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"Alison Fields and Jessica Lamont; Team White, Session 3; Nezi Field Excavations Interim Report; Area 1: N-S 1016.05-1011.70, E-W 274.18-278.91; Area 2: N-S 1009.51-1005.94, E-W 278.90-271.47 ; May 27-June 14 2013; ; This is the final report for the third session of the 2013 excavations in the northeast area of Nezi field. Guy Sanders (director) and Rossana Valente (field director) supervised. The white excavation team consisted of Alison Fields and Jessica Lamont (recorders), Athanasios Notis (foreman and pickman), Tasos Kakouros (pickman), and Vasillis Kollias (shovelman and barrowman).; ; The excavation consisted of two separate areas: Area 1 was bounded to the north by wall 5334, to the east by walls 1137 and 1138, to the south by wall 851, and to the west by wall 746, and began at H 86.28 m. in elevation.  Area 2 was located due south but contained no physical relationship to Area 1.  Area 2 stretched from N-S 1009.51-1005.94, E-W 278.90-271.47, and began at H 87.21 m. in elevation.; ; The goal of this session was to explore the final traces of early Byzantine activity in the excavation area, and to further illuminate the Late Antique/Late Roman levels. The initial aim was to gain a better understanding of the Late Roman/ Late Antique occupational activities in the area. However, excavation of these Late Antique levels exposed a good amount of earlier material, including a puzzling section of Late Classical/Early Hellenistic interior space, possibly containing evidence of ritual activity. ; ; ; LATE CLASSICAL (4TH CENTURY B.C.E.): the Room with the Posthole Feature; ; A small section of a Late Classical (4th century B.C.E.) room (floor 1215) and an associated stone posthole feature (1196) are currently the earliest remains visible in Area 1 (both unexcavated).  These remains are limited at the north by a Late Roman robbing trench (1178), and at the south by a Late Roman foundation trench (1166), both of which have cut away the original N-S extent of the room.  This interior space is represented by a hard-packed clay floor (1215) partially underlying and partially laid up against the western face of the posthole feature.  The small deposit to the east of the posthole feature (limited at the east by Wall 1138) was left unexcavated, so the eastern extent of floor 1215 is unknown, but analysis of the north-facing section created by the Late Roman robbing trench (1178) mentioned above does not show a clear continuation of floor 1215 beyond the posthole feature to the east, which suggests that the posthole feature serves as an eastern boundary for our room.  The western boundary of the room is unknown as floor 1215 runs underneath a Late Roman wall (746) and outside our area of excavation.; ; The posthole feature is composed of two cut stones, set at an approximate NW-SE orientation; however, due to the Late Roman disturbances mentioned above, it is possible that the feature might have extended further to the north and/or south.  The northern stone measures c. 0.38m L x 0.28m W x 0.14m D; the southern stone measures c. 0.52m L x 0.28m W x 0.19m D and contains a cylindrical cutting, slightly off-center toward the north, with a diameter of 0.185m and depth of 0.19m.  The size of the cutting suggests that the stone might have originally supported a wooden column, although no traces of ash or other carbonized remains were found within the posthole, itself.  The construction of the posthole feature and floor 1215 appear to be contemporary as the floor runs underneath the northern stone but appears to be partially laid up against the southern stone.  While it is possible that the northern stone might have been installed later (after the final construction of floor 1215), the similar masonry style and orientation of the two stones suggests they should be interpreted as a unit.; ; Adding to our interpretation that floor 1215 was an interior space was the discovery of an embedded vessel nearly abutting the posthole feature at the SW.  At some point after floor 1215 and the posthole feature were installed, a circular cut (1216) was made into the floor, c. 0.20m in diameter and .05m in depth, in order to accommodate a nearly-complete Late Classical cooking pot (as Corinth VII.6, III-59), dating broadly to the second half of the 4th century B.C.E.  This cooking pot (deposit 1217) was not set on its base, however, but rather upside-down and perfectly vertical, and was thereby embedded beneath the floor from the rim to the shoulder.  This curious and intentional placement indicates that the pot had been re-appropriated for a use alternative to cooking.; ; At some point, perhaps also in the second half of the 4th century B.C.E., a second hard-packed clay floor (1203) was laid c. 0.10m above floor 1215 and was laid up against both the posthole feature and the cooking pot.  The continued use of both features adds their significance and indicates a continuation in the use of space.  Embedded in this same floor, just ca. 0.30m north of the cooking pot and nearly abutting the posthole feature at the northwest, was a shallow depression (0.35 L x 0.26 W) blanketed with a thin layer of sterile, white clay and filled with ash.  Curiously, the ash must have been re-deposited in this feature as the clay itself was unfired.  Just under this feature and partially embedded in the clay was a fine bronze pin (MF-2013-19), a bronze ring (MF-2013-21), and a silver gilded pin with a floral design incised onto the head (awaiting conservation, MF-2013-18).  All of these prestige objects date to the Archaic period, and were thus retained as heirlooms in this Late Classical context. In the case of both pins, the best comparanda come from Archaic sanctuaries such as that of Hera Akraia at Perachora and Artemis Orthia at Sparta.; ; The deposit of these prestige objects inside or just below the clay feature, the re-deposition of ash, and the continued use of the upside-down cooking pot—both nearly abutting the posthole feature—suggest this space was the focus of ritual activity.  Although the base of the upside-down cooking pot was disturbed by a later robbing pit (1206), we speculate whether a hole might have been cut into the base (top) in order to receive libations concurrently with burned offerings upon the clay feature.  In this context, the posthole feature might have served as a focal point, supporting a central, venerated column or monument rather than a beam to bear the weight of the superstructure of a building.; ; This interior space west of the posthole feature might have remained in use for two more phases, represented by clay floors 1195 and 1184; unfortunately any possible relationship they had either with the posthole feature or the venerated cooking pot was obscured by a robbing trench (1198) marking the final use of this interior space.;  ; ; LATE CLASSICAL – EARLY HELLENISTIC (4TH-3RD CENTURIES B.C.E.); ; In the late 4th or early 3rd century B.C.E., the posthole feature was put out of use and covered with a leveling fill or possible surface (deposit 1193, dated by the presence of echinus bowls and a body sherd of West Slope ware).  Perhaps contemporary with this surface was a feature constructed of various tiles fragments (1182) embedded in earth to create a square paved unit (55 x 62 x 9 cm).  Only the northern and western sides were fully preserved as the south side had been cut by the foundation trench for wall 851 and at the east by a robbing trench (1206).  The robbing trench (1206), which was square in shape, ran parallel to the tile feature cutting into deposit 1193 as well.  The shape of the cut suggests that the tile feature originally extended to its eastern edge before being robbed out and covered with a leveling fill (1181). The tile feature consisted of 18 tiles pressed into deposit 1190 at a uniform elevation; the tiles, furthermore, were of (at least) three distinct fabrics arranged at deliberate angles, with little earth separating the individual pieces (typically 1-2cm).  This careful arrangement of tiles atop 1190 rules out a dumped-deposit, suggesting rather the creation of a possible surface.  Notably, the earth packed around and under the tile feature contained a high concentration of carbonized remains, including many fragments of what appear to be whole olives (awaiting archaeobotanical analysis).; ; Interestingly, the tile feature (in its original state) was constructed directly over the area which had contained the embedded cookpot, the clay feature, and the posthole feature (although separated from these by two other floor levels, 1195 and 1184); furthermore, directly overlying the tiles were several joining fragments of a Classical perirrhanterion, suggesting that this area continued to be a locus for ritual activity into the 3rd century B.C.E.  Perhaps the tile feature served as a surface for the perirrhanterion.  Furthermore, the possible related surface to the east, 1193, contained several fragments of miniature vessels, possibly of a votive nature, providing further evidence for ritual activity in the area.  The tile feature and deposit 1193 represent the last clear strata of ritual activity, however, as this level was then filled with two distinct leveling fills, 1181 and 1179, with no discernable features or remarkable finds.  ; ; It is interesting that this ritual activity was concentrated in the same area from the Late Classical period down into the Early Hellenistic period. This quiet interior space and ritual transcended the political turbulence that marred Korinth in the late 4th century BCE. The most contested of battlegrounds, Korinth hosted the armies of Phillip II and his son Alexander (338-323), the Antigonids (323-308), the Ptolemies (308-304), and then, under Demetrios Poliorketes, a second period of Antigonid hegemony. Confronted by chronic war and (forced) foreign rule, it is possible that this ritualized space, which had definite roots in the Classical period, served as a discreet assertion of longstanding Greek identity in the face of a new, Macedonian regime.; ; ; LATE ROMAN (5TH-6TH CENTURIES C.E.); ; In the 5th-6th centuries C.E., but perhaps closer toward the mid-6th century C.E., two substantial pits were dug into our area.  The first was a robbing trench (1178), which ran east from wall 746.  The cut extended from E 276.71 to E 275.07 to a total depth of 1.28 m, at which point the cut reached sterile soil.  The original eastern extent of the trench is unknown, as it was truncated by another pit dating to the Early Byzantine era (1163, see below).  It is likely that this trench was dug in order to rob out an earlier E-W wall that existed before the construction of Wall 746 as the robbing trench fill (1170) appears to continue below the foundation of Wall 746 toward the west and outside our area of excavation.  In addition, the deposits to the north of the robbing trench are distinct from those to the south, which provides further evidence that the deposits were originally separated by some sort of structure. A pre-existing E-W wall running underneath wall 746 in this location would have provided a sharp boundary between the deposits to the north and south and presents the most probable explanation for the different deposition pattern on either side of the cut.  ; ; Much of the cultural material recovered from the robbing trench fill (1170) included Archaic-Hellenistic pottery, including the base of an early Archaic aryballos painted and incised with two hoplite figures; two miniature vessels (skyphos and krater); 2 terracotta figurine fragments; and a bronze earring (selection lot-2013-).   Perhaps these objects were originally used in the Classical period as votives, within the ritual contexts described above, before being cut away by robbing trench 1178.  Although the contents of the robbing trench fill (1170) do not post-date the 1st century C.E. (Early Roman period), we have attributed the creation of the robbing trench to the Late Roman period for two reasons.  First, a leveling fill (1168), which was directly overlying the robbing trench fill (1170), was nearly identical to the robbing trench fill in respect to soil color and composition, but contained a rim of African Red Slip Ware, Form 61B.  This single sherd would down-date the entire deposit substantially, placing it in the 6th c. C.E.  We believe this fill (1168) was part of the same action as the filling of the robbing trench (1170) and served as a subsequent surface.  Secondly, at approximately the same elevation and orientation but further to the south (N 1012.81 – N 1012.48), a foundation trench (1166) was cut in order to construct wall 851.  The fill for the foundation trench (1164) dates securely to the Late Roman period based on an Eastern Aegean micaceous fabric cooking pot as Hesperia 2005, II-35.  The similar orientation and elevation of the cuts suggest they were probably constructed at the same time.  Consequently, we believe that the area lacks undisturbed Early-Middle Roman contexts.; ; It is possible that the removal/destruction of the E-W wall once filling cut 1178—which we believe to have been a robbing trench—happened in connection to a large destructive event, such as the earthquake of 522 CE. After this event, households in the area were dumping debris in various areas (e.g., Nezi Field 2013 Session 1 excavations, contexts 870 and 1040), and likely looking for blocks for reuse and rebuilding. This would explain the chronological discrepancy between the Early Roman pottery of the robbing trench fill (1170), and the Late Roman date of the trench and its leveling fill (1168). With little to no habitation in this area after the Early Roman period, this spot would have been ripe for stone mining after the 522 earthquake. While the pottery could support this in a general way, we are currently reluctant to connect this robbing trench/leveling fill to a single historical event without further excavation. ; ; After this robbing episode, Walls 851, 746, and perhaps also 1138 and the latest phase of Wall 5334, were constructed in order to create an interior space comprising the entirety of our excavation Area 1.  The only datable evidence for this construction episode, however, derives from the foundation trench of Wall 851 (mentioned above).  Although bonded to Wall 851 with plaster and founded at approximately the same elevation, the construction of Wall 746 left no trace of a foundation trench.  The construction of Wall 746 therefore lacks associated pottery.  The latest phase (upper two courses) of Wall 5334 at the north also lacked a foundation trench, and the eastern-most wall of our area, 1137, retained no associated deposits as its western face was cut by an Early Byzantine pit (1163).  However, the bottom elevation of Wall 1137 (H 85.25m) is relative to the bottom elevation of Wall 851 (H 85.38m).  The fact that all four of these walls were founded as approximately the same elevation, and are bonded and aligned perpendicular and parallel to each other, suggests that the space confined by these walls was designed intentionally as a unit, with an entryway at the SE (between Walls 851 and 1137). ; ; ; EARLY BYZANTINE (610-802 C.E.); ; In the late 7th-8th centuries C.E., the interior space confined by the Late Roman walls mentioned above became the location for a massive destruction dump.  Here, abutting wall 5334 at the north and 1137 at the east, a large pit (1163) was constructed (2.55 x 2.06 x 1.55 m; 1015.38 N, 1013.74 S, 278.11 E, 276.73 W).  The cut for the pit reached a total depth of 1.55m, cutting into sterile soil.  The fill of the pit (1145) contained ca. 70% inclusions of large coarse building materials, such as tiles, marble, mosaic floor, and storage vessels, which suggests that the pit might have been dug in order to dump this debris after the destruction of a nearby building.  ; ; The latest datable feature in Area 1 is Wall 1138, which is a solid block of plaster foundation aligned N-S and resting on a single course of stone.  These foundations abut Wall 851 at the east.  Although the structure is lacking a foundation trench and thus all datable material, its construction cut through our Early Byzantine pit at the south, placing the date for the construction of the wall to the 8th century C.E. or later.; ; ; LATE BYZANTINE (1059-1210 CE); ; Excavations in our southernmost area (N-S 1009.51-1005.94, E-W 278.90-271.47) illuminate activities during the Late Byzantine Period, during which this expanse functioned primarily as a dumping ground. Almost all deposits with few exceptions were characterized by large and diverse inclusions such as iron slag, broken tile, pottery (predominantly burnt, broken coarse and cooking ware), rocks, shell, and large bones (jawbones, ribs, etc.). This area contains two pits: a large, late 11th c. CE pit to the east, and a later (mid-late 12th c. CE), smaller pit to the west. The smaller pit (Cut 1229) cuts the topmost level of the larger pit (Deposit 1244, in Cut 1245) and thus postdates it.; ; Most striking in this area is the large pit east of Wall 746 (Cut 1245, N-S 1008.95-1006.39, E-W 277.94-275.39). This pit is square in shape but has rounded edges, and appears to have been cut into a reddish soil visible on the pit’s eastern edge (unexcavated). Measuring 2.7m. L x 2.3m. W x 1.34 m. D, the fill of this pit was excavated in several baskets, created arbitrarily to monitor changes in ceramics relative to elevation. Of particular interest from this pit were the substantial amounts of Byzantine White Ware, painted and glazed in the Polychrome technique. The presence of White Ware Polychrome (Type I & II) cups and plates within four levels of the pit (Deposits 1214, 1234, 1238, 1241) offers new evidence in support of an 11th-early 12th c. CE chronology for the ceramics (as per G. Sanders, 2001, “Byzantine Polychrome Pottery,” pp. 89-104.) In the lowest level of the pit, furthermore, sherds of White Ware Polychrome were found alongside Slip Painted Ware, perhaps explaining the resemblance in shapes between this late regional style. ; ; This big pit continued in use for a long period of time; accordingly, few architectural or large-scale building debris were found, suggesting that this pit was not cut after a single episode or destruction. Rather, at all elevations the pit contained striking amounts of iron slag (over 100 circular slag amalgams, possible “hearth blooms.”) The large presence of iron slag throughout the pit suggests metalworking activity in the area; possibly these highly ferrous deposits are related to Byzantine industry, such as the nearby lock-production. One specimen, containing vitreous blue glass within the slag amalgam, may also suggest nearby glass production. In either case, this area functioned as a dumping grounds for large amounts of metal waste, in addition to organic and rubble debris. ; ; After the full excavation of this pit (Cut 1245), we determined that it was cut in the late 11th century CE, and continued to function until the first half of the 12th century CE when it was put out of use. Despite encountering a few pieces of Frankish fine ware pottery in the bottommost and topmost levels of this pit (Deposits 1244 and 1234, respectively), we interpret these sherds as contaminants from beyond the pit’s southernmost boundary, accidentally breached by our workmen. Likely cutting Pit 1245 was a later Frankish pit further to the south, running under our southernmost scarp. The Frankish sherds emerging in contexts associated with Pit 1245 are thus contaminants, coming from a breach of this later, Frankish context. ; ; Our chronological interpretation of this area—which we date to the Late Byzantine rather than the Frankish Period—can be tested by future excavation of the reddish soil into which Pit 1245 was cut. A substantial deposit is extant to the east of Pit 1245, and a smaller deposit can also be found east of Wall 746, into which the NW part of Pit 1245 was cut. This deposit should be contemporary with or earlier than the late 11th century CE, as it was cut by pit 1245 and filled with debris during the Late Byzantine period. If, however, excavation of this orange earth deposit reveals Frankish pottery, then pit 1245 and its associated deposits (1234, 1238, 1241, and 1244) must be Frankish, too. Further excavation under the southern scarp should also bring to light Frankish activity, namely the deposit(s) into which our pickmen scratched while excavating 1234 and 1244.; ; Finally, the excavation of these pits revealed the southern extent of Wall 746, which by the Late Byzantine period was used as the western, sub ground-level retaining wall for Pit 1245. It was covered over completely in the mid 12th c. CE by the latest fill of Pit 1245.; ; ; FRANKISH PERIOD (1210-1458); ; The same southern area described above (N-S 1009.51-1005.94, E-W 278.90-271.47) exhibits continuity of function into the Early Frankish period, continuing to be used as a dumping ground for debris and organic waste. All strata feature large inclusions such as tile, rough stones, bone, ceramics, shell, etc. in large quantities. ; ; Our latest levels (Deposits 1219, 1212, 1221) date to the Frankish period on firm ceramic grounds, but still feature sherds of Byzantine fine ware. It is likely that in these deposits, we are glimpsing the transition between the Late Byzantine and early Frankish Periods. This scenario serves as a reminder that the material culture at Korinth did not alter instantly in the wake of the Fourth Crusade; the change was gradual. The ceramic record reveals more of an ease into the Frankish era, with vessels categorized as “Byzantine” being used well into the mid-late 13th century CE. ; If politics changed overnight, it appears that the ceramics—and likely other aspects of daily life—did not. ; ; ; RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE:; ; 1.    Contiguous excavations south of Wall 851 to determine whether contexts 1196, 1215, 1216, 1217, 1203, 1197, 1195, 1184, 1198, 1194, 1190, 1182, 1206, and 1181 have parallel strata to the south.; ; 2.    Excavation below floor 1215 and stone feature 1196 to determine whether ritual activity predates the Late Classical period, and how early continuity can be established.; ; 3.    Excavate the deposit immediately east of stone feature 1196 to determine whether the stone feature marked a boundary, or whether the interior space (and associated ritual activities) continued as a related context.; ; 4.    Excavate west of Wall 746 to expose the foundation trench and the strata through which it cuts, and whether the interior ritual space and floor 1215 continues to the west.; ; 5.    Excavate south of the southernmost scarp, and east of Pit 1245 into the red-soil deposit to more firmly secure the chronology of Pits 1245 and 1229.","","Corinth","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2013 by Alison Fields, Jessica Lamont (2013-06-23 to 2013-06-24)","","Report","","","","Nezi Field 2013 by Alison Fields, Jessica Lamont (2013-06-23 to 2013-06-24)","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","Session 3 2013 White:  Late Classical to Frankish Strata in NE Nezi Field","",""
"This is the summary of the second session of excavation in 2014 in Unit 2, Room 7, and the adjacent passage north of the church nave, in the area of Temple E Southeast (TESE). Room 7 was previously excavated in 1992 and 1994, recorded in NB 850, 854 and 864. It is bounded by Wall 59 (1082.35 – 1084.5 N, 119.00 – 120.13 E, NB 864 Wall 11) and its associated robbing trench (1077.2 – 1082.6 N, 119.65 – 121.6 E, NB 864 B 9 and B 11) to the west, and by Wall 157 (1078.3 – 1085.3 N, 122.4 – 124.6 E, NB 864 Wall 12) to the east. A martyr along the Turkish wall to the north of Room 7 marked the northern boundary of our area of excavation (1085.5 – 1086.7 N, 119.00 – 122.00 E) and an arbitrary line was set between the points 120.23 E, 1077.42 N and 123.99 E, 1078.04 N as a boundary to the south. Despite the earlier decision to section the deposits of room 7 from their continuation into the corridor further south, excavations continued into this area later in the session.  The southern boundary of the corridor space is formed by the north wall of the church (Wall 20) and its associated robbing trench (NB 835, pp. 35-44, 65-66, 1074.3 – 1076.1 N, 122.00 – 130.30 E).  Its northern boundary is formed by the south wall of room 8 and room 9 (Wall 156 1077.5 – 1079.3 N, 123.5 – 129.7 E, NB 864, pp. 43-44). The corridor itself was previously excavated in 1993 (NB 863). In Room 7, excavation was conducted from May 5 to May 15, and excavation was conducted in the corridor on May 15 and 16. Guy Sanders (director) and Jody Cundy (field director) supervised, and Dylan Rogers and Maggie Burr (area supervisors) recorded. Athanasios Notis was pickman, Angeliki Stamati was shovel(wo)man, and Panagiotis Rontzokos was the barrowman. ; ; Excavation in Room 7 was undertaken in an effort to understand better the function of the room  and its relationship to the church and to clarify the chronology of the construction, use and end-of-use phases of the church and Unit 2. Plans to present the entire area to the public in the coming years have made it necessary to consolidate this area as well, and preparing the spaces for consolidation and conservation were also goals of the project. Excavations conducted in the early 1990s, particularly in 1992 and 1994, revealed that both the church and parts of Unit 2 were covered with what is interpreted as a destruction layer. Excavation of the south half of Room 7 in 1992 and the north half in 1994 (recorded in NB 854 for 1992, and NB 864 for 1994) revealed a layer of smashed glass (NB 854 B6, B7, B16, NB 850 B96, B97), lying beneath a layer of collapsed roof tiles. This was interpreted as a destruction layer that was dated to the early 14th century (AD 1312). The tile fall excavated in the southern portion of the room in 1992 (NB 850 B97; NB 854, B6, B7, and B16) covered an area of around 3.2m x 1.57m. A tile fall excavated in the northern portion of the room in 1994 seemed to span the width of the room (NB 864, B16, B17, B18 and B31), and covered the entire trench from north to south (roughly 3.5 meters). A clay floor was also revealed underneath the tile fall (elev. 85.08, NB 854 B16), and a coin of Philip of Savoy, minted in Clarenza, gives the tile-fall a terminus post-quem of AD 1301-1307 (NB 854 B16, (Coin 1992-264). ; ; Williams and Zervos (Frankish Corinth: Hesperia 1993, 3) posited that the destruction came at the hands of the Catalans, who invaded the Peloponnese in 1312. Damage done to the city during the invasion was mentioned in a letter from Bartholomew, Archbishop of Corinth, to Pope Clement V, (Williams and Zervos, 1993, 3). At the time of the 1993 publication of these destruction layers, Williams noted that “all pottery from the destruction level associated with Units 1 and 2 (could) be dated comfortably to the ten years on either side of A.D. 1300” (Williams and Zervos 1993, 3). ; ; Frankish (1210-1458 CE) ; Room 7; ; In the late 3rd quarter of the 13th century, it appears that the space now identified as “Room 7” was probably both unwalled and unroofed and was in use as an outdoor space of unknown relationship to the church. The earliest level reached was a trampled surface extending throughout the space (its original extent is unknown, as the surface is presently truncated by Walls 59 and 157). It remains unexcavated. A large irregularly shaped refuse pit was cut through the southernmost part of this surface (Context 296 1078.20-1081.30 N, 121.85-123.25 E). Based on its contents, the fill of the pit (Context 274, 1078.20-1081.30 N, 121.85-123.25 E) suggests a deposition related in some way to dining or food preparation. In addition to a large quantity of animal bone and charred organic material, the pit contained a very large number of cooking and fine wares, found in much larger quantities than in other pit fills excavated in Room 7 this season (including 21 kilos of coarse ware, alone). Among the cooking wares, a large, vertical-rimmed stewpot, inventoried as C-2014-8, is suggestive of preparation of food for a large number of people. The fineware consisted of glazed-painted, sgraffito and Protomaiolica bowls, plates and pitchers, dated to late 3rd quarter of the 13th century. A number of fragments of glass drinking vessels were found. The majority of these vessels were Frankish prunted or plain beakers, one of which was inventoried as MF 2014-31. Also present in the glass assemblage was a blue-green goblet stem. Activities other than dining are also represented in the pit fill. Two bronze spindle hooks (as Corinth 12, cat. 1227) attest to wool-working somewhere in the vicinity. ; ; It is hypothesized that in the phase immediately post-dating the deposition of pit fill 274, the room remained unwalled and continued being used as a location for dumping. The southernmost part of the room was roughly leveled with the deposition of a fill (Context 266, 1078.1-1080.80 N, 121.90-123.90 E) which contained cooking and tableware, dated to the 3rd quarter of the 13th century, and fragments of at least two Frankish beakers. It appears that the activities (construction, cooking and dining) represented by the waste were occurring away from Room 7. The above fill was then trampled, apparently acting as a rough working surface, and two pits (Context 275, 1080.16 – 1081.30 N, 121.85 – 122.74 E and Context 305, 1080.32 – 1080.95 N, 120.90 – 121.68 E) were cut into it. While the fill of pit 275 (Context 263, 1080.16 – 1081.30 N, 121.85 – 122.74 E) included a great deal of ash and charred organic debris that might suggest that some cooking activity was going on in the pit itself, the nature of the tableware and other finds in this and other deposits (discussed below) seems to suggest that the majority of the cooking and dining activities associated with the finds were happening elsewhere. The ceramic assemblage of cooking, coarse and fineware was very similar in style to those dumped in fills 266 and 274, primarily Protomaiolica or sgraffito plates and bowls, as well as fragments of a very fine Frankish bottle (as MF 1774) and fragments of at least two finely decorated prunted beakers, one (as MF 92-38) with blue threading. The relatively high quality of the tableware and the breakability of the glass hint at a level of dining and of storage of dining vessels requiring more space and perhaps more formality than could be offered in this outdoor, unroofed and unfloored space. Furthermore, the quantity of ceramics deposited in the fills discussed above (nearly 7 kilos of fineware between 274, 266 and 263) suggests that the dining activities represented food consumption for a large number of people (or many, smaller dining events), and it seems unlikely these events were happening in the small space offered by Room 7 or its associated corridor (each not more than 3 meters wide). The multiple levels of fill in pit 305 (Contexts 304, 301 and 297; contexts 301 and 304: 1080.32 – 1080.95 N, 120.90 – 121.68 E; Context 297 1080.53 – 1080.95 N, 121.31 – 121.73 E) echo this idea. ; ; By the 4th quarter of the 13th century, the space underwent a change in shape and perhaps in function. A layer of fill roughly leveled the southern half of the room at this time (Contexts 251, 254 and 260, which are equivalent, 1078.10 – 1082.10 N, 121.00 – 124.00 E). The foundation trench for Wall 59 (Context 244 and 253, 1078.00 – 1084.70 N, 119.600 – 121.80 E) was cut into this surface in the southern portion of the room, and into an unexcavated, exposed surface in the northern portion. This trench was cut by a 0.75 meter wide robbing trench (1077.20 – 1082.5 N, 119.65 – 121.1 E). Thus the terminus post quem for the construction of the wall is the 4/4 of the 13th c. Two body sherds from a unslipped metallic ware pitcher, dating between 1275 and 1335, strengthen this date. Excavations of the robbing trench in 1992 and 1994 suggested that Wall 59 was robbed out in the 15th or 16th centuries (NB 854, B12, pp. 18-19, 47; NB 854, pp. 18-23). The precise date of construction of Wall 157, bounding the space on the east, is more tenuous, as foundation trenches have not been located, but given the nature of some later fills which seem to lie against the wall (Context 233 and 237), it is likely the wall was constructed at very nearly the same time as Wall 59 and that the wall completely filled the foundation trench.  Both walls were constructed of randomly placed courses of fieldstones, occasionally supported by tiles or smaller cobbles. Wall 59 measured 0.65 meters wide and appears to have been roughly 8.6 meters long, including the area now robbed out. Wall 157 measured 0.65 meters wide, and was 8.1 meters long. Wall 157 appears to abut Wall 156, which forms the boundary between Room 8 and the corridor, and is truncated by an Ottoman-Period well (NB 877, pit 95-2). Wall 59 is abutted by a pit on its southern end (NB 850 B94, NB 854 B2). ; ; Even after it was delineated with Walls 59 and 157, Room 7 seems to have remained unroofed until as late as the early 14th century. No flat, floor like surface appears to have been laid in the space until the surfaces uncovered under the tile fall by excavators in 1992 and 1994, and these layers are dated to at least the early 14th century (NB 864, B16, B19 and B31). Prior to this, nothing resembling an actual floor was uncovered. The surface cut for the construction of Wall 157 (Contexts 251, 254 and 260) was rough and uneven, as was a surface laid immediately above it (Context 233). In addition to the rough quality of the surfaces in this area, there is further evidence to suggest that, even after Walls 59 and 157 were built, Room 7 remained unroofed. While no fire pits appear to have been cut into the surface of Room 7 after the construction of the walls, two refuse pits containing charred organic material and tableware were cut in the southern half of the room (Contexts 243 and 248) after the walls went in. At the same time, the northern third of the space appears to have been used primarily as a refuse dump. A 20 cm thick fill in this area, comprised primarily of building materials (fieldstones and roof tile) was excavated as Context 222 (1082.4 – 1085.5 N, 119.4 – 122.6 E). In addition to the fieldstones and tiles, a piece of incised opus sectile was found, indicating (perhaps) that some of the dumping activity may have been related to activities in the church, which at one point had Cosmatesque paving.  It is unclear if the unexcavated surface beneath 222 is a more compact continuation of the same dumping activity. ; ; A series of fills were laid down (Context 233, 1078.00 – 1081.10 N, 120.70 – 123.90 E; 230, 1080.49 – 1084.90 N, 120.3 – 123.5 E; Context 225, 1080.60 – 1084.30 N, 120.49 – 122.70 E). It is unclear whether these deposits were placed deliberately to level the area, or whether they correspond to use and/or dumping phases. All three deposits appear to have been trampled after deposition. A small, circular, refuse pit (Context 227, 1080.70 – 1081.30 N, 122.20 – 122.50 E), dug into Context 225 in the southern third of the room and containing a small amount of fine ware (slipped plain glazed), hints that even the southern portion of the space was still being intermittently used as a refuse dump into the late 13th century.  ; ; Soon after this dumping event, Room 7 was apparently deliberately leveled. Dumped fills (201, 220, 218 214) raised the central third of the room by ca 0.10 m and the southern third by 0.04 m, until the southern two-thirds of the surface were roughly level. A lozenge-shaped structure and bench-like structure (Structure 208 1082.60 – 1084.25 N, 122.20 – 123.0 E) was constructed on top of this new level surface and abutting wall 157. Only one course high, the structure measured 0.75 meters long and 0.6 meters wide. The function of this structure remains in question. It appears that Room 7 continued to be used as a dumping location after the construction of the bench. Three dumping events, including two surface dumps (Contexts 197 and 199) and a pit, filled with organic material, fine and coarseware (Context 205) were placed on top of, or cut into, a lens of fill deposited after the construction of the bench (fill 202, 1077.80 – 1080.90 N, 120.80 – 123.90 E, saved as Lot 2014-25). Two sherds of Archaic Maiolica from Context 202 suggest a date as late as the early- to-mid 14th century for all four deposits.;    ; The Corridor N of Church; ; It appears that in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, the corridor space north of the church underwent several changes in function, perhaps related to the construction or ‘finishing’ of spaces, like Room 7, within or around the church complex. ; ; Like Room 7, it appears that in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, the space between the north wall of the church and Room 7 (referred to here as the ‘Corridor’) was an outdoor, unroofed multi-purpose space used for cooking and the dumping of dining-related waste. ; ; The earliest level reached this session is the unexcavated trampled surfaces at both the eastern and western ends of the space. These surfaces are hard-packed and studded with pebbles on the east, and with large pieces of flat-lying roof tile, on the west, their compaction suggests that during the late 13th century, the corridor space might have functioned as a walkway or alleyway of some sort. ; ; At the end of the period represented by these unexcavated surfaces, the space underwent a shift in function. A looser packed surface (Context 389) was laid down in the west, and a trench (Cut 403, 1075.40 – 1077.80 N, 124.10 – 125.10 E) was dug, bifurcating the space on a roughly NW-SE line. This trench is in rough alignment with the eastern wall of Room 7 (Wall 157). While it has been suggested the cut could represent a demolition or robbing event associated with Wall 157 (or an earlier iteration thereof), its function remains unclear. Understanding the function of this cut will be instrumental in identifying the use of the unexcavated surfaces, as the presence of a wall bifurcating the corridor would preclude use of the space as a walkway. ; ; After the cut was filled (Context 398), in the 3rd quarter of the 13th century, four post holes were cut into the southern third of the corridor, running along a roughly west-east line (Contexts 333, 341, 365 and 360), all about 0.7m from the north wall of the nave (Wall 20). They appear to be grouped in pairs of two, with contexts 333 and 341 placed 0.7m apart, followed, to the east, by a 2m gap, and then contexts 359 and 364, set about a meter apart. Their function is not clear, but their width (between 25 and 35 cm) could indicate an expectation that they would bear weight. It has been suggested that they may have served as supports for scaffolding, or perhaps for a pitched roof placed over the southern side of the corridor for a short period of time. ; ; From this point on, the northern and southern halves of the space appear to have served different functions. Deposition of layers of fill occurred throughout the space for the entirety of the period covered by this session’s excavation. While small dumping or leveling events spread across the space, the northern half of the corridor appears to have been a focus for larger-scale dumps of both construction and cooking refuse. A large pit, roughly 7x2 meter (Context 408), running roughly west to east and cutting through the northern portion of trench fill (398), was filled with multiple layers of what appears to be general dumping or construction debris (Contexts 379, 366, 377 and 354). Also note that the pit is bounded by the EW wall that forms the S wall of unit 2 room 8 and 9. Fine ware from all four lenses of fill date these dumping events to the late 3rd – early 4th quarter of the 13th century. The filled surface appears to have still functioned as a walkway or work surface at this time, as each layer of fill excavated appeared trampled. At around this time, the space was further delineated by the construction of a wall (Wall 380), abutting wall 157, separating the northern portion of the corridor from the southern boundary of Room 7, only one course of which was extant. The wall appears to have been constructed of randomly placed fieldstones. Some leveling tiles were found in the wall. It measured 1 meter long and 0.7 meters wide. Into this newly-delineated space, a series of fills were deposited (Contexts 374, 386, 383, 376, 372, 361, 353, 351, 349, 346, 343, 327, 325, 285, 321, 313 and 300). The amount of time that passed between dumping events is unclear. The lenses of fill, as mentioned above, appeared packed and trampled, and so it is likely that the space was being used as a walkway or work surface while the layers of fill were being deposited. Ceramic assemblages from these contexts date them to the end of the 13th century. The deposition of the final three lenses of fill (Contexts 321, 313 and 300), created a level surface (elev. 85.05 for all three) in the space for the first time since the north-south trench was cut, and it is possible that much of the dumping activity took place over a very short period of time as an effort to create a level surface in the space. This notion is, perhaps, supported by evidence from previous excavation in the outdoor area east and northeast of the church. A patio, paved with rough, square limestone blocks, covered the open area to the east of the church (NB 829 B29, pp. 53-56). One paving stone, located immediately to the east of the northeastern boundary of the trench, suggests the possibility that this paving continued into the corridor space. If the corridor space was paved, the level surface created by the deposition of contexts 313, 300 and 321 would have been immediately beneath it and these surfaces would, therefore, have functioned as a level subfloor for the pavement. ; ; The idea that the activities represented by the repeated depositions of fill in the courtyard may have taken place over a short span of time is strengthened by the nature and location of five pits cut at various points into the uneven trampled fills in the northern half of the room. Three (Contexts 336, 326 and 371) were cut into a trampled layer of fill (372), on the western side of the space, while two (Contexts 329 and 344) were cut into another trampled layer of fill (343), in the mid- to-eastern side. The surfaces into which the pits were cut are not level. Four (Contexts 336, 326, 329 and 344) appear to have been fire pits and contained a high proportion of ashy, carbonized organic material. Because all five pits are located north of the line of post holes discussed above, it is likely that the post holes, and whatever they supported (perhaps scaffolding or a pitched roof?), were still in place at the time the pits were dug and filled (with fill contexts 334, 325, 328 and 342). Like pit 205 and refuse dumps 197 and 199 in Room 7, all of this activity appears to have occurred in the early 14th century, and the fills of the pits in the corridor space contained material similar to that in Room 7 (fragments of prunted beakers, as MF 3071 and 1992-38 from context 329, for instance, and fragments of glazed fineware, from context 334, 325 and 370). ; ; Both the post holes and the pits were covered over in the early 14th century, when the leveling fills (contexts 313, 321 and 300) were laid down. These fills seem to be part of the same event as leveling fill 194 in Room 7, which covered pit 205 there: perhaps these four fills (194, 313, 321 and 300) were laid down as a final stage in the preparation of Room 7 and the corridor to be floored and/or paved. A corroded iron knife blade (Context 319, inventoried as MF 2014-20), was found lying on the surface (Context 389) adjacent to post-hole fill 331. The presence of the knife blade lying on a trampled surface could suggest that the deposition and subsequent covering of the knife may have happened relatively quickly.; ; Conclusions:; ; Excavation in Room 7 and the corridor space during this session revealed that neither Room 7, nor the space north of the nave, were ‘finished’ spaces until at least the start of the 14th century, when it appears that a floor was laid down in Room 7 and paving was laid down in the Corridor. It is unclear whether or not some of the cooking and dumping activity evident in the spaces related to the Church or the structures associated with Unit 2 to the north prior to their monumentalization were associated with the construction or preparation of the areas for building or not. Certainly, construction debris from the church area (or other nearby monumentalized space) was dumped, particularly in Room 7, in which fragments of opus sectile, marble wall facing, marble and glass tesserae and other building materials were found (in contexts 230, 254 and 274, all dated to the second half of the 13th century). The quality of the tableware, both fine and glassware, from the pits, particularly in Room 7 – indicates that these were secondary deposits coming from somewhere close, but not directly connected, to the area. ; ; The nature of the glassware found in pit fill 274, in Room 7 (as well as some glass fragments from fills 266 and 263) might shed some new light on glass deposits found at higher elevations in 1992 and 1994. Williams and Zervos have suggested that Units 1 and 2 were, in the late 13th century, part of a nascent monastic community being built up around the church (Williams and Zervos 1993, 11-13). A deposit of glass representing at least 42 Frankish cups and 3 glass lamps, was uncovered in Unit 7 in 1992 (NB 854 B6, B7, B16, NB 850 B96, B97, now Lot 1992: 77, Williams and Zervos 1992), apparently from within a collapsed cupboard. It was interpreted as being property of this community and as having been intended for use by a specific group of people (Williams and Zervos 1996, 26). The similarity of the forms found in Lot 1992: 77 to ones removed from pits filled in the area before it was roofed or walled (for instance, a number of prunted beakers corresponding to Lot 1977-77-1 and 3) could suggest that a nascent monastic community may have been dining near Room 7 (and depositing dining waste within it) prior to the construction of the built monastic building identified by Williams, constructed when the floors in Room 7 were finally laid. Conversely, it could be suggested that prunted beakers of these forms were in common circulation in late 13th century Corinth. Further study of the glassware recovered around Temple E, SE might help to clarify these issues. ; ; Further excavation in the corridor is needed to clarify the chronology of the construction phases of the church. More work in the corridor might also clarify the nature of the north-south cut (Context 403) and the hard-packed surfaces it cuts into. Excavating within the spaces to the west of the corridor might further help to clarify the relationship between Rooms 6 and 7 and Rooms 5 and 4, excavated this season by Kirsten Lee. A flat, packed surface, similar to that uncovered in the corridor space, was found in the southern portion of Room E (at elev. 84.84), and could potentially be related to the outdoor spaces discussed above. ;  ; Recommendations for Further Excavation:; Room 7; 1.    Finish excavating in the northern third of the room (underneath Context 222), in order to understand better the earlier dumping in the mid-3rd quarter of the 13th century.; 2.    Clarify the southern portion of the Room (especially those contexts related to Wall 380). The deposits directly below Wall 380 might indicate better what exactly is happening in this space during this short time span of activity in the 3rd quarter of the 13th century, before Room 7 is actually Room 7.; ; Corridor; 1.    Continue excavations in the Corridor to find the foundation trench of Wall 20, the north wall of the church, which will help to date the construction of the church. ; 2.    Continue to articulate the relationship of the Corridor with the spaces to the north and west. Is there any similarity of the corridor with the rooms directly to the west (where Team Blue replace with names of excavators is excavating this season)?","","Corinth","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Margaret Burr and Dylan Rogers (2014-05-05 to 2014-06-29)","","Report","","","","Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Margaret Burr and Dylan Rogers (2014-05-05 to 2014-06-29)","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","Room 7 and Corridor Between the Church and Unit 2","",""