. ; Several subsequent surfaces, 6468 and 6488, were excavated, prior to uncovering a large built storage pit (cut 6557, fills 6495, 6466, and 6452 built components 6594 and 6558), which would have occupied the room during its 12th century phase. We decided to cease excavation of the balk at this point because the east-west wall segment 6624 had become pedestalled, and permission has not yet been obtained for its removal. ; ; We turned our attention to the eastern boundary of the room, removing wall and threshold 10085 and its underlying foundations (6475 and 6476). At the time that we excavated these contexts, we believed that 10085 was a separate construction from wall 10078, based both on the appearance of the foundations and on the style of the wall itself. We envisioned wall 10085 as installed especially to accommodate a much later threshold construction, as a part of already-existent wall 10078. However, upon excavating the section and seeing how deeply subfoundations 6476 lay (at an equal depth to the foundations of wall 10078’s), we concluded the opposite: that 10078 and 10085 were probably of contemporary construction. Further support for this idea is the fact that there were two surfaces (6451 and 6445 ) running against foundations, suggesting that the foundations predated those deposits. However, this was unclear at the time, since those surfaces were at significantly lower elevations than the wall sections in situ.  The pottery from foundations 6676 dated to the late 12th or early 13th century. ; ; The upper blocks used in the construction of remaining wall section 10078 are very substantial in size and appear to be reused Roman road blocks of the Late Roman period; one interesting feature of these eastern sections of wall is that one block that remains in situ appears to have been cut to corner westward about 4 m from the southern terrace wall 5341, dividing the room nearly in half (we assigned this wall the number 6522). We began excavating strata that were positioned around the place where the wall projected from the section, and the excavation of fill 6521 revealed the line of a long east-west robbing or foundation trench cut running nearly the lengh of the room (cut 6523). The reason that the foundation versus robbing cut identification remains ambiguous is that pit cuts have truncated that part of the room badly, so all that we can understand is that the wall existed, and that based on the foundations that were uncovered, it was a substantial, load-bearing wall.  I propose that wall 6522 functioned as a terrace wall and was the earlier Roman terrace wall that existed before wall 5341 was constructed immediately to the south in the medieval period for the same purpose. The evidence for this is that  it is set into reddish-colored colluvium above bedrock and rests at a lower level than the foundation trench 6509 for wall section 6027, which bounds the room to the west (foundation trench fills 6530 and 6506, covered by fill 6504). Further, the first medieval floor in the room immediately to the west is constructed right atop the red colluvium (this is a course pebble  floor that is only partially visible under paving stones 6190 and would have been in use with threshold 6285); there was no earlier phase of use of this space. This changes our impression of the construction of threshold 6285, excavated during Session II; we had envisioned the entire wall section comprised of 6300/6285/6027 to be earlier than the features of the East Room, but if the east-west wall 6522 once existed at an early period, holding back red colluvium on its south-facing side, there is no way that threshold 6285, given its physical position, could have been in use during that period for purposes of communicating with the East Room. However, after the east-west wall was robbed out (at whatever elevation and time that that event occurred), the East room would have received a new terrace wall to the south (i.e., the wall 5341, now in situ), and the space would have been expanded to the south(and therefore open for communication with the east room via threshold 6285). The best guess for when this event may have occurred is Late Byzantine, based on the scant amount of ceramic material available from foundation trench fill from 6530 and 6506 and overlying 6504; additionally, if the cut indicating the course of early east-west terrace wall 6522 is a robbing event, then the date of that event can be further narrowed to the 10th/11th century. Therefore the earliest medieval phase of this part of the house began with a massive reorganization of space and great effort spent at expanding the usable space by moving the Roman terrace wall 4 m to the south. ; ; Future Considerations ; ; The balk cannot be explored further until wall 6624 is documented and removed, since the wall is pedestalled as it currently lies. The relationship between the wall sections 6300, 6285, and 6027 is not yet fully understood, as foundation trenches have not yet been revealed for 6300 and 6285; recovery of foundation events for those sections could confirm or refute our speculations about how the East and Central Room construction sequences work. Another question worthy of further attention is whether wall 10078 truly represented the easternmost extent of the East Room or not; while the blocks that comprise the wall as it stands are extremely large, there does appear to be another wall running behind it; are there multiple eastern wall phases for this room? Finally, the section of 10078 immediately to the north of the cut for excavated foundations 6476 and 6475 for wall/threshold 10085 should be considered together with those construction events if and when it is removed. ; Western Room; ; The Western Room was excavated in 1960s excavations by Lattimore and Berg (NB 229, p. 180). As was the case in the East Room, this room featured several deep Frankish-period storage pits (labeled as “bothroi” in the 1960s notebooks) that truncated many of the earlier features within the room. In the case of the Western Room, those two storage pits (cuts 6380 and 6363 which terminated on bedrock) were confined in the southern half of the room. The space was further restricted by two large Frankish north-south wall sections, 5485 and 5490, which lay against north-south wall 5284. In 2008, AF and ER excavated within the Western Room, reaching levels that ran beneath wall 5490. Because permission had not been obtained from the Byzantine Ephoria to remove the two later wall sections, they were pedistalled so that excavation could continue east of them. Our efforts during Session II were focused on cleaning and investigating the previously-excavated storage pits, and on excavating contexts preserved in the balk under the walls once they were removed. We wanted to reveal and excavate the floor revealed by 6428 (=5887), which represented the same stopping point that AF and ER reached in 2008. Additionally, a Frankish period cooking pot was excavated from one of the surfaces that we excavated (surface: 6393, cook pot: 6397).; Our excavations of the surfaces to the north had, in turn, left a balk of higher elevation on the southern side of the room, since it was difficult to reach and excavate the thin deposits surrounding the two storage pits and running up against walls 5284, 5484, and 5483. In Session III, we began our excavations of the southern strata with fill 6439, uncovering the remaining fill of foundation trench 6427 (fill 6552) for wall 5284. 6439 was assigned a date of the 2nd or 3rd quarter of the 12th century on the basis of its ceramics, while the surface that was cut was 2nd quarter of the 12th century, dating the construction of wall 5284 to that period. This does not match the date of the foundation trench found on the other side of the wall by JC and NA in 2008; their foundation trench was dated to the 13th century by stratigraphic relationships. This situation  is worthy of further consideration in light of the potential shifting of dates posed by lower fills from this room (explained in more detail below). ; ; One goal in excavating the Western Room was to understand the nature of the robbing event that took place on wall 5519. The east-west wall 5519, which bounds the northern side of the Western Room, features a significant gap of approximately 1.5 m on its eastern side, near its junction with north-south wall 5519, bounding the eastern side of the room. It was our intention to compare the surfaces that we uncovered within the western room with the surfaces recorded to the north of 5519 by Scott Gallimore and Will Bruce during Session II of 2009. The last surface that they excavated to the north of 5519 revealed the edge of a cut that appeared to be part of the robbing event of the wall, and they expected that we would find a similar cut on our side beneath floor surface 6540 (84.54 MASL). We did not find a cut on our side of the wall, but other pieces of evidence suggest how the robbing event may have taken place, and how the use of the space may have changed after the removal of the wall section. Our investigations revealed that not only were our surface deposits below 6540 (i.e., surfaces 6572, and 6589) different in composition from those revealed to the north of the wall (beaten earth in the western room, pebbled and tiled surfaces in the courtyard), but their elevations were different as well, by approximately 0.50 m (surface deposit 6572, 84.49 MASL, and surface deposit 6589, 84.41 MASL). One possible explanation for this difference is that perhaps it was a threshold that was robbed from wall 5519, mediating between the space in the courtyard and the space within the Western Room. In that scenario, differences in elevations and in composition could be accounted for because the spaces were bounded by a wall, with communication between the two rooms offered by a door and possibly a step downward into the Western Room. After the section of 5519 (putatively a threshold) had been robbed, the space where the door had been would have still remained, allowing access into and out of the room, but the floor levels would have had to be brought to the same level to allow movement in and out. Fill 6628, underlying 6540, demonstrates how this would have been done; its location near the missing section of wall suggests that the threshold blocks were removed, and that the resulting hole was filled with tile and debris as a means of raising the floor level to accommodate the resulting height differences between the surfaces to the north and to the south. 6540, then, would represent the first surface in the Western Room after the putative threshold was removed. The pottery of 6540 dates to the 12th century, and its overlying fill deposits 5887 and 6428 are from the first half of the 12th century. ; ; The foundation trenches for walls 5483 and 5519/foundations 6575 were uncovered at lower elevations, below the level of both surface deposit 6572 and surface deposit 6589; these surfaces may be considered to have been in use with 5483 and 5519 wall sections after they were founded. Ceramics from all three surfaces date to the 12th century. As far as the sequencing of the walls of the room go, wall 5483 is stratigraphically the earliest, although the elevation of its foundation trench is almost identical to the lowest foundation trench of wall 5519 [cut 6677 at elevation 83.98 versus cut 6646 at 84.00 MASL]; since the upper courses of the walls appear to bond, it would make sense for their foundation events to have occurred at the same time. Wall 5519 does show evidence for at least two foundation events, indicating that it had an earlier phase on its eastern side (cut 6677, fill 6646) and a second phase to the west of that, cutting the earlier foundation (cut 6616, fill 6611, revealed by late Byzantine fill 6578). Finally, the foundation trench 6427 cut the foundation fill 6616 for wall 5519, indicating that that 12th century foundation event is a terminus ante quem for the other two sections. ; ; The earliest surface excavated was 6624, revealing a hard, light pinkish brown surface that appeared to be composed of the colluvium that has been observed to rest above bedrock levels throughout the North of Nezi area. This unnumbered and as yet unexcavated surface appears to have been cut by numerous features, including the earliest foundation trench for wall 5519 (trench cut 6647, fill 6646) and the foundation trench for wall 5483 (trench cut 6677, fill 6675), which came down onto bedrock. Additionally, the unnumbered pinkish brown surface was cut by a large ashy pit that was revealed in the northeastern corner of the room (pit cut 6645, fill 6639, overlying fill 6639), truncating both early foundation trenches in addition to cutting a much larger robbing trench cut 6665 (putative), to the south. Overlying surface 6624 has pottery from the 11th century, which would potentially provide a terminus ante quem for these earliest foundation events- but there is an inconsistency with the pottery from fills from the truncated east-west robbing trench 6665. Two fills from robbing trench 6665 (6649 and 6663) yielded joining coarse incised sherds of the mid-13th century, potentially shifting the dates of all of the previously discussed contexts (and other contexts from the room) two centuries later. This warrants a more detailed discussion of how the putative robbing trench was discovered, how we approached its excavation, and the potential scenarios by which these inconsistencies may be interpreted. ; ; The cut of the putative robbing trench 6665 was first noticed in the section of storage pit cuts 6380 and 6353 as a straight line appearing to run the length of the room from east to west. We noticed the cut before it was exposed in plan on either its northern or southern sides, and speculated variously about its length, suggesting at times that it ran all the way across the southern side of the room, and at other times that it was thinner in width, perhaps in connection with robbing cuts 6381 (for north-south wall 6157 visible below wall 5411) and with robbing cut 6674 (east-west cut, visible below wall 5284). In context 6587, the difference in strata to the north versus south of the cut line became more visible (but the cut was not revealed in plan), and immediately after, surface 6589 was excavated with knowledge that the strata south of the line of excavation were different from the surface that was excavated. In these contexts, the line of the cut may have been visible, but its full extent was not yet defined in plan, so it was left unexcavated. It was only visible as a straight line in the south-facing section of the two storage pit cuts, making it impossible to use the sections to try to determine its extent and shape; however, since virgin red colluvium had been cut for the construction of the two storage pits and had preserved their round shapes on all sides, it is certain that the cut could not have stretched completely across the southern half of the room at the levels we were excavating. What’s more, we were steered away from thinking that the cut related to cuts 6381 and 6674 by the fact that the cut continued further east past the point where it would have cornered to rob wall 6157. ; ; The cut became clearly exposed in plan after the excavation of surface 6624, cutting into the hard pinkish brown surface truncated by numerous earlier pits. The excavation of 6619 was an effort to find the southern line of the cut, but was unsuccessful, as was the excavation of fill 6631, which revealed the southern edge of pit 6645, making it stratigraphically later than the robbing trench cut 6665.  Pit 6645 cut into fill 6649 to the south, which was one of the aforementioned contexts in which one of two joining 13th century coarse incised sherds was collected. Three more fills south of the cut line, 6657, 6660, and 6663 (the other context from which a joining coarse incised ware was collected) were then excavated before the southern extent of the robbing event 6665 appeared clearly in plan, along with the foundation trench for wall 5483 (foundation cut 6677, fill 6675, overlying fill 6663). The excavation of lowest fill 6676 within cut 6665 revealed a hard, brownish yellow surface, likely the floor associated with an earlier architectural phase of which wall 6157 is part prior to the foundation of wall 5483, while the excavation of lowest fill 6675 within foundation trench 6677 revealed bedrock. ; There are at least three possible conclusions to draw from the stratigraphy as we have defined it and the ceramics that have come from these contexts, in light of the discrepancies we have discovered:; ; Scenario 1) The stratigraphy was excavated correctly and the dates of the ceramics from stratigraphically later contexts need to have their dates bumped up to account for their stratigraphic relationships. In support of this are findings from Jody Cundy and Nate Andrade’s 2008 records of the room directly west of the Western Room. While many of their upper strata were found to be 12th century, a Frankish strap handle was found at the bottom of a pit cutting lower strata in the room, thus altering the date of all overlying contexts. There is further support for this idea in the pottery from fill 6676, the bottommost fill of cut 6665; it dates to the 12th/13th century.  Finally, the fact that the 13th century levels were found in lowest stratified levels of the room, and were all excavated on the same day in a limited amount of time makes the possibility of contamination (e.g., through tumble or long-term exposure) less likely.; ; Scenario 2) We missed the line of the robbing trench cut 6665 at a higher elevation and needed to treat the fills within it as fills lying on each other within a cut, rather than relating them variously to surfaces to the north, potentially across the putative cut line. This would also mean that the final cut line that we identified after excavation of 6663 relates to another cutting event, and not to the line of the robbing event. Further supporting this scenario is the fact that a boundary was defined for the northern side of the cut as early as context 5343/5345 during session II; however, it remains that the entirety of the cut was not exposed until the excavation of context 6663. ; ; Scenario 3) The area was significantly disturbed by 1960s excavation events, in ways that we did not fully perceive while excavating during both Session II and Session III. In this scenario, the stratigraphy could have been cut in order to accommodate the excavation of pits 6353 and 6380. The cutting events involved could have been anything from half-sectioning, to creating steps out from the storage pit cuts during excavation to facilitate getting in and out of them, and to prevent the walls from collapsing. In this scenario, the fills we dug south of cut 6665 were actually backfill from the 1960s. In support of this scenario are two facts: A) 1960s records (NB 229, p. 180) mention that the southern portions of north-south walls 5490 and 5485 were removed in order to accommodate the excavation of the storage pit cut 6353; additional disturbance could have occurred at the same time. B) Contexts 6343 and 6345, excavated during Session II, uncovered a cut in the same place that the cut 6665 begins to the west, and at the time that we were recording it, it was speculated that the cut might have been for a half-section created to facilitate 1960s excavations within the Western Room; if that small cut represents the beginning of cut 6665, we would be able to place it significantly later in our stratigraphic understanding of the room. ; ; Future Considerations ; ; Pit 6645, cut 6665, and foundation trench cut 6677 which were the last contexts recorded cut the unnamed pink surface revealed by 6624 to the north, but 6665 and 6677 also cut a smaller level of fill revealed by 6660 in the southeastern corner of the room. Provided that these fills are not found to belong to very early levels truncated by an erroneously defined cut, the fill in the southeastern corner should be prioritized for removal in 2010. Likewise, the fill of robbing event 6381, heretofore only visible in the northern and southern facing sections of pit 6380, but revealed by the excavation of fill 6676 and cut 6665, should be exposed in plan and removed. After those contexts are excavated, it will be possible to consider exploring beneath the pink surface. ; ; Conclusions; ; The way that the discrepancy between the Frankish lower fills and the Byzantine upper fills is interpreted has implications for the way that the courtyard area is phased, since one of the questions that this excavation addresses is how the area changes through time, and when those changes take place. One scenario is that construction activities occurred in two phases: the 10th/11th century, and the 13th century, with less activity in the 12th century. A second possibility is that development was steady and gradual, occurring from the early Byantine through the Frankish period. ; Until the lower Frankish fills were uncovered in the West Room, that space showed strong evidence for some early activity (evidenced by the robbing events 6381 and 6674 visible below walls 5411 and 5284, as well as the early surface uncovered below pit cut 6665, predating wall 5483), a great deal of construction  activity in the 12th century, and subsequent Frankish building activity as well.   ; ; The levels in the East Room are early and definitely reflect “phase one” constructions of the 10th and 11th centuries, prior to a subsequent restructuring of the room that involved relocating the southern terrace wall to open the East Room for communication with the Central Room via threshold 6285. There is little evidence for 12th century activity in the East Room as it currently survives, but the eastern wall section that we removed, 10085, featured foundations (6575, 6576) that contained 12th/13th century pottery, supporting the idea of Frankish period reuse of the space. ; ; The Central Room, like the West Room, features up to three phases of development. The earliest floor surfaces there are directly on top of the red colluvium soil, meaning that they are quite early and probably date to the 10th century, and the east-west wall 6120 would have divided the room. The walls 5483 and 5631/6425 date to the 10th/11th century as well, and would have represented part of the room’s expansion, since 5631 lies further north. Then, the Central Room opened up to the East Room via the construction of 11th century threshold 6285, expanding movement still further; subsequently, the threshold was blocked off by fills 6278 and 6277, and Frankish constructions such as walls 5552 and 5553 would have constricted the Central Room again.",""
"End of Season Summary especially for areas N, NE and E of the courtyard and some work in the courtyard itself and south of the courtyard","Report","","","","Nezi Field 2009 by Karl Goetze, Dan Leon (2009-05-25 to 2009-06-12)","","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2009 by Karl Goetze, Dan Leon (2009-05-25 to 2009-06-12)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","Corinth","North of Nezi (Green) Report End of Season 2009: Will Bruce (until 25 May), Scott Gallimore (until 1 June), Karl Goetze (from 25 May), Dan Leon (from 1 June); ; The following summarizes the results of excavations during the entire season at Corinth 2009 in four areas north of Nezi Field previously excavated in the 1960s under the supervision of H.S. Robinson (NB 229, 230, 235, 253, and 264): the Byzantine courtyard, the room west of the courtyard, the room northwest of the courtyard, and the room north of the courtyard.  These rooms were excavated in the first two sessions of 2009 by Scott Gallimore and Will Bruce; in the third session by Scott Gallimore, Karl Goetze, and Dan Leon.; ; Excavation in all four areas was supervised by Guy Sanders (director) and Alicia Carter (field director).  Our pickman was Athanasios Sakellariou; our shovelman was Panos Stamatis; our barrowman was Sotiris Raftopoulos.  Excavations were conducted in the southern area of the Byzantine courtyard (E264.40-E270.50; N1027.90-N1033.40), in the room west of the courtyard (E261.10-E264.60; N1030.80-1034.90), in the room northwest of the courtyard (E260.90-E264.60; N1034.85-N1038.75), and in the room north of the courtyard (E265.30-E270.50, N1035.60-1039.20).  Periodically, overlapping stratigraphy or concern for phasing caused us to move from one room to the next.  Our main goal in this area was to expose the walls and features of the Byzantine house for consolidation and presentation to the public.  Our summary will be arranged chronologically by room.; ; COURTYARD ; ; Frankish:; Session I began excavation in the courtyard when it was found that surface layers in the courtyard overlay context 6077 in the north room where excavation had been taking place. Session II began by removing wall 5508, which dates between the late 13th and early 14th centuries and was pedestalled in 2008 as permission to remove it had not yet been received, making it by far the latest feature in this immediate area. The construction of this wall limited access between the courtyard and the space in front of the rooms immediately to the south of the courtyard. The only point of access after the construction of wall 5508 was in the southwest corner of the courtyard. Session II excavation removed all remaining Frankish contexts from this area and all session III contexts can be dated from pottery and stratigraphic relationships to late Byzantine 10th-11th centuries.; ; Late Byzantine:; Session II excavation ended while excavating Late Byzantine floor surfaces and sub-floor leveling fills in the southern portion of the courtyard (south of removed wall 5508). Session III began excavation in this same area with the goal of finding a common floor surface that would link the area south of removed wall 5508 with the main courtyard area north of removed wall 5508. ; ; Session III excavations in the southern part of the courtyard ended up concentrating on two areas: a series of floor and sub-floor leveling surfaces adjacent to all four sides of staircase 6296  which was pedestalled and left in situ and thus post dates all session III excavations, and the foundation trenches associated with wall 5783 (cuts 5795 and 6302) excavation of which was begun during the 2008 season but not finished. ; ; Session III began by following a series of leveling fills and floor surfaces (contexts 6435, 6440, 6441) which were overlaid by context 6423 (excavated at the end of session II) and which ran successively north of each other until reaching cut 6302, the cut for the foundation trench for the west end of wall 5783. The pottery from the fill of the foundation trench dates wall 5783 to the late 11th century. Built pebble floor 6440 as well as its associated leveling fills 6423 and 6435, also date to the late 11th century and are the last contexts that can be dated to Late Byzantine period.; ; The southern courtyard area during the late Byzantine period saw the construction of pebble floor surface 6440 as well as wall 5783 and stairway 6296 which began closing off access to the courtyard from the south. Construction of Frankish wall 5508 effectively completed this process and so we can see a gradual evolution of this space from the southern portion of an open courtyard to what seems to be an interior corridor. ; ; ; Middle Byzantine:; ; Session III next concentrated further on a series of patches, floor surfaces, and leveling fills in the area west, south and east of pedestalled staircase 6296 (contexts 6446, 6450, 6453, 6456, 6461, 6463). Successive removal of these contexts revealed a built floor made of pebble and tile that seemed to cover the whole area south of removed wall 5508 and which continues north into the courtyard proper (north of wall 5783 and removed wall 5508). We were unable to excavate this built floor surface due to the fact that it was cut by a robbing trench that robbed a section of wall 5519 and which would need to be excavated first. This area belonged to the yellow team however whose excavation had not yet reached this area. Although we could not excavate this surface, fills for two robbing trenches (6461 and 6463) that cut this floor surface help date the surface to late Byzantine, 10th-11th century.; ; Having finished excavation in the southern portion of the courtyard, we believe that we have revealed the latest surface to have spanned both areas: the courtyard and the room south of the courtyard, proving that in the 10th and 11th centuries, this was one unified space. ; ; ROOM NORTH OF COURTYARD; ; Frankish: ; Most of the Frankish levels of this room had been previously removed and were only encountered at the very beginning of excavation during session I. The only Frankish features encountered in this room, were three superimposed walls (5473, 5913, & 5914) which were removed according to a permit obtained this year. These three contexts were actually all components of the same wall from different phases: 5473 was the superstructure, with 5913 & 5914 as foundations. If any floor levels were associated with these walls, they must have been excavated during the 1960s, since the earliest floor from the 2008 season (5585) is late Byzantine based on the pottery from this context.; ; Middle-Late Byzantine:; Late Byzantine levels were encountered throughout the entire room, the latest being from the 12th century. The majority of the 12th century contexts found in the western half of this room consisted of a series of small leveling fills (5921, 5927, 5931, 5933, 5936, & 5962). A floor surface which may have been associated with these leveling fills was excavated in 2008 as context 5585. In the eastern half of the room, 12th century levels included a small pit (5926), several small leveling fills (5939, 5941, 5942, 5944, 5945, 5948, 5955, & 5958), and a threshold block (5865), which was removed. The floor surface with which this threshold could have been associated is context 5800, stretching from the doorway into the courtyard. The last 12th century context in this room was a leveling fill (5948) located in the northeast part of the room, the removal of which revealed an intact clay hearth (5975, 5976, cut 5977). The contents of this hearth were also water sieved, but nothing substantial was recovered. The only plausible floor surface, which could be associated with hearth 5975 would be context 5963. This floor was greatly truncated and did not come into contact with the hearth itself, but could conceivably agree stratigraphically based on their elevations.; ; The majority of the contexts encountered in the room north of the courtyard dated to the late 10th –  11th centuries. This seems to indicate that this was a period of intense activity in this room.; Session III excavations removed an extremely large dumped fill of large boulders (6516) which occupied the entire southern half of the room south of wall 6526 and west of wall 6016. Session I excavators who excavated down to this level before moving out of the north room interpreted this fill (6516) as composed of boulders from the superstructure of walls 6526 and 6016. Excavation of 6516 and other contexts (6532, 6550, 6554) around walls 6526 and 6016 serve to confirm this interpretation as all were dumped fills with significant inclusions of boulders. It is likely that walls 6526 and 6016 date much earlier than these dumped fills and that they were torn down specifically in order to level the surfaces in this room for the initial phase of middle Byzantine construction of this house.; ; Session III excavation also revealed a large pit (cut 6536) between (and disturbing) wall 6526 and wall 5562. Fill contexts for this pit include 6539, 6543, 6459 and 6460 - excavation of which (6460) was stopped when it was determined that the context went even deeper (and possibly into a cistern) and the pottery was late roman 5th – 6th century. This pit (cut 6536) however, took us down to foundation levels for walls 6016 and 6526 where they intersect on the north side of wall 6526 and the west side of wall 6016. ; ; At this level there is evidence of a wall coarse of reused ashlar blocks on top of which wall 6016, made of mud and rubble, was built. Furthermore, a robbing trench was discovered above wall 6016 where it intersects with wall 5562 which served to rob stones from 6016 but which also uncovered the top of one of the reused ashlar blocks underneath. This ashlar block extends to the north into wall 5562 and either this same block, or another block on the northern course can be seen protruding from the north side of wall 5562. It was decided to differentiate this reused ashlar coarse from wall 6016 which sits on it and the new structure number is 6566. It should be noted that the tops of what looks to be more reused ashlar blocks can be seen at this same level under wall 6526. This evidence seems to indicate that these walls (6016 & 6526) are of middle or later Byzantine rubble and mud construction on top of late Roman walls of reused ashlar. ; ; Further examination of wall 5562 west of the pit (context 6650) revealed the foundation trench for the south side of wall 5562 and the foundation trench for the east side of wall 6321. The foundation trench for wall 5562 truncated that for wall 6321 so it was excavated first. About .4m of this fill was excavated until we stopped due to concern that we would destabilize wall 5562. Pottery from this foundation trench was dated to Byzantine 10th – 11th century. Excavation of the foundation trench for 6321 was postponed while we searched for the continuation of the foundation trench for wall 5562 east of wall 6016 (context 6560=6554). We were unable to locate this trench, nor the one for wall 5990 on the east side of the room. At this point it was determined that we should move back into the northwest room and continue excavating in there. We did not have a chance to explore further the south side of wall 6526 and establish whether it is indeed part of the same construction as wall 10111 and how such a wall would relate to the rest of the house.; ; ; Room NW of the courtyard; ; Frankish:; ; The latest feature in this area was a well that had been left intact by previous excavations. The well is located at the eastern end of the room, and cuts many earlier deposits.  We did not excavate all the way to the bottom of the well, but removed fill to an elevation of 83.80.  The well widens towards its base and seems to have been built in two phases, a main construction of tile and plaster (6493=6638) with a superstructure of small cobbles and plaster at the top of the well (5876).  A perplexing aspect of this well’s construction appeared at a level much below the top of the foundation and embedded within contexts dated firmly to the middle Byzantine period.  What appears to be a cut for a foundation trench traveling around the northern half of the well (6641) was overlaid by contexts that must be much earlier than this well.  It is possible that some sort of slump or collapse accounts for the cut, rather than deliberate human action, and this event may be related to the slumping that was visible at several levels in the area immediately north of the well, similar to that discussed by Lima, Webb, and Kolb in the notes for context 5558.; ; We also excavated leveling fills, a wall foundation, and fill inside a tile-built sub-floor storage feature, all dating from the Frankish period.; The latest of these features was a cobbled wall foundation (6100), the superstructure of which was removed last year as context 5604. Beneath this context was a firmly packed soil surface. ; We performed a cleaning inside a pit excavated last year as context 5644 to determine whether last year’s excavation had reached the bottom of this context. Within pit 5644 was a small fill (6097) and a robbing pit (6103, cut 6106) associated with wall 10111. We continued excavating pit 5644 as context 6115 (cut 6116), and it became clear that this was the fill of a subterranean tile-built storage feature with a depth of ca. 1.10 meters. None of the actual structure of this feature was discovered, but the fill and the cut made its identification certain. A comparandum lies in the room north of this one (context 5504), excavated in 2008. Within the fill of 6115 were found a well-preserved late-Roman Ionic capital, a stone mortar, and a large assemblage of Frankish pottery. As for reconstructing the use life of this tile-built storage feature, our excavations up to this point can only inform us that this tile-built storage feature was out of use by the late Byzantine period since it was truncated by wall 5725 which is currently dated to the Late Byzantine period. ; Removal of the storage feature fill (6115) also gave us insight into the construction history of two walls (10111 & its N-S jog 6130), which predate its construction. A portion of wall 6130 was uncovered during the removal of 6099 & 6107, but was not identified as a wall until 6115 was excavated. We hypothesized that wall 10111 is a continuation of the E-W wall (6526) uncovered in the room north of the courtyard.; In addition to pit 6115, most of the Frankish contexts excavated in this room were fills (6107, 6108, 6110).; ; Late Byzantine:; ; In the NW corner of the room, directly beneath a layer of Frankish fill, we discovered what appears to be a large rubbish dump, comprised of contexts 6607 and 6612, which together reached a depth of 1.68m.  However, we did not finish excavating the dump because we realized, when we reached the bottom of the surrounding walls (5562, 5142, 6130, 10111), that it was later cut by all four of those walls, and thus earlier, that is, the dumped fills ran under these walls.  This dump yielded a large number of cooking sherds showing evidence of heavy use, as well as a great deal of material associated with cooking such as egg shells, fish scales, and animal bones that had been chopped or sawn.  The volume of such material suggested commercial, rather than private, use of the area.  Sanders has tentatively suggested that this part of the Byzantine house may have been used as a tavern in this period, and that the dump was an associated rubbish heap.  Such usage would accord well with the hypothesis offered by Gallimore and Bruce in the summary for Session II concerning a large deposit of white-ware kettles resting on a floor (6129).  The date for this deposit based on these kettles (1100 ± 10) provides the best chronological marker for the construction history of the levels excavated in this room which must be Late Byzantine or later.  Moreover, In the southern portion of this room, several leveling fills of late-Byzantine date (6151, 6153, 6154) had been deposited for the construction of a floor, likely excavated in the 1960s since no floor is noted in this area from the 2008 excavations. These fills covered a small semicircular cut (6156), the fill of which (6155) was serving to backfill the tile-built storage feature discussed above. We discovered a floor in this part of the room (6496) which was a part of the same floor upon which the white-ware deposit sat (6145), and which also yielded a large number of white-ware sherds that had presumably been stamped into the floor from above.  This floor was firmly dated by pottery to the same period (1100 ± 10) and was later cut by the aforementioned tile-built storage feature (6519), which itself was cut by wall 5725, suggesting that the NW room may originally have continued further south and joined with the W room, though such a connection.; ; Middle Byzantine:; ; On the E side of the room we excavated a series of floors that had been disrupted by the Frankish well.  One of them showed evidence of a repair patch (context 6588), and all of them overlaid a robbing trench that ran along the E boundary of the room, to the S of the well.  This trench was filled with a mixed deposit that initially made the identification of a single trench quite difficult.  Another difficulty was that wall 6375, to which the trench grants access, seems not to run to the full northern extremity of this room.  Sanders suggested that to the S end the wall had only been partially robbed out, but to the N end the wall had been completely robbed out by some later action to accommodate construction of the well.  Such an action is difficult to reconstruct however, since the trench was overlaid by middle Byzantine floors, which would have to have been removed by the Franks as they built their well, if the robbing was indeed associated with that construction project.  Alternitavely, wall 6375 did not continue north of wall 10111, and so the robbing trench would not be expected to be found north of wall 10111. The date of this robbing action presents a problem, as the stratigraphy and pottery suggest Middle Byzantine in the northern sections, but three sherds at the southern end (fill 6349) are of Late Byzantine date, and Sanders has given a very firm date of 1150 ± 10.  It is possible that these sherds are contaminants, but a stronger likelihood is that further excavation will force the revision of the dates of some surrounding contexts, many of which are less than specific, eg Byzantine 10th-11th century NPD.; ; ; Room W of the Byzantine courtyard; ; Frankish:; ; A series of floors and sub-floor leveling fills were excavated in this space. The fills (6159 + cut 6161, 6162) seem to be leveling fills for an unidentified floor, perhaps excavated in the 1960s, since no upper floor surface was noted during the 2008 excavations. Revealed by removal of these fills were two isolated patches of floor, one (6163) in the northeast corner, and the other (6165) in the northwest corner. These two patches perhaps belonged to the same floor surface, but were kept separate in the Harris matrix, since their elevations do not correspond. Associated with this floor were twelve leveling fills: (6167, 6174, 6176, 6179=6182=6185, 6189, 6192, 6203, 6178, 6207, 6214, 6218, & 6236). These floors and fills were laid up against wall 5725 because they overlay its unexcavated foundation trench. Context 6165 was cut by the foundation trench (5720) for wall 5762 in the west. Thus, this floor surface, if the same, postdates wall 5725, but predates wall 5762. ; The removal of one of these fills (6203) revealed two distinct courses of wall 6228 (previously labeled 50kj in the 1960s records). The top courses (structure 6206) were much more crudely built and had no associated foundation trench. A mid-late 12th century sherd embedded in the soil matrix of upper courses made it clear that it was a later construction and thus we removed it on April 30th. During the 12th century the inhabitants may have added to the height of the wall on account of the rising floor level created by the addition of fills and floors.;  ; The floor level revealed by the removal of all of the aforementioned twelve fills was context 6237. We were able to excavate one fill below this floor (6239), but we ran into difficulty because robbing trench (6350) located immediately east of this room truncated the surface beneath fill 6239 (6465), and thus we had to shift our focus temporarily to the southern half of the courtyard. ; ; In a pit in this room, located in the southern part and truncated by the northeast corner of the Ottoman house, we discovered a small extension of the cut and unexcavated fill, which we excavated as context 6214 (cut 6215). This pit was excavated in the 1960s, but we have not yet identified which of the 1960s notebooks refers to it.; ; Sakellariou believed he could discern the cut and fill of the foundation trench of wall 5725 in the east scarp of “Bothros 9” (NB 235, p.19), which disturbed most of it. “Bothros 9” appears to be of Frankish date, based on Guy Sanders’ examination of the lot pottery (Lot 837). This foundation trench cut has as yet not been revealed by the further removal of deposits in the area (see Middle Byzantine, below).; ; Late Byzantine:; ; In this area we excavated a series of floors that had been disturbed by later actions.  Floor 6477 had a post-hole dug into it which would be consistent with some sort of roof support.  It was also cut in the south by what appears to be a pit filled with large debris, although this pit was itself disturbed by a later pit, which was excavated in the 1960s, and so its purpose remains unclear.; ; Middle Byzantine:; ; The series of floors and leveling fills from the Middle Byzantine period were excavated in this room, one of which (6484) shows evidence of a post-hole similar to the one discovered in Late Byzantine levels.  This post-hole was probably also used for a roof support. In this period the room seems to have been used for cooking, since a hearth (6653) was cut into the fill at the southern end of the room (6658=6664).  The same fill was cut dramatically short of the southern wall of the room for a purpose that remains unclear.  It was in this area (fill 6658) that a fragment of the Roman sima of the South Stoa was discovered, namely a terracotta head of a female divinity.  The earliest material excavated in this room was a floor that was broken in many places (6670=6668=6672) that does not show evidence of cooking, so it seems that cooking only took place in this area for a limited time during the Middle Byzantine period.  The removal of floor 6668 revealed a slump that may be related to the foundation trench for wall 5725, but no firm cut has been discerned.  Since wall 5725 cuts a Late Byzantine tile-built foundation feature (see above), and thus must be a Late Byzantine or later wall, it seems unlikely that a foundation trench will be found below this level and that the foundations of this wall were constructed flush with the foundation trench cut.; ; ; Conclusion:; ; All four of the areas excavated by Team Green during the 2009 season are components of the Byzantine house under investigation in the area north of Nezi Field. They represent four independent, but interconnected spaces which appear to have undergone substantial modification during their use. Our excavations this season have clarified many aspects of the construction history in this area of the house. It appears now that the rooms immediately northwest and west of the courtyard were divided during the Byzantine period by wall 5725, and may have originally been one large space. The relationship between the courtyard and the room immediately to the west has also been clarified by the excavation of robbing trench 6350 for wall 6375. When wall 6375 was removed, probably during the Late Byzantine Period (early-mid 12th century), this opened the courtyard to the west and made obsolete threshold 6320. The removal of this wall seems contemporary with the pier foundations 6359 and 6318, which represent the construction of a support system for a roof over of part of the courtyard, thus diminishing the open-air area of the courtyard. Access to the courtyard was reduced during the late 13th or early 14th century with the construction of wall 5508, which left only an entrance at the southwest as a point of access leading toward threshold 6320 in the northwest corner of the courtyard.; ; The high-volume cooking activity apparent in the NW area (cut by walls 5562, 5742, 5725, and 6321) suggests that for at least part of its history the house may have been used as a tavern, which may also account for the frequent renovations.  The true nature of the cooking activity may be revealed by the further demolition of late walls such as 10111 and 6130.  The Frankish well would ideally be removed as well, though there may be some practical difficulties owing to the nature of the shaft, which expands at its lower levels.  The NW room’s relationship to the W room has become much clearer, and the removal of wall 5725 should make it easier to treat the two as a single space.; ; With respect to the room immediately north of the courtyard, there remains at least one deposit of leveling fill atop the earlier E-W wall in this space that dates from the period when the first phase of the house had gone out of use and the floor levels were raised for the construction of the second phase of use of the house. This leveling fill may reveal floors associated with the first phase of use of the house. However, attention must be paid in keeping excavation in phase between the room north of the courtyard, the courtyard itself and the rooms NE and E of the courtyard so as not to artificially break up earlier features/deposits associated with the first phase of use of the house.",""
"Session II and III Final Report: Interior of the Church in Unit 2 of the Frankish Quarter","Report","","","","Temple E, Southeast 2016 by Kaitlyn Stiles (2016-05-04 to 2016-06-25)","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2016 by Kaitlyn Stiles (2016-05-04 to 2016-06-25)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","Corinth","Introduction: ; ; This is the finalreport of the second and third sessions for the excavation of the interior of the church in Unit 2 of the Frankish Quarter of the Temple E, southeast area. Guy Sanders (Director) and Danielle Smotherman (Field Director) supervised. Kaitlyn Stiles was the area supervisor and contributed as pickwoman when possible alongside AngelikiStamati (shovel and sieve), Sula Anastasopoulou (shovel and sieve) and KostasArberores (pickman).; ; The excavation area was bounded in the north by the north wall of the church (Wall 20, 1075.11 – 1074.52 N, 129.51-122.06 E), to the east by the east wall of church comprised of three sections, including two straight sections and an apse (North section: Wall 925, 1075.65-1073.90 N, 130.40-129.75 E; Apse: Wall 926, 1073.95-1070.7N, 131.70-129.70; South section: Wall 927, 1070.30-1068.95N, 131.05-120.5E), to the south by the south wall of the church (Wall 929, 1069.00-1067.6 N, 131.15-123.25E), and to the west by the west wall of the church (Wall 21, 1074.44-1067.99 N, 123.52-121.98 E) and the later threshold (Structure 22, 1072.09-1070.55 N, 123.31-122.25 W) built into Wall 21. ; ; The nave of the church was previously excavated in 1990 (NB 831, 835) down to a cement subfloor. The 2014 field season continued excavation in the NW quadrant of the church during which time portions of the narthex and nave were recorded down to the Frankish period (A.D. 1210-1458) revealing the bench-like structure (302) aligned with Wall 21 north of the later threshold (Structure 22), which was dated to the early 14th century. The excavations also recovered a large amount of human skeletal material which was common in the fills used in the late 13th and early 14th century phases of the church. Excavation was not continued within the church in the 2015 season, but was concentrated in Corridor North and Rooms 3, 6 – 9 in Unit 2. ; ; The 2016 Sessions II and III field work resumed the excavation of the interior of the church,primarily focusing on the eastern two-thirds covering the north and south aisles, the nave, and the transept. The subfloor revealed by the 1990 season and excavated in the NW quadrant of the church was completely removed from the nave, the transept, and the SE corner of the church. In Session IIwe worked toward understanding relationships of the surface under the cement floor with joining areas containing overlapping fill deposits and grave cuts throughout the entire interior of the church. Numerous fill deposits associated with various stages of flooring and floor repair, a threshold structure (Structure 924), and six graves (2016-01, 2016-02, 2016-03, 2016-04, 2016-05, 2016-06) were excavated during Session II. In Session III, we continued excavation in the church, but focused primarily on the south aisle. Mostly burials were excavated including three large graves (2016-07, 2016-08, 2016-09), which each contained a complicated series of burials.; ; The overarching purpose for excavating the church area at this time was to bring down the level of the interior church to a period consistent with the rest of the Frankish area so that it can be preserved and opened to the public. Because the church was used as a burial ground throughout many phases, one of the main goals of these sessions was to understand the chronological sequence of burials in relation to the use of the church as well as record information pertaining to grave usage and burial practices. ; ; Frankish Period (1210-1458); ; Grave 2016-09; ; Grave 2016-09 (Cut 1023, 1068.95-1068.40 N, 126.60-124.05E, filled by Deposits 1020 and 1024, Structure 1016, and Skeleton Contexts 1022, 1025, and 1027) is located in the southwest quadrant of the church, parallel to Grave 1990-40 on its south side, and truncated by Grave 2016-08 on its east side. This grave was discovered during the course of excavating Grave 2016-08 in which the eastern portion of the tile covering (Structure 1016) within Grave 2016-09 was found. Grave 2016-09 contained the remains of at least 3 individuals represented by one primary inhumation (Context 1025), and a jumble of bones (Context 1027). This grave evidently cuts an as yet unexcavated grave directly to the north as a cranium (Context 1022) was found essentially within the cut (1023) for the grave, indicating the burial of another individual beneath or beside it. The primary inhumation (1025) of Grave 2016-09 was enclosed by a covering (Structure 1016, L 1.69 x W 0.52 x D 0.11) made of ceramic and marble tiles, which also lined the north side of the grave. The original burial and burials prior to the inhumation of Skeleton 1025 are represented by the bone jumble (Context 1027) exposed beneath and to the south side of Skeleton 1025. These remains were stacked on the south side of the jumble and beneath the lower limbs of the inhumation. Very few bones were found directly on top of the primary inhumation (Skeleton 1025), including both in the fills above (Context 1020) and below (Context 1024) the covering (1016). One disarticulated infant femur was found under the covering, but on top of the inhumation. This bone indicates that the grave may have also been used for infant burials in addition to adult burials.; ; The primary inhumation (1025) was that of an elderly woman, oriented W-E, laid supine with her head elevated facing east and turned slightly to the south. The head was framed by a worked stone to the north and tiles to the west and south. The mandible was likely supported by a rock, which later fell out of place and came to rest on the sternum. The shoulders were elevated and the humeri drawn in so that they rested directly against the anterior-lateral aspects of the rib cage. The forearms were bent at the elbow and crossed over the chest with the left forearm over the right. The legs were straight but positioned so that the knees and ankles were almost touching. The femora were rotated medially toward one another. The arrangement of the arms and legs suggests that this woman was tightly wrapped in something like a shroud at the time of burial. The shroud may have caused her spinal column to contract in the burial as there was a noticeable curve in the spine to the north in the thoracic vertebrae around T6. An examination of the bones will provide more information about whether this was a result of positioning or reflected the spinal column in life. The left hand was found disarticulated around the midshaft of the right humerus, which suggests that the hand was held against the body when the shroud was still in place, but likely fell apart as the body decomposed. The shroud likely also prevented bones from the jumble from becoming interspersed within the inhumation.; ; The date of the most recent use of Grave 2016-09 is in the late 13th century or later based on the pottery from the fills both above (1020) and below (1024) the tile covering (1016). Finds from this burial included an iron ring (MF-2016-62) found still around a proximal phalanx of the left hand, which was wedged against the north side of the grave. There was one small piece of lapis lacedaimoniusthat may have come from a floor disturbed in the process of burial, possibly that represented by a subfloor (Context 1029) apparent along the south wall of the church (Wall 929). The single coin (Coin 2016-170) from the grave dates from 1143 to 1180 AD. A six-pointed iron spur or decorative star was found in the fill (Context 1020) above the cover tile (Context 1016), which may have been from a previous burial and was re-deposited in the fill for subsequent burials.The grave is cut by Grave 2016-08 (Cut 1009), which dates to the 15th century or later.; ; Grave 2016-03; ; Grave 2016-03 (Cuts 144 and 146, 1074.85-1074.05 N, 127.5-125.5 E) lies south of Wall 20, in the middle of the north aisle. It was parallel to Grave 2016-02on its north side and nearly forms a 90-degree angle to the east with Grave 2014-06. This grave was both a cist and a pit grave used for multiple interments, which were split into two distinct use phases. Phase I, represented by Cut 944, was cut by Phase II, represented by Cut 946. Both phases of burials are oriented W-E and are inline or within a stone lining (Structure 950). However, the stone lining (Structure 950) was disturbed during or prior to the burial of the primary inhumation (Skeleton 961) of Phase I. Structure 950 (L 0.82 x W 0.66 x D 0.24)is represented by one rectangular stone block on the north side and two rectangular stone blocks with a medium cobble between them on the south side. The stones run parallel to one another about 0.41m apart.; ; The Phase I burials are located on the west side of the grave(1074.85-1073.80 N, 126.20-125.05). They are represented by loose bones found in the fills (Contexts 958, 969, and 962), one distinct bone pile (Context 959), and one primary inhumation (Skeleton 961). The skeletal material in the fill contexts and bone pile are the remains of individuals buried in the grave prior to the burial of the articulated primary inhumation. The bone pile (Context 959) consisted of long bones placed over and to the side of a mostly intact cranium, which were all located on the south side of the burial. A small part of the cranium was under the tile covering (Structure 960) of the primary inhumation, but the height of the other bones in the pile above the tile covering indicate that the cranium may not have been intentionally placed under the tile but settled there over time. The loose bone in the fills located above (Contexts 958, 969) and below (Context 962) reinforce the picture of multiple burial as previous burials were cleared and then later placed on top of the primary burial or included with the fill of the burial.; ; The primary inhumation (961) represents the last burial before the location of the Phase I burials in the grave was forgotten. This inhumation was truncated by Grave 2014-06 (Cut 137) on the south side and by the Phase II burial activity (Cut 946) on the east side. The skeleton was essentially divided in half with the upper half of the skeleton preserved from the ribs to the cranium in the west end of Grave 2016-03. This portion of the skeleton was mostly articulated and in situ. The individual was covered by a concave ceramic tile (Structure 960), which was damaged by the truncation of Phase II burials and later by Grave 2014-06.Many tile fragments were found lying directly east of the tile covering within Cut 946 and were used to cover the head of the primary inhumation (Skeleton 956) of Phase II. The individual (Skeleton 961) was laid in a supine position with the arms drawn tightly toward the sternum and the elbows bent at acute angles placing the left hand close to the right side of the head and the right hand close to the left armpit. The articulated right hand was exposed with the fingers curled and one phalanx bearing an iron ring (MF-2016-32) in the excavation of the fill to the north (right) of the inhumation (Context 969). Another iron ring (MF-2016-31) was found over the left shoulder in the course of excavation. The position of the arms, shoulders, and hands indicates that the shoulders were constricted by something like a shroud, a coffin, or the pit prepared for the inhumation. The head was elevated and a medium size rock was located on its left side. There may have been a stone on the other side of the head but was excavated from truncating Grave 2014-06. This would have acted as the other “cheek piece” to hold the head in place. There was a larger rock and a large tile fragment laying on the lower half of the right rib cage. Upon removal of the rock, it was evident that the right ribs were disturbed. The sternal body had also been disarticulated to the south (right) side of the body and rotated so that it was oriented in the opposite direction (E-W instead of W-E). Disarticulated remains of other burials including a skull fragment, an extra right radius, and vertebrae were laid on the lower right ribs under the rock. Because this inhumation was truncated on the south side by Grave 2014-06, it is likely that some of the remains from this section of Grave 2016-03 were included in the fill of Grave 2014-06.; ; The fills (Contexts 958, 962, 969) of the Phase I burial have been dated by pottery and stratigraphy to the 14th century. They did not contain any grave goods other than the two iron rings (MF-2016-31, MF-2016-32) which date to the first half of the 11th century based on comparanda in Corinth 12 (Davidson 1952). Other small finds included one piece of coral, glass vessel fragments, and one iron nail.; ; The Phase II burials were designated by Cut 946 which truncated the Phase I burials. This burial phase involved at leastsix burials including one primary inhumation (Contexts 943, 945, 952, and 956). As with Phase I, many disarticulated bones were found in the fill (Context 943) and there was a distinct bone pile (Context 945). There was also a layer of bones (Context 952) laid on the legs and lower torso of the primary inhumation (956). The layer and other miscellaneous bones found in Fill 943 contained elements from every part of the body suggesting that the individuals represented by them occupied the tomb prior to the primary inhumation (Skeleton 956). They would have beenexhumed to provide spacefor the new primary burial and re-deposited with or, likely, before the soil was replaced. It is not possible at this time to determine which bones belonged to the originally inhumed individual as the Skeletal Layer (952) consists of at least four individuals including three adults and one juvenile based on the presence of three right adult femora and one unfused juvenile tibia. ; ; The bone layer (Context 952) was overlaid by another bone pile (Context 945),which was located in the upper levels of the fill (Context 943). It is difficult to say when this bone pile (Skeleton 945) was deposited relative to the skeletal layer (Context 952) as the soil of fill 943 was fairly consistent throughout the deposit (dark, reddish brown with frequent red clay lumps). However, the bone pile (Context 945) was located on top of the most eastern stone of Structure 950 and seemed to be lying directly upon Cut 946. Cut 946 was likely started at the same place as Cut 944, but once the diggers hit the stone lining (Structure 950), they angled the cut inward. It is unclear why the bone pile (Context 945) would have been placed higher in the fill on top of one of the cist stones.It may be due to how the grave was filled in after the placement of the primary inhumation (Skeleton 956).; ; The primary inhumation (Skeleton 956) consists of a probable male adult, age at death to be determined, who was laid in the grave in asupine position,oriented W-E with arms crossed over thechest at the lower sternum, right arm over left, with the right hand moderately curled. The shoulders were drawn in toward the spinal column, the elbows were elevated, and the head was raised and framed by broken tiles on either side of the face, over the face, and on top of the head.The constricted position of the shoulders suggests that this individual may have been buried in a shroud, though less tightly wrapped than Skeleton 961.The broken tiles are similar to the tile covering (Structure 960) over the inhumation of Phase I; thus, it is probable that these tiles were broken in the course of creating the Phase II burials and reused as a head covering in this case. A rock was removed from beneath the mandible, but it is unclear whether it was used to prop the head up from the chest. The legs were straight, and the right foot was laid out on the plantar surface, but the left foot had fallen to the left side (north) slightly. It is apparent that the cist tomb (Structure 950) was not originally built for this individual since the right upper arm is positioned where the next stone block of the cist tomb would have been located on the northwest side of the tomb. Thus, part of the stone lining of the cist was either removed for this burial or had been removed prior for another inhumation. This was supported by the Phase I burials lacking any cist stone lining on the west side of the grave.; ; Fill 943 contained pottery, many glass vessel fragments, coins, and a number of iron nails (4 complete, 17 fragments).The pottery has been dated to the 14th century, which is consistent with the overlying strata (Contexts 923, 915, and 914) which also date to the Frankish period. Three coins were discovered in the sieve (Coins 2016-138, 2016-139, and 2016-142). Coin 2016-139 dates to the Roman Imperial period and was minted between AD 341-346 under Constantius II. Coin 2016-142 is also from the Roman Imperial period, dating to the 4th century. Coin 2016-138 is of W. Villehardouin (1246-1278 A.D.), whichcorroborates Frankish dates provided by the pottery. The iron nails may indicate the presence of a coffin in one or more of the burial events of Phase II.One silver-plated bronze earring (MF-2016-27) was found in fill 943, which looks almost identical to an earring (MF-2016-28) found in fill 923 directly above Grave 2016-03.; ; Grave 2016-06; ; Grave 2016-06 (Cut 978, 1074.10-1073.50 N, 124.95-124.05 E, filled by Context 976, Structure 979, Skeleton Contexts 977 and 981) was a pit grave andwas positioned in line with Grave 2016-03 to the west and parallel with NW Pier Base (Structure 23).It appears to have been created after Grave 2016-03 based on its placement rather close to the west extent of Grave 2016-03. Like Grave 2016-03, Grave 2016-06 was also cut by Grave 2014-06, making it earlier than 2014-06, but later than Grave 2016-03. The grave contained two individuals, both infants. The original burial (Skeleton 977) was oriented W-E, with the cranium in the west end, supported by two small rocks on either side of the head. Only the cranium, the left scapula, right fibula, and potentially left foot phalanges were still in situ beneath the later inhumation (Skeleton 981). These elements indicate a supine body position. The remaining elements were disarticulated and primarily placed on the sides of the grave, with the majority being on the south side. The primary inhumation (Skeleton 981) was fully articulated and supine. The head was elevated,slightly turned to the north, and supported on the north side by a medium sized rock and on the south side by a large tile fragment. The apex of the crown was covered by a stone tile (Structure 979, L 0.27 x W 0.145 x D 0.05). The arms were bent at the elbow and crossed over the chest, right over left, directly below the sternum. The legs were laid out straight with the left foot flexed resting against the east wall of the cut. The age of the primary inhumation (Skeleton 981) is around 1 year of age based on in situmaximum femoral length. The originally buried individual (Skeleton 977) is a little older, possibly 18 months to 2 years old, based on comparative fibula lengths.; ; The fill of Grave 2016-06 contained only pottery and one small glass fragment. The pottery (2 sgraffito IV fragments) dates the grave to the 14th century, which is consistent with the relative chronology of Graves 2014-06 and 2016-03. The excavation of the bottom of the grave revealed a stone block very similar to those making up the cist lining of Grave 2016-03 (Structure 250). The block is in line with the south side of the cist lining and may be associated with it.; ; Grave 2016-04; ; Grave 2016-04 (Cut 965, 1073.50-1073.15 N, 126.85-126.10 E, filled by Context 963 and Skeleton 964) wasan oval pit grave placed in the central area of the nave to the south of Grave 2016-03 and to the east of Grave 2014-06, oriented W-E. The grave contained a single primary inhumation of an infant, around 1-year-old based on estimated maximum femoral length. The skeleton was supine, the head was elevated, and the arms were crossed over the chest, right over left, just below the sternum. The bones were in poor condition and the cranium fairly fragmentary. The grave cuts into an as yet unexcavated fill level. However, it lies beneath the concrete subfloor (Context 909) and its leveling fill (Context 918), which date to the 14th century. The pottery from the burial provides an 11th century date. However, based on its stratigraphy and the similar top elevation of Grave 2014-06, this burial likely dates to the Frankish period. The fill (963) contained a few glass vessel fragments, iron nails, and an iron needle. There were not enough iron nails to suggest a coffin, so it is possible these nails were brought in with soil from elsewhere.; ; Grave 2016-02; ; Grave 2016-02 (Cut 933, 1074.90-1074.65 N, 127.2-126.85 E, filled by Context 932) was cut into a surface abutting the robbing trenchon top of Wall 20. Only a quarter of the burial remained intact with the spine of the skeleton (Skeleton 934) protruding from the scarp wall. The proximity of the cut and burial to Wall 20 suggests that the wall may have served as the northern boundary of the burial pit. The cut (Context 933) of the burial suggests an oval shape, but it was truncated on the north and east sides by the robbing trench over Wall 20. The presence of human perinatal bones in Fill 932 also suggests that the grave may have been used for more than one interment. ; ; If the grave was used for more than one interment, the original burial was for a younger juvenile, likely perinatal (less than 1-year-old) based on the size of rib fragments and a scapula. The primary burial excavated from the grave consisted of the upper right side of the body. The cranium and most of the cervical vertebrae were missing as were all the lumbar vertebrae and at least a quarter of the thoracic vertebrae. The individual was placed in a supine position-oriented W-E with the right arm bent at the elbow over what would have been the pelvic region. The elbow was elevated due to its resting on a stone which was part of the stone lined cist Grave 2016-03 directly south of this burial. The upper ribs had collapsed on top of the lower ribs. Based on the size of the bones and epiphyseal fusion pattern, this individual was a child at the age of death (2-3 years old, based on estimated maximum length of the right humerus).; ; Kennedy and Cundy(2014) identified this grave while cleaning the south scarp of the robbing trench (Context 524) and suggested that it might be associated with a silver gilded bronze pendant (MF-2014-56) collected during this cleaning. None of the material culture collected during the excavation of the burial could confirm this suggestion. The fill (Context 932) containing the skeleton included very little pottery, a few small pieces of glass, a moderate amount of charcoal, and large chunks of hard, whiteish inclusions similar to the material from the cement subfloor cleared as Deposit 909. This presence of cement chunks suggests that the cut of the burial went through the cement subfloor. The cement subfloor (47)from the previously excavated portion of the nave was dated to the 14th century, which indicates that Grave 2016-02 may also date to the 14th century or later.; ; Disturbed Grave 2016-01; ; Grave 2016-01 (Cut 916, 1074.90-1074.2 N, 127.10.-126.30 E) was located directly on top of Grave 2016-03 next to Wall 20. It was extremely truncated by a leveling fill layer (Deposit 914). Cut 916 was quite shallow and contained the scattered remains of at least one adult and one juvenile, designated Skeleton 917. An unfused occipital was laid with the foramen magnum oriented up against the SE corner of the cut. The shape of the cut appeared to be oval, but it may have been more rectangular and extended toward Wall 20. The small size of the cut, even if it extended to Wall 20 indicates the grave was dug for a juvenile individual. The overlying fill (Context 914) contained a notable amount of human bone material, including unfused juvenile osacoxae, which was widely dispersed and not gathered in piles or a uniform layer as in Graves 2016-03, 2016-05, and 2016-06. This suggests that leveling activities that resulted in the fill of Context 914 destroyed most of Grave 2016-01, which also destroyed the primary inhumation. The skeletal material was then mixed with the dirt used for the fill level. The fill (Context 915) of Grave 2016-01 contained pottery dating to the 14th century. The pottery and Coin 2016-132 found in the fill above (Context 914) date to the late 13th or 14th century. It is much higher than Graves 2016-07 and 2016-08, but was disturbed by the implementation of the Cosmati-style floor (likely 15th c.) Therefore, the date of Grave 2016-01 is likely in the 14th century.; ; 15th Century ; ; Grave 2016-08; ; Grave 2016-08 (Cut 1009, 1069.30-1068.20 N, 128.30-124.90 E, filled by Deposits 1003, 1004, 1013, and 1015, Skeleton Contexts 1005, 1006, 1011, and 1012, contains Cut 1014) is located in the middle of the south aisle, against Wall 929, and parallel to and cut by Grave 2016-07. The designation of the burials contained by Cuts 1009 and 1014 as Grave 2016-08 is perhaps misleading as the area contained by Cut 1009 likely represents the outer limits of multiple grave cuts that could not be distinguished in the soil at the time of excavation due to repetitive use of the soil for burials within a short period of time. However, as that is what could be recognized, the burials contained in the limits have been defined as belonging to Grave 2016-08. Differences in elevations do allow some discussion of the sequence of burials. At least five individuals were contained in Grave 2016-08, represented by two disarticulated skulls (Skeleton 1005), two partial primary inhumations (Skeleton Contexts 1006 and 1011), and the majority of a third primary inhumation (Skeleton 1012) contained by Cut 1014.; ; Skeleton 1012 is the earliest burial contained within Grave 2016-08. The cut associated with it is Cut 1012, which is within the larger Cut 1009. Cut 993 from Grave 2016-07 truncates the north side of Cut 1012, which mayhave resulted in the cranium associated with Skeleton 1012 having been disturbed by the digging of Grave 2016-07.  As such, the skull of Skeleton 1012 may be with the bone jumble(Skeleton Context 992) of Grave 2016-07. The inhumation (Skeleton 1012) is oriented W-E and consists of the right torso including ribs and some cervical vertebrae but missing the remaining spinal column. The mandible lay more or less on the present cervical vertebrae near a tile that may have been used to prop the head up. The body is not centered within the reconstructed dimensions of the cut, but rather appeared to be set against the north side of the burial space. The trunk was slightly twisted to the south, which caused the lower limbs to also twist to the south, with the left femur and knee at a higher elevation than the right and the left metatarsals and phalanges nestled in the arch of the right foot. The arms were crossed over the chest with the right forearm crossed over the left, but the left hand had somehow bent backwards so that it rested on the dorsal aspect rather than the palmeraspect, which would be expected given the position of the arms. This positioning of the left hand and the relatively constrained position of the body suggests that the individual was wrapped in a shroud at the time of burial. As with many of the other burials in this church, there was a scattering of disarticulated bones in the fill (Context 1004) above Skeleton 1012 including a mandible over the right pelvis.; ; The next burial within Grave 2016-08 was Skeleton 1006, which consists only of the articulated legs and feet of a child. The remains lay above Skeleton 1012, ca. 1.00m from the east edge of Cut 1009, at about the mid-point of Skeleton 1012. The legs were straight with the feet resting on the plantar aspect. The legs were truncated directly below the proximal epiphyses on both the tibiae and fibulae. This truncation was most probably from the construction of Grave 1990-22, which was described as an ossuary in the 1990 field season Notebook 829 in Basket 68. The excavation of the mixed deposits (Contexts 983 and 984) over Grave 2016-07 and Grave 2016-08 included soil from in Grave 1990-22 and produced a number of disarticulated bones from the pit that remained after its excavation. ; ; Grave 1990-22 also truncated Skeleton Contexts 1005 and 1011, which rested at a higher elevation than Skeleton 1005 and thus represent the latest burials within Grave 2016-09. Skeleton Context 1005 consisted of two child crania. These were positioned on either side of a third cranium (Skeleton 1011), which was articulated with some cervical vertebrae, the right clavicle, and Ribs 1-4. The two crania from Skeleton Context 1005 represent two earlier burials in the same space as Skeleton 1011. The crania were high in the most western portion of Grave 2016-08. The truncation of the burial by Grave 1990-22 and root action caused the loss of the lower portion of Skeleton 1011 and any other disarticulated bones that would have been associated with the crania of Context 1005. These burials were directly over the eastern portion of Grave 2016-09 and may have truncated the upper fill of Grave 2016-09 in that area.; ; While all of these burials occurred at different times, they all appear to have been dug through a concrete subfloor (Context 1029; L: 1.86m, W: 0.23m, D: 0.07m) that was exposed at the bottom of fill 1003. The south edge of Cut 1009 clearly cut through this concrete subfloor which is apparent along the middle of Wall 929. The concrete subfloor continues along Wall 929 to the west and was also cut by Grave 2016-09. As this subfloor might belong with the original use of this church, it provides information about the use of the church for burials. The fill (Context 1004) for Grave 2016-08 dates to the 15th century AD based on the pottery representation. Coin2016-166 from this fill dates to the Frankish period, being of William de la Roche and in circulation between 1280 and 1308, which provides a firm terminus post quem within the Frankish period. The other coins (2016-164, -167, and -168) from the context date primarily to the Roman Imperial period with one (Coin 2016-165) dating to the early 3rd century BC. This prevalence of old coins indicates that the fill of these burials was highly mixed and in use over a long period of time. The data from the pottery and the coins of Grave 2016-08 indicate that these burials date to the 15th century AD. However, it may be that the earliest burial, Skeleton 1012, is earlier than this based on its depth in the burial and the lack of a firmly associated fill.; ; ; ; Grave 2016-07; ; Grave 2016-07 (Cut 993, 1070.00-1068.90 N, 128.1-125.65 E, filled by Deposits 989 and 997, Skeleton Contexts 991, 992, 994, and 996; Cut 1000, 1070.00-1069.15 N, 128.00-126.05 E, filled by Skeleton Context 998) is located in the middle section on the north side of the south aisle of the church. This grave was used for at least six burials including one full primary inhumation (Skeleton 994), an articulated left foot with an associated fibula (Skeleton 992), a pile of bones (Skeleton 996), a disarticulated bone jumble (992), and articulated remains of two individuals (Skeleton 998). The order of these burials is complicated, but the presence of articulated remains provides a good place to begin understanding the sequence of events. Due to the number of burial events in this location, Cut 993 likely represents a series of cuts that enlarged the overall grave. The earliest of these burials (Skeleton 998) is within cut (1000) that was truncated by the burials on top of it within Grave 2016-07, contained by Cut 993.; ; The first series of burial events of the grave is represented by Skeleton 998, which consisted of a partially articulated spinal column associated with ribs, a left scapula and a left humerus. The lower portion of the spinal column had shifted south, which disturbed the ribs from that portion. The cervical vertebrae of the spine were resting on top of a curved ceramic tile with thick grooves running parallel. The skeleton was oriented with the cervical (neck) vertebrae in the west and proceeded to the east. This torso had been placed on top of the remains of another burial represented by a right scapula and both humeri. The left humerus was located directly beneath the left humerus of the articulated torso. Therefore, these lower remains probably represent the earliest burial in Grave 2016-07. These or the overlying remains are also likely associated with an articulated right foot found within Cut 1000 at the east end. The small size of the earlier remains suggests a female individual. The laterremains on top of these are more robust and may represent a male individual. These two individuals were contained in Cut 1000. Cut 1000 was defined on its north side by Structure 1002, which is a stone lining along the north edge of Grave 2016-07. However, it is unlikely that Cut 1000 was originally cut for this stone lining nor was Cut 993 (discussed below); neither of which extended beyond the northern limits of the lining.; ; The second series of burial events is represented by Skeleton Contexts 991, 992, 994, and 996, contained by Cut 993.The north side of the grave is partly defined by the stone lining structure 1002. The earliest burials are likely represented by the bones making up Skeleton Context 992, which was a jumble of bones along the east and south sides of the grave. The jumble contained at least three skulls, a number of long bones, and miscellaneous smaller elements. These bones were not as carefully placed on top of the inhumation as in other cases (such as in Grave 2016-03) but were mixed with broken tiles and not laying parallel with the W-E orientation of the primary inhumation (994). Skeleton Context 996, which included a pair of articulated feet and a cranium, represents the next burial event. These remains were found beneath the feet of the primary inhumation (994). The cranium may not be associated with this pair of feet, but it is possible. Skeleton Context 991, consisting of an articulated left foot and fibula, represents a burial that was truncated by the burial of individuals in the same space as Skeletons 992, 996, and 994. It appears to have been a much shallower burial than the other burial events. Within the west end of the bone jumble (992), excavation exposed an object made of small iron balls (pea-size) with short spikes, likely for linking them together. The material and potential reconstruction of the object indicates that it might be a belt.; ; Finally, the primary inhumation (994), was a fully articulated adult, possibly male, individual who was oriented W-E, supine with the head turned slightly to the north. The arms were bent moderately at the elbow with the hands over the pelvis. The shoulders appear to be constricted with the distal ends of the clavicles drawn superiorly and medially. The right forearm was over the left forearm with the right hand resting on the pelvis extended toward the head of the left femur. The left hand was under the right forearm. The legs were straight with the feet flexed, side by side. Three items were excavated with the inhumation including a bone spool (MF-2016-53) found near the left hip and two iron boot heel cleats (MF-2016-71A, MF-2016-71B). The cleats were found in situ essentially on the heels of Skeleton 994, which indicates that they were buried on the individual. ; ; Although the main cut for this grave was not made clear until after the excavation of two fills; (Contexts 983 and 984), the relationship of the grave cut(993) with Cut 985(filled by Deposit984) suggests that Cut 993 began at the level of Cut 985, truncating fill (Context 987) used in the remodeling of the interior church near the end of the Frankish period. The pottery of fill 989 provides a date of the late 14th or early 15th century AD for the burial of inhumation 994. Because Cut 993 truncates the cut(1009) adjacent to Grave 2016-08, which dates to the 15th century based on pottery in its fill (1004), the date for this Grave is the 15th century or later. Coins (2016-155, -157, -159, -160) from fill context 989 are mostly from the Roman Imperial period, but Coin 2016-156 dates to the early Frankish period (1204-1261). The presence of so many old coins indicates that the soil making up this grave fill had been re-deposited a number of times. As in Grave 2016-08, the earliest burials from Grave 2016-07 may date earlier than the 15th century based on their depth in the grave and their association with a different cut (Cut 1000).; ; Post-Medieval Period (Turkish I [1458-1680]); ; Double Burial Grave 2016-05; ; Grave 2016-05 (Cut 968, 1069.50-1069.00 N, 129.90-128.90 E, filled by Contexts 966 and 973, Coffins 972 and 975, and Skeletons 967, 970, and 974) is located in the southeast corner of the church, enclosed by Wall 930, Wall 927, and Wall 929. Wall 929 serves as the southern border of the cut (Context 968). This grave was used for at least three separate juvenile burials (Skeletons 967, 970, and 974). However, it presents a unique case among the graves found in the church thus far as two of the burials were seemingly contemporaneous (Skeletons 970 and 974) in coffins situated side by side in the same cut (Context 968). It is also possible that the individuals died around the same time and the grave was enlarged to accommodate the second individual. ; ; The burial on the north side of the grave (Coffin 972, Skeletons 967 and 970, overlaid by fill 966) contained the remains of a single primary inhumation (Skeleton 970) overlaid by a disarticulated layer of skeletal material (Skeleton 967). The layer of bone (Context 967) consisted of juvenile bones including a fairly intact skull, a number of long bones, ribs, and vertebrae. These bones (Context 967) were situated directly on top of the primary inhumation (Skeleton 970), primarily on the eastern half below the distal end of the femora, with the disarticulated skull sitting just beyond the feet of Skeleton 970. The lines of the coffin (972) became clear as the bone layer (Context 967) and the inhumation (Skeleton 970) were exposed. They were further attested by in situ iron nails positioned along the west, south, and east sides of the inhumation in clear lines. The disarticulated bone layer appears to be confined to the limits of the coffin, which suggests they were placed in the coffin on top of the body. The individual inhumed within the coffin (Skeleton 970) was an infant (ca. 1-year-old based on estimated maximum femoral length), oriented W-E, andlaid in a supine position with a slight twist to the right side (south). The head was turned toward the south on its right side. The arms were bent at the elbow with the hands over the abdomen, right arm over left. The legs were slightly bent at the knee and the feet had fallen to either side to the north and south. The coffin (972) appeared to be too large for the individual as the skeleton only occupied about two-thirds of the coffin space, providing ample space for the disarticulated skeletal material at the east end of the coffin.; ; The burial on the south side of the grave (Coffin 974, Skeleton 974, overlaid by fill 973) was discovered in the course of excavating the northern burial. The presence of another coffin (Coffin 975) was attested by two nails in the SE corner of the northern burial pointed in opposite directions, one to the north and one to the south. It became apparent that the southern nail belonged to a coffin that had been positioned parallel to and flush against the south side of coffin 972. The southern coffin (Context 974) fit snugly between Wall 929 on its southern side and Coffin 972 on its northern side. A series of nails in a line along Wall 929 confirmed the presence of Coffin 975. Coffins 972 and 965 were almost identical in size despite the difference in the size of the children. The inhumation (Skeleton 974) in Coffin 975 was a child(ca. 2.5-3 years old based on estimated maximum femoral length), oriented W-E, and laid in a supine position with the head turned to the south on the right side. The left arm was bent at the elbow and crossed over the chest with the hand over the sternum, but the ulna (part of the forearm) was displaced. The upper right arm was articulated at the right side, but the ulna and radius had been displaced inferiorly and did not appear to be in anatomical position. It is unclear what may have caused these odd displacements. The soil around and filling this grave exhibited a significant amount of root activity, which may have contributed to displacing some elements of the inhumation. The legs are both slightly bent at the knee and turned outwards with the feet turned out as well. Only a few disarticulated remains were found in the vicinity of this inhumation, which contrasts with the bone layer (Context 967) found with skeleton 970.; ; The fills for these inhumations (Contexts 966 and 973) are from the same burial event and were thus considered together for dating and find interpretations. There were no significant finds in the fill, but the pottery provides a Middle Byzantine date. Alternatively, Context 957, located directly above Grave 2016-05, contained a number of iron nails that were likely used for the top portions of Coffins 972 and 975, which means that at least some of the fill belongs to Grave 2016-05. The fill above Grave 2016-05 (Context 957) contained three coins (2016-143, 2016-144, and 2016-145). Coins 2016-143 and 2016-145 date to the 5th century, but Coin 2016-144 dates to 1030-1042 AD. Context 957 also held fragments of a Slipped Plain Glazed bowl and a sgraffito III vessel, which were both dated to the post-medieval period. As discussed above, one piece of rossoanticoand one piece of grey schist were found in Context 957, which may have been part of an overlying Cosmati floor extending across the church during the Frankish period. This suggests that the grave may have been dug through theCosmati-style Frankish floor, thus dating to a later, post-medieval period, as the pottery suggests. This has been further supported by the excavation of Graves 2016-07 and 2016-08 to the west in the middle of the south aisle. The pottery from their fills (989 and 1004) suggests a 15th century AD date. Given the much higher elevation of Grave 2016-05, a post-medieval date would be fitting. Previous excavation in the area from the 1990 field season (NB 828 B69) also exhibits at least one context in an “L” shape along Walls 930 and 927, which indicates that the cut mark was evident at a higher elevation than was defined for its actually excavation. Furthermore, the use of coffins and the differences in the body positions of these burials versus the other burials at lower elevations suggests a change in practice that might be associated with a later date.; ; Architectural Features; ; To learn more about the chronology of the church and its construction, a section in the apse was excavated at a greater depth than the rest of the church interior. This section revealed a number of fill deposits (Contexts 1035, 1036, 1037, 1038, 1042, and 1043) and two working surfaces (Context 1039 and an unexcavated surface). Although much of the church appears to have been used for human burials throughout and after its use as a church, the apse was free of human burial. It did, however, contain a number of animals remains, consisting primarily of sheep/goat and other smaller mammals. The earliest surface (unexcavated) was covered by a deep level of fill (Context 1043), which was 0.53 in depth. This fill had an uneven slope at the top and included a high level of orange-ish/reddish clay inclusions mixed in a clayey silt matrix. It also included large chunks of mortar adhered with limestone. The surface it overlaid was much lighter and harder with mortar around the edges of the apse along Wall 926. The inclusions in the fill level and the characteristics of the surface, suggest that it may have been a working surface on which the debris from dressing the limestone blocks making up the apse wall fell. There appears to be a later working surface (Context 1039) located above this unexcavated surface, which was laid on top of Fill 1042. Fill 1042 was likely used to level the uneven layer of Context 1043. The surface (Context 1039) is covered by Fills 1036 and 1037, which are two artificial levels of the same deposit, with a combined depth of 0.53 (the same as Fill 1043 above the unexcavated working surface). There were a few (ca. 4) flat lying tiles (Context 1038) on the surface of Context 1039. The surface itself consisted primarily of limestone, mortar and plaster, but also contained some tile fragments that may have served to level this surface. Two horizontal cuts were found within the apse wall (Wall 926) on the north (at 84.84m) and south (at 85.00m) sides, which likely represent cuts for scaffolding as the church was being initially constructed.; ; The dates for the fills (Contexts 1043, 1042, 1038, 1037, 1036, 1035) overlying these two working surfaces come primarily from pottery. The pottery from these fills dates mainly to the 12th century. As they are fills, it is likely that the soil used for the deposits had been deposited in many other places prior to the apse. The pottery from Fill 1036, above the later working surface (1039), provides the latest date as the second half of the 12th century.The coins from the fills in the apse date to either the Roman Imperial Period (Coin 2016-187) or to the early Byzantine period (Coin 2016-189). Although these fills and surfaces, provided more information about the construction of the church, it did not yield evidence of the lime-concrete subfloor (Context 1029) found along the middle of the southwall, nor any other floor level. This may indicate that the floor represented by Context 1029 and other potential preceding floors were taken out when the most recent floor, the Cosmati-style floor laid on subfloors 47, 909, 910, 911, and tile (sub?)floor 941.; ; This lime-concrete subfloor (Context 1029) was exposed along the middle of the south wall (Wall 929) of the church during the excavation of Grave 2016-08 (Context 1003). The fill is dated to the 15th century, but the subfloor is likely earlier as Context 1003 was part of Grave 2016-03.  The subfloor was cut (Cut 1014) for the burial of Skeleton 1012, which was the earliest burial of the grave. A scattering of lime-concrete patches was found at about the same elevation (ca. 85.09m) to the east of this subfloor in the southeast corner of the church beneath Context 1033, which indicates that the subfloor continued to the east.; ; Subfloors consisting of concrete, packed pebbles, flat-lying tiles, and mortar for a Cosmati-style floor that extended across the church was exposed by the 1990 field season (NB828, 829, and 835) and was partially excavated in the west nave and NW narthex in the 2014 field season (Context 47). The remainder of the subfloor in the nave (Contexts 909, 910), the transept (Contexts 910, 911, 912, and 913), and SE corner (Structure 941, Context 942) were excavated this season. Evidence of the overlying Cosmati-style flooring was found in the form of two fragments of lapis lacedaimonius in the concrete subfloor context (Context 909), two fragments of rosso antico in the fill layer (Context 918), and one fragment each of rosso antico and grey schist in Context 957. As reported from the 2014 season, the subfloor surrounding the nave likely supported marble slab paving, some of which is still in situ on the north side of the SW Pier Base (Structure 920). ; ; The subfloors were made up of two or, potentially, three layers. In the nave and transept, an upper level consisting of a harder white concrete was observed in the upper layer of Context 909 and by Context 910. The lower level of concrete was softer and included more pebbles, which is seen in the lower level of Context 909 and by Context 913. The floor may have been patched or repaired at some point as Contexts 911 and 912 have different consistencies but are at similar elevation levels. The SE corner is slightly different in that there is an upper level consisting of leveling tiles (Structure 941) and a lower level of concrete/plaster (Context 942). The tiles (Structure 941) may have been used to level the floor for an overlying surface. The pottery for Context 912 provided a date of the 15th or 16th century. The subfloor was dated to the 14th century on the west side in the 2014 season by a fragment of sgraffito IV (Context 47). Therefore, the concrete subfloors and the associated transept threshold (Structure 924) are likely 14th century or later.A cut mark (Cut 919, filled by Deposit 918) associated with the floor on the north side of the nave suggests a difference in flooring between the north aisle and nave. Graves 2016-01, 2016-02, 2016-03, and 2016-06 were excavated from the north aisle. The difference in flooring may be associated with frequent burials in the area as the floors may have been restored after the burial events in some cases (Grave 2016-03, Grave 2016-02).; ; A cement covered, concave threshold exposed in the 1990 field season is situated at the east end of the nave as one enters the transept. The threshold did not have a foundation trench and consisted of two layers of cement with one course of stone tiles between them. The upper layer of cement is concave with medium size stones used to support the concavity on the eastern side. It is likely that this concave portion held half of a column split vertically, which served as the main component of the threshold. Although the pottery excavated with the threshold places the date in the Late Byzantine period (12th century), this threshold may have been constructed during the Frankish renovation of the church which potentially include the concrete bench-like structure (Structure 302) in the NW corner and the Cosmati-style floor installed in the nave. There is no foundation trench associated with it, but a possible leveling fill for the Cosmati floor (Context 918) rested on the same level, indicating that the floor and the threshold may have been contemporaneous. ; ; The altar base (Structure 931) in the transept, across from the apse (Wall 925), may also be contemporaneous with the implementation of the Cosmati-style floor and threshold (Structure 924). The foundation fill (Context 948) was cut (Context 949) into the surface on which Contexts 912 and 913 and Structure 924 were laid. The foundation fill contained pottery dating to the Middle Byzantine period and two coins (2016-140, 2016-141) dating to the 4th and 3rd centuries AD respectively, but its stratigraphic position beneath the subfloors (Contexts 912 and 913), suggests a later date, likely 14th century or later if associated with the construction of the Cosmati-sytle floor. ; ; The threshold area in the middle of the west wall (Wall 21) of the church was excavated to explore the sequence of thresholds and thus use of the church. The earliest threshold is an unexcavated tile structure at 84.37m, which is ca. 0.60m below the earliest subfloor (Context 1029) found in the church. This tile structure was covered by mortar and tiles (Contexts 1040, 1001) which contained pottery dating to the 11th century, but most likely belong to the (early?) Frankish period based on their relationship to the rest of the church. The next, later, level of fill (Context 999) which appeared to have been mixed with mortar, dates to the 15th century based on a fragment of a yellow, slipped plain glazed bowl. The overlying level of fill (Context 995) was located directly beneath the marble threshold (Structure 22), which was in the wall (Wall 20) at the level of its preservation. Fill 995 contained pottery which confirmed the 15th century date of the preceding level (Fill 999). These fills (995 and 999) provide a terminus post quem for the construction of the marble threshold (Structure 22) in the 15th century. The construction of the threshold may have corresponded with the implementation of the Cosmati-style floor.; ; ; Conclusions; ; Excavation of the interior of the church during Sessions II and III has provided further data on the construction and use of the interior of the church (Cosmati-Style Sub-Floor: Contexts 909-913, 941-942; Lime-Cement Sub-Floor: 1029;Interior Threshold: Context 924; Altar Base: Contexts 948, 949, 951; Exterior Threshold: Contexts 22, 995, 999, 1001, 1040) during the 14th and 15th centuries as well as more information about the sequence of burials and their relationship with the interior of the church. Most of the graves discussed here are located beneath this 14th century floor, but it does not appear that they went through that particular floor level. The sequence of burials for Graves 2016-01, 2016-02, 2016-03, 2016-04, 2016-05, and 2016-06 indicate further use of the space as a burial place in the Frankish period, although the chronology is still somewhat unclear. The placement of Grave 2016-01 directly on top of Grave 2016-03 and 2016-02, to some extent, suggests that burial locations were often remembered and reused. Grave 2016-01 was destroyed in the leveling process of the floor supported by thefill of Context 914, but Grave 2016-02 and 2016-03 include cement fragments likely from the cement subfloor (Context 47 and Context 909-913) built during the 14th c. This may indicate that the floor was repaired at some point after the burial of these individuals, which would explain why Grave 2016-01 is so heavily disturbed and why the other two graves include cement chunks in their fills. ; ; The practice of multiple burials exhibited in Graves 2016-03, 2016-09, 2016-07, 2016-08, and 2016-06 seemssimilar to that described for Grave 2014-04 (Kennedy and Cundy 2014) and Grave 1990-41A-C (NB835 B41, 51, 52, 58, 61, 62), which were both located next to the west wall (Wall 20) of the church. Kennedy and Cundy (2014) suggest that the deposition of disarticulated, relatively unbroken bones on top of the primary inhumations may indicate that a particular grave was left open for a certain period of time during which it was reused multiple times for subsequent burials. The unbroken nature of the bones laid directly on top of the inhumation suggests that they were not constantly being covered with fill that might have caused them to be more fractured. There are layers of bones deposited over and/or around the primary inhumations in Graves 2016-03, 2016-06, 2016-07, 2016-08, and 2016-09, but it appears that only Grave 2016-03, Phase II burials might have followed this practice. The bone layer (952) above the inhumation (956) were relatively intact and were laid in a fairly orderly fashion with the long bones laid parallel to the inhumation. However, in Grave 2016-06, the bones of the previous burial appear to have been pushed to one side or not moved at all, which indicates that this grave was not left open. The child burials at the top of Grave 2016-08 similarly appear to not have been left open but reopened for each burial. Grave 2016-07 also exhibits a different practice in that the bone layers/jumbles (Skeleton Contexts 991, 992, and 996) associated with the primary inhumation (Skeleton 994) are much less orderly (i.e. not laid parallel to the orientation of the body) than those of Grave 2016-03 and 2016-09. The articulation of some of the skeletal material from the skeletal contexts of Grave 2016-07 also suggests that the grave was not left open but reopened multiple times. The disorder of the bone jumble (992) supports the argument that the bones were potentially placed in the grave with the fill albeit primarily at the bottom of the fill rather than mixed in with the rest of it. There were a number of bones recovered that had been mixed in with the fill (989). Grave-2016-09 deviates from the other graves in that most of the disarticulated bones were found beside or beneath the primary inhumation, rather than on top of it. This also indicates that the grave was not left open for a period of time for a series of burials.; ; The graves containing adults (2016-03, 2016-07, 2016-08, 2016-09) do appear to be similar in the potential use of a shroud as the arrangement of the skeletons suggests a constrained position within the burial.The burial positions of all of the primary interments mostly concur, with the arms crossed at the chest below the sternum or at the abdomen and the legs laid out straight. There are differences in head position, but these are related primarily to the coffin burials in Grave 2016-05. Every other primary inhumation had either an elevated skull held in place by props on either side of stone or tile. The heads of the burials in Grave 2016-05 are not propped in any way, but are turned southward, to the right side. Many of the graves excavated contained only juvenile remains including Graves 2016-02, 2016-04, 2016-05, and 2016-06. Grave 2016-03, 2016-07, 2016-08, and 2016-09 contained adult remains with most having juvenile bones included in the bone layers of the grave, excepting Grave 2016-08, which contained articulated remains of two juveniles. The peculiarities of Grave 2016-05 cause chronological issues with the relatively high elevation of the grave compared to the other graves, the use of coffins, the side-by-side burials, and the bone layer (Context 967) on top of only one of the inhumations (Skeleton 970). However, the further excavation of the SE corner of the church and an examination of previous excavation in the area does indicate that the burials were established at a later date, likely post medieval,than most of the other excavated burials in the church.; ; The burial of individuals within the church appears to span the currently known period of use of the church (Mid-13th to early 15th c.) (Graves 2016-01, -02, -03, -04, -06, -07, -08, -09) and after it was no longer used (Graves 2016-05). This means that people may have been actively using the floor of the church as a burial place while the church was in use as a place of worship. However, this may also suggest that the church went through at least two periods of use and abandonment. There is evidence that one grave (2016-08) went through an early subfloor (Structure 1029) of the church, which does not appear to have been repaired after the creation of the grave. Grave 2016-09 represents the earliest excavated(this season) primary inhumation of the church, dating to the late 13th century or later. However, this primary inhumation was only the last of many. The skeletons represented in Context 998 are likely earlier than inhumation 1025 but were disturbed by subsequent burial activity in Grave 2016-07. The latest burials are represented in Grave 2016-05. The continuity of the practice of multiple burial is evident throughout the use of the church as a burial area. However, the use of coffins over shrouds and/or tile coverings in Grave 2016-05 also indicates changesin burial practices over time.; ; Recommendations for Future Work in the Area:; ; 1.    Continue the excavation of the osteotheke in the northwest corner of the church nearby Grave 2016-05. It cuts into Context 982, excavated in Session II, identified by Cut 44 and filled by Contexts 32 and 529, excavated in Session I of 2014.; 2.    Determine the nature of the stone block found at the bottom of Grave 2016-06 and whether it is related to Structure 150.; 3.    Determine the nature of the stone lining (Structure 1002) in the north scarp of Grave 2016-07.; 4.    Continue excavation in the south aisle, as there are more articulated burials evident in the bottom of Grave 2016-08 and in the west scarp of Grave 2016-07.; 5.    Excavate the remnants of Grave 2014-04 along the west wall (Wall 21) along with the short wall built specifically for the burial (Wall 1032). This will also allow for completing the excavation of the fill between the threshold and Wall 1032.",""
"Kosmopoulos Material From the National Archaeological Museum at Athens Returned to Ancient Corinth Museum","Report","","","","Kosmopoulos Trenches 2020 by Belza, Anna (2020-09-28 to 2020-11-20)","","Corinth:Report:Kosmopoulos Trenches 2020 by Belza, Anna (2020-09-28 to 2020-11-20)","","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | | Kosmopoulos Trenches","Corinth","Anna Belza, PhD Candidate University of Cincinnati ASCSA Corinth Museum Project Volunteer; Fall 2020–Spring 2021; Project: Alice Leslie Walker Kosmopoulos, repatriation of Prehistoric material from the National Archaeological Museum in Athens; ; INTRODUCTION; ; Alice Leslie Walker Kosmopoulos was a student of the ASCSA 1909–1914, and associated with the School until 1937. She was assigned the study and publication of the pottery from the Corinth excavations (ca. 1896–1935); later the scope was narrowed to the pre- Byzantine pottery, and eventually to only the Prehistoric period material. The material she included in her study were from her own excavations at Corinth (1911, 1914, 1920, 1930, 1935); and those of other excavators (1904, 1905, 1908, 1916, 1926, 1931, 1932).; ; Kosmopoulos conducted her study at Corinth before relocating to Athens ca. 1935. Her reasons for moving were twofold: her poor health which was worsened by conditions at Corinth (e.g., dampness, mosquitos—she had previously contracted malaria at Corinth); her expulsion from the Corinth excavations due to her falling out with the ASCSA. Kosmopoulos writes about her interactions with the school in the preface to her published work: The Prehistoric Pottery of Corinth (1948). In sum, conflict between Kosmopoulos and the ASCSA regarded her poor/nonexistent publication record. Kosmopoulos responded by relocating some Prehistoric material from Corinth to Athens.; The Prehistoric pottery from Corinth was stored at the National Archaeological Museum (NAM) at Athens in order to facilitate Kosmopoulos’s study and publication process. When the ASCSA severed ties with Kosmospoulous (ca. 1937) they demanded the material be returned to Corinth. Some material was returned to Corinth and is referred to in the Corinth storage system as the Kosmopoulos series or K- series. A large quantity of pottery remained at the NAM following Kosmopoulos’s death in 1954.; Kosmopoulos published one volume on Prehistoric Corinth in 1948. The introductory volume provides basic insight into her ceramic classes and chronological scheme (see Appendix 1). She did not publish all the material that was removed from Corinth to Athens. Attempts were made to return the material to the Corinth Museum1 (viz., Lavezzi in the 1970s–1980s). Robert Bridges visited the NAM in the 1980s and did a basic inventory of the Corinth material. In September 2020 the material was returned to Corinth. The quantity and quality of the material was unknown.; My museum project involved: the unboxing and processing of the Prehistoric Corinth material returned from the NAM; separating the material into lots; and entering all the material into the Corinth records. The prime objective was to process material quickly in order to learn what Kosmopoulos had taken from Corinth and glean evidence of Prehistoric activity otherwise unknown. The quick processing benefited positively PhD candidates Jeffrey Banks (University of Cincinnati) and Katie Fine (Florida State University) who are writing dissertations about Early Bronze Age and Neolithic Corinth, respectively.2; After all the material was sorted, it became clear that it was possible to lot the pottery (more on this below, Phases 2 and 3). I also transcribed the Kosmopoulos label notebooks (Appendix 2) which were given to Ioulia Tzonou to eventually be incorporated into and assigned Corinth Notebook numbers. We do not have Komospoulos’ excavation notebooks from Corinth (the ASCSA archives have her Halae notebooks). Their exact whereabouts is unknown. At one point, decedents from her husband’s side of the family living in Peiraeus attempted to sell a trunk that belonged to her to Henry Robinson. Robinson declined to purchase the trunk blindly (i.e., without knowing the contents) at their high price: without knowing whether the notebooks were there, the trunk and its contents would have been a waste. Jeffrey Banks has attempted to reach out to the family members with no success as of yet (May 2021). Banks believes that the Corinth notebooks went to California with Kosmopoulos in the late 1930s. Kosmopoulos finalized the publication of her book in California and was then in the process of a planned second and third volume. It is almost certain that she had them with her as she continued her work in California because the second volume was meant to be a large presentation of the prehistoric material from Corinth. Problematically, the Halae books did make it to the ASCSA archives which was meant; to form part of the third volume of her study, but that body of material is much smaller and there are indications she was finished with it.; ; Phase 1: Processing the Kosmopoulos Material Returned to Corinth from the National Archaeological Museum, Athens, in 2020; Kosmopoulos used cardboard shoeboxes to store and transport her material. The material placed inside the shoeboxes was grouped in smaller packages of paper tyropita bags, reused envelopes, and, in some cases, loose in the box. Material occasionally was found grouped in clear plastic bags, likely a solution by the NAM to replace old paper bags that had decayed. The storage shoeboxes were transported to the basement of the Corinth Museum in thirty-three wooden storage trays. Processing occurred in the basement of the Corinth Museum.3; The system for processing material involved using iDig on an iPad and recording various information in Microsoft Excel on a Corinth project laptop. James Herbst and Manolis Papadakis set up a context labeled Kosmopoulos in the iDig database. Every “shoebox” was photographed: before opening to record all markings on the exterior of the box; when opened with the contents left in situ, showing the storage of the bags and interior markings; and unboxed with objects strewed. Shoeboxes often had writing on their exterior in one or more crayon colors. The writing was often illegible, written over/crossed out and remarked multiple times, and/or contained a series of undeciphered abbreviations. All but one shoebox were discarded after being photographed and all such marking recorded. In large part, these marking could not be deciphered. It is clear that some of the marking referred to the one time contents; but with the multiple reuses of the boxes and multiple packing and re-strewing of her material in Corinth and Athens over a twenty year period, these marking did not seem to correlate in any meaningful or useful way for what was stored within when they were opened in 2020.; The contents of the shoeboxes, mainly ceramics, were strewn on three tables in the Corinth Museum basement for processing. Contents from each shoebox were kept and photographed together so that any given object could possibly be associated/reassociated to the markings on the box if they are ever deciphered (i.e., everything from one shoebox was laid out together on a table). Sherds stored together in bags or envelopes were laid out atop the bags from which they came. The bags and envelopes also often had illegible and/or abbreviated handwriting in crayon. A few times, typewritten text was used instead. In some instances, these markings were clearly a count of sherds of various types (her classes or the colloquial classes of pottery at that time) stored within: e.g., “5–Urf[irnish], 2–B[lack]B[burnished], 3–Myc[enaean]”, etc.; It was often not possible to discern why Kosmopoulos separated sherds into individual bags, if not by diagnostic features or grouping of decorations. For example, all material of a single class is not conveniently grouped together nor are groups associated based upon their excavation context. The divisions of bags seem to reflect the process by which Kosmopoulos read the objects, recorded them, and stored them, probably working in small batches of pottery because of space issues at the NAM and in light of the considerable amount of material she was working with.; Kosmopoulos seems to have generally followed Wace and Blegen’s classification system for the Early Bronze Age and Wace and Thompson’s system for the Neolithic, though she did not use the same terminology/abbreviations as far as we can tell from the markings on bags and boxes (e.g., she often prefers German terms, likely from her work with Dörpfeld and study of the prehistorics at Leukas). Sherds contained inconsistent markings (discussed further in Phase 2 and Phase 3) that reveal various information: their find spot, their depth, and year excavated. The markings played a large part in our ability to re-lot the material and for Banks to recreate the original contexts for his dissertation (described in Phase 2 below).; Objects of note were removed to receive inventory numbers (CP or MF), discussed below; all those not selected for inventory numbers were stored together with other objects from the same bag (i.e., the Kosmopoulos bagging system was the organizing principle of recording individual “units” in the initial sorting and identifying of material). Some, such as Neolithic gray wares, were often boxed together even if sherds came from different envelopes in one shoebox. There was no clear reason to distinguish the Neolithic graywares and there were no sherd markings or envelope markings that would give a reason why they should not be combined and the storage units pared down. The original envelope context was recorded in the processing photos.; Once material had been processed, they were stored in Corinth Excavation cardboard boxes (open top) which were placed into wooden storage trays. Each box received two numbers: a “K-NAM” number and “box” number. K-NAM numbers represent the shoebox in which items were found: these numbers were not from the original boxes, but were assigned based on the order in which they were processed; they simply help identify all the material that was originally boxed together in the NAM (i.e., to retain an association of the material with the marking on the original shoeboxes). Box numbers identify subdivisions of storage within the shoe boxes: most often, this was simply the paper bags or envelopes within which items were stored. Again, the box numbers only reflect the order in which the material was processed, they were not derived from information on these bags. Box identifies items grouped together in Kosmopoulos bags; K- NAM identifies the shoebox in which larger groups of these bag/box objects were stored.; The individual cardboard boxes were then placed in a wooden tray in the basement of the museum. During the sorting and recording of these items, many objects were assigned inventory numbers: 530 objects were assigned Corinth Pottery (CP) numbers; 45 were assigned Miscellaneous Find (MF) numbers. Their original Box and K-NAM numbers were recorded with these inventoried pieces, but the objects were disassociated from the box/tray system described above.4 Inventoried objects were recorded in iDig as “Objects” and photographed individually. Later, each inventoried object was fully measured and described according to the Corinth Excavations recording system. A running list of the CP and MF numbers were printed out and left with the crates. Inventoried objects were set aside in their own trays in the Museum basement for conservation and photography to eventually process (as of June 2021, the objects have not been conserved or photographed). Eventually these will enter the study collection. A Neolithic expert in particular should go through the objects and vet whether all of these specimen are worth retaining as CPs/MFs, particularly in light of the greater number of objects selected.; K-NAM and box numbers and CP and MF numbers were recorded in three excel sheets. At the beginning of the processing system, before the use of iDig (about a 1-week period), we; were not recording shoebox/K-NAM numbers, as we were still attempting to discern Kosmopoulos’ recording and storage system. In order to record what processed objects/tyropita bags were found together in one shoebox, we recorded that information as “Packed in K-NAM Shoebox with K-NAM Museum Box #”. Using context numbers in iDig rectified this problem; however, we continued to record boxes found together and this was superseded by the K-NAM number system which was retroactively applied to all of the individual box units that had been sorted prior to the advent of this system.; For example, this is the format used to record processed material:; ; Other fields used in excel are:; ; Bag or card info to signify if there was any written information found with pottery on their bag or card:; Contents: sherd count, general chronology, shape, fabric.; CP assigned to objects: CP number(s) given to something from that box. MF assigned to objects: MF number(s) given to something from that box.; Other notes: includes comparanda or publication information in cases where these objects were published in Kosmopoulos’ book (book, page number, etc.), notes to Jeffrey Banks, Katie Fine, or Ioulia Tzonou about specific items from the box that may be of interest to their EBA, Neolithic, and Mycenaean studies, respectively.; Recorded in iDig: whether or not it was recorded in iDig (Yes = yes; Blank = no). Notations on sherds: markings in pen or pencil that were legible, originally made by; Kosmopoulos to preserve excavation context information.; ; ; In total 173 KNAM shoeboxes were processed into 267 cardboard boxes. Two boxes were found in the NAM material that need to be returned to Athens. The first is an orange box with pottery ranging in date from EBA–Classical, obsidian, and a loom weight. Pottery find spots were recorded on the sherds (e.g., Thera). A notecard was found inside the box stating that the material was seized from the German Archaeological Institute (DAI). It seems to be a study collection and seems to have nothing to do with Kosmopoulos or Corinth, returned to Corinth with the Kosmopoulos material by accident. The second box contained numerous tags from various sites (not Corinth), all placed within a foam mold for a bronze spearhead or knife. Banks believes that the latter box might have been the commercial packaging for a knife that was used to hold a bronze dagger found by Komopoulos at Corinth, which she dated to the Middle Neolithic (it was not, but almost certainly EBA); the whereabouts of the dagger are unknown, and it is likely to have eroded away or remains in Athens.; ; Phase 2: Establishing Original Contexts for the Kosmopoulos Material from the National Archaeological Museum; Kosmopoulos abbreviated original excavation context information (e.g., trench and/or year, depths) in pencil or pen on many sherds, almost certainly whenever she removed material from its original context-tagged pottery storage tin.5 Sherds determined to be insignificant were grouped in tins, labeled, and stored at Corinth in the Old Museum.6 All this material was originally taken to the NAM by Kosmopoulos but returned when ASCSA demanded the return of all Corinth material and severed ties with Kosmopoulos in ca. 1937. “Insignificant” material was returned, while the “significant” material remained at the NAM (i.e., highly diagnostic objects that seemingly would have been published in the Kosmopoulos planned—but never finished— volumes on prehistoric Corinth).; Jeffrey Banks and I sorted sherds back into their original contexts. Pottery was separated into trays based on the markings on them that designated their findspots. The EBA and Neolithic pottery were kept separate within their context units to facilitate future study. The process took place in the Museum basement and courtyard.; Two additional columns were added to the KNAM excel sheet to keep track of markings on sherds and where items were being combined/lotted: Kosmopoulos Area Notations on Sherds and Re-lotted. The former recorded markings found on sherds (e.g., “E35”). If notations; were illegible or difficult to distinguish, they were returned to their box and placed in a tray for future revisiting (highlighted in the excel sheet in orange so that we could return and reprocess these after an initial sorting). The latter column (“Re-lotted”) recorded whether items were re- lotted (yes or no) and, if so, into what trays they were combined (e.g., E35, 2TH, 11 Heer 7, etc.). In some cases, all the material from boxes were inventoried (i.e., received CP numbers) and thus did not get lotted (e.g., see table below—“No context pottery to sort”). In many cases, all material from a box was lotted by context, and that box number no longer exists as a discreet storage unit, other than as a recording unit for objects’ original location.; ; Banks partook in the process in order to better understand where the Early Bronze Age material was found and to see if it was possible to rectify stratigraphy based on elevation markings on some sherds. He was able to use the sherd markings and Kosmopoulos trench system and depths to reconstruct a number of contexts across the site and combine this information with her publication, various excavators notebooks, and archival material to get a full understanding of what most of the sherd markings mean.; ; Kosmopoulos Series in New Apotheke and Old Museum: Preparing it for Lotting with the K- NAM material; After processing all of the K-NAM material (i.e., the Kosmopoulos material that was returned to Corinth in 2020), Banks and I  went to the ASCSA Apotheke7 to examine the “Kosmopoulos Series”8 material had never left Corinth, or which was returned to Corinth by Kosmopoulos in the 1930s. This was around Christmas break (Dec. 25, 2020–Jan 15, 2021) when the Italian conservation team vacated the facility for the holidays. At the end of this period, when the conservators returned, this “Kosmopoulos series” material was moved to the Old Museum so we could continue our work.9; The Kosmopoulos series material stored in the New Apotheke was sorted and examined previously by John Lavezzi and Katie Fine. Lavezzi had sorted the EBA and Neolithic material based on chronological periods and distinct wares (e.g., red slipped rims) to facilitate an eventual attempt to combine the NAM material and look for joins. Katie Fine sorted four trays of the material Lavezzi had not managed to sort while a regular member as museum project. Fine’s sorting grouped material based on features of sherds: (e.g., Prehistoric–Roman rims or bases) regardless of chronology or context. Both these sorting methods were no longer relevant in light of our greater understanding of the original excavation contexts which had become the primary lotting principle of the Kosmopoulos material.; Banks and I applied the same sorting technique described above to the material in the Kosmopoulos Series: sherds were separated into boxes based on the notations about original excavations. In total we sorted through twenty trays. The contents included: ceramics, figurine fragments, stone tools (various), and shells. Four trays were unsorted/unstudied material ranging in date from the Neolithic–Roman periods.; In January 2021, Banks and I began to work in the Old Museum courtyard with (ca. 48) trays of Kosmopoulos Series material.10 Mostly, this material lacked individual sherd markings, and the impression is that this was the “insignificant material” Kosmopoulos left behind in Corinth or sent back. Based on Banks’ understanding of the history of the Kosmopoulos material and its various storage and papsing processes it received while in Corinth, these were almost certainly stored in tins that distinguished original context and depth; at some point this information was lost when the material was combined into trays and the original storage tin units lost. Some tags were included in boxes within trays, making it possible to glean, at times, where some material originated from, although almost all of these tags identified that the sherds within had come from more than one context.; Material that could be assigned to a specific context were combined with the proper excavation context/lot units that had been assigned for the KNAM material and the Kosmopoulos Series material from the New Apotheke.11; ; Phase 3: Assigning Lot Numbers to Context Pottery; ; Once all of the K-NAM material was sorted by context, Ioulia Tzontou, Jeff Banks and I agreed that lot numbers could be assigned to the pottery based on original excavation units (for the most part, these refer to identifiable/spatially known trenches). The lotting could not have taken place if sherds had not been marked with excavation data (e.g., trench abbreviation, depth). Banks provides full detail about the lots and contexts in the study for his dissertation and is in the process of generating lot descriptions. The lotting process is ongoing as of June 2021: the final quantities of material that cannot be assigned to a specific context will have to be considered (e.g., combine all Kosmopoulos unidentified location material to a single lot, lots based upon possible locations, toss some material, etc.).; ; Topographical Reconstruction of Prehistoric Habitation at Corinth; ; The K-NAM material attests a larger spatial and chronological use of the site than known previously. The quantity of material returned doubled the amount of known Prehistoric ceramics found in excavations. For more information the topographical reconstruction of the site with deposit information, see Banks’ dissertation.; Chronological Implications; ; Weinberg’s publication of Neolithic–EBA material from his excavations remain an important source for understanding Prehistoric activity at Corinth.12 The K-NAM material offers a more nuanced understanding of chronological periods because of the quantity and quality of material and the fact that they derive from deposits across the site. See above and Banks’ dissertation for a thorough discussion of the relevance of the Kosmopoulos material.; It is unclear whether Kosmopoulos saved all the Prehistoric material from her excavations. It seems likely when one considers the amount of Final Neolithic grayware body sherds she saved. It remains possible that Kosmopoulos intended to papse material at a later date but never finished with the material or had the time to do so. This is especially true of the later material excavated in the 1930’s were the extreme volumes of material and particularly the inclusion of what would normally be termed “insignificant” sherds suggested a near to 100% retention of excavated material, at least until they had been studied.; Below is a rough count of the pottery from the K-NAM processing. It is meant to give an idea of quantities representing chronological periods. The number will surely change after specialists complete their studies. The numbers represent the Kosmopoulos material returned to Corinth from the NAM in 2020 (i.e., they do not include the Kosmopoulos material that had already been in Corinth since the later 1930’s).; EN: ~16 sherds, including 1 mendable variegated bowl (CP 3967) MN: ~70 sherds; LN: ~3,536 sherds EH: ~1,433 sherds; MH: ~2 sherds (CP 3970: Gray Minyan goblet; CP 3977:1 possible Standard matt painted figure 8 around handle); LH: ~10 LH III (CP 3974–3976); ; A few of the LH sherds were marked with “Zyg”, or “Zyg dump”. From Kosmopoulos’ publication, these almost certainly refer to a pile of pottery that had been dumped outside of the Old Museum: it included Bronze Age Zygouries and Neolithic Lechaeion Road East material and excavation unit tags and seems to have been thrown out after Blegen and Hill fell out with ASCSA and were no longer working at Corinth. Kosmopoulos recovered the material. These sherds were placed in the Zygouries study collection drawers in a small bag with a printed explanation included.;         ;         Endnotes; 1 For the sake of posterity: Corinth Museum refers to what is often referred to as the “New Museum”; more clearly, this is the contemporary Museum function currently (2020–2021). There are plans to build a new New Museum, so this may cause confusion in the future.; 2 For a detailed biographical/archival analysis of Kosmopoulos and her work on Corinth and Prehistoric Greece, see Banks’s dissertation (forthecoming).; 3 The basement provided poor light, and in many cases information and notations gleamed from Kosmopoulos were more apparent when viewed in the sunlight at, e.g., the ASCSA Apotheke on Asklepius Street. An additional reading of all the sherds in a more suitable location may reveal additional details of Kosmopoulos’ work and methodology, particularly since her notebooks are missing and the seriation of her excavation units could only be recreated by Banks based on the depth markings on sherds.; 4 Ioulia Tzontou (Assistant Director) selected sherds and objects to receive CP and MF numbers, particularly for the Neolithic. Jeffrey Banks selected Early Helladic sherds to receive CP numbers based on their relevance of specifically for inclusion in his study of the EH period for his dissertation and later publication.; 5 Kosmopoulos 1948, p. 8, fn. 19.; 6 For the sake of posterity: since there is a new museum being planned, “Old Museum” might refer to one of two structures. Old Museum is the original/first Museum, which currently functions solely as a storage space and makes due as a study space, located on the south side of Apollo Street, just west of the village plateia, along the northern edge of the archaeological site—west of the exit gate and east of the Roman North Market.; 7 For the sake of posterity: this storage facility if currently (2020–2021) referred to as the New Apotheke. There is currently plans to create another Apotheke and either also create a fresco lab or retain the New Apotheke as a frescolab as it is currently functioning as such. For sake of clarity, this apotheke is on the north side of Asklepius street, east of Cheliotomylos, northwest of the main archaeological site and current Museum.; 8 The Kosmopoulos Series is a term used to refer to the Kosmopoulos material stored in Corinth in tins (later in trays) that were assigned “K” numbers for storage recording (K-1, K-2, etc.); 9 See fn. 5 for more on the Old Museum.; 10 See fn. 5 for more on the Old Museum.; 11 See fn. 6 for more on the New Apotheke.; 12 Weinberg, S. S. 1937. “Remains from Prehistoric Corinth,” Hesperia 6, pp. 487–524.",""