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"North of Nezi 2010; Yellow First Session Report (Jessica Paga); ; ; The following summarizes the results of excavation in the area directly North of the 1961 Byzantine House, in the space bounded by North-South wall 5677 on the West (E. 261.83), East-West wall 5562 on the South (N. 1040.23), and North-South wall 5431 on the East (E. 276.78).  The Northern boundary of the area under investigation is delineated by the scarp of the excavations and backfill from the late 19th c., later excavations in the area to the South of the South Stoa by Oscar Broneer in the 1930s, and the subsequent excavations in the 1960s (N. 1045.51).  ; ; The excavation of this area was supervised by Dr. G.D.R. Sanders (director) and Martin Wells (field supervisor).  Our pick man was Panos Kakouros, our shovel man (and occasional pick man) was Kleomenes Didaskalou, our wheelbarrow man was Vassilis Kollias, and our sieve man was Agamemnon.  Jessica Paga was recorder for the first session, from 7 April – 23 April, 2010.  This area was last excavated in 2008 by Thanos Webb, Amit Shilo, Christina Kolb, and Sarah Lima.; ; Our primary objectives in excavating this area included defining the relationship of this area to the Byzantine House to the South, removing the Frankish levels in order to investigate the Middle and Late Byzantine uses of the area, and clarifying the possible connections and relations between this area and that directly South of the South Stoa.  The boundary between the Byzantine House and our area is the E-W wall 5562 (which has not yet been phased, but which clearly has two periods of construction).  One of the main questions regarding the relationship of our area to the Byzantine House is whether this is an exterior or interior space.  The removal of the Frankish levels required dismantling several walls and excavating several deposit contexts.  In removing the Frankish levels, we were hoping to answer questions about the Middle and Late Byzantine use of the area.  The area to the South of the South Stoa is riddled with later walls, pits, and areas of backfill.  Our primary goal here was to clarify what had been previously excavated (e.g. what was backfill, what were the parameters of earlier investigation) and what were “untouched” or unexcavated strata.  Due to the disparate nature of the Frankish levels and the physical divisions of the area by various North-South walls (e.g. 5677, 5561, 5394, and 5430) and pits/robbing trenches (e.g. robbing trench 5802, bothros 5595), we excavated this area in two parts.  The Western half, which we investigated first, consists of the area bounded by N-S wall 5677 on the West, E-W wall 5562 on the South, robbing trench 5802 on the East, and the Northern scarp as defined by the 2008 excavations (e.g. the scarps of 5689 and bothros 5629).  The Eastern half, which was investigated second, consists of the area bounded by N-S wall 5430/5431 on the East, E-W wall 5562 on the South, N-S wall 5561/6821 and bothros 5595 on the West, and the Northern scarp as delineated by earlier 19th and 20th c. excavations.  In the final two days of session I, we turned our attention to the central area between the Western and Eastern halves: an area bounded by robbing trench 5802 on the West, bothros 5595 on the South, N-S wall 6821 on the East, and the Northern scarp as defined by the earlier excavations.  This central space represents the link between the Western and Eastern halves of the area.; ; ; THE WESTERN HALF; ; Excavation in the Western half of the area was conducted from 7 April – 14 April, 2010.  The latest feature still extant in this area was Frankish E-W wall 5678.  This wall abutted, but was not bonded with, N-S wall 5677, possibly implying that it was co-terminus to or post-dated wall 5677 (N.B. wall 5677 has not yet been phased).  Wall 5678 was dated to the 3rd ¼ of the 13th c. based on pottery.  One coin was recovered during the dismantling of the wall (2010-001), from the reign of Alexius I (1092-1093 C.E.).  It is possible that the wall as it existed prior to excavation was actually only the foundation rubble; at the very least, most of the demolition of wall 5678 involved the removal of the foundation rubble and fill, with only a few upper stones indicating possible visible wall courses.  Wall 5678 cut the 2008 deposits 5712, 5531, 5515, and 5524.  The wall also cut the 11th-12th c. external floor surfaces 6698 and 6696, as well as the layers of fill below them.  The wall further cut the 10th-11th c. marble tile floor (5710), which is extant on the North and South of the foundation trench for the wall.  Wall 5678 was possibly truncated or robbed out by the activity to the East, evidenced by robbing trench 5802.  The sequence and nature of events at this intersection is unclear without further examination.; ; On either side of wall 5678 and cut by it (North and South), there was an external floor surface, indicated by a compact surface with small to medium sized pebbles and tiles laid horizontally (6698 and 6696, although see the excavation notes for the problem with 6696).  The nature of the pebbles and use of tile implies an exterior, rather than interior, space.  The optical similarity between the surfaces cut by wall 5678, as well as their similar inclusions and compaction, suggests that they represent a single unified space.  This floor dates to the 11th-12th c. and represents a clear use of the area during the Late Byzantine period.  At this time, the area to the North of the 1961 Byzantine House was exterior to the primary living space, but possibly still associated with the house and nearby activities.  Underneath the floor were several deposits of fill and accumulation (most likely both natural and man-made), all datable to the 10th-11th c.  This possibly indicates a period of abandonment or lack of precise use during the transition from the Middle to Late Byzantine periods.  Prior to this hypothetical period of abandonment, a marble tiled floor was laid (5710), most likely dating to the 10th c. (N.B. the floor has not been excavated; dating is based on the stratigraphic relationship between the marble floor and the fills that postdate it).  ; ; The positive sequence of events for the Western half of the area begins with the concrete subfloor and marble tile floor, laid alongside N-S wall 5677, probably during the 10th c.  This marble floor runs up to the East face of N-S wall 5677, but does not extend as far South as E-W wall 5562.  The Northern and Eastern limits of the floor are unknown.  The floor itself was laid in an opus sectile and lozenge pattern, with alternating white marble and blue schist stones.  The lozenge pattern tiles seem to form a border around a missing central feature.  The function of this floor and space is unclear without further excavation, as is its possible relationship to the 1961 Byzantine House to the South.  A concrete subfloor underlies the marble floor and is traceable in many places where the marble tiles are no longer extant.  This subfloor was cut along the South by an irregular line, possible denoting the later foundation trench for wall 5562.  Following the abandonment of the marble floor phase, several layers of fill accumulated across the surface.  At the present moment, this fill represents a possible period of abandonment or disuse during the end of the Middle Byzantine and early Late Byzantine period.  At some point in the 11th – 12th c., in the Late Byzantine period, this fill was overlaid with an external floor surface.  This floor surface was subsequently cut in the 12th c. by a built pithos (5504), as well as a bothros (5629).  The pithos and bothros also cut the marble floor and the concrete subfloor.  At the end of the 12th c., a robbing trench (5802) also cut the external floor surface (and possibly the marble tile floor).  In the 3rd ¼ of the 13th c., a Frankish rubble wall (5678) was installed, cutting both the external floor surface as well as the earlier marble floor.; ; ; THE EASTERN HALF; ; Excavations in the Eastern half of the area were conducted from 14 April – 23 April, 2010.  The Eastern area itself was artificially divided into two halves: the Western area delineated by N-S wall 5561 and N-S wall 5394, and the Eastern area delineated by N-S wall 5394 and N-S wall 5430.  As with the Western half, the Eastern half was characterized by later rubble walls.  Our first action in this area was to dismantle the Frankish (2nd ½ of the 13th c.) N-S wall 5430, which was the latest feature still extant.  This wall was built on top of an earlier N-S wall, 5431, both of which abut E-W wall 5562, but do not bond with it.  Contexts 6723, 6733, and 6809 were further evidence of the Frankish use of this area.  6733 possibly represents a clayey surface, associated with N-W wall 5430.  The precise nature of the Frankish use of this area remains unclear, as does the relationship between the Frankish levels on the Eastern half and the Frankish E-W wall 5678 on the Western half.; ; Prior to the Frankish occupation of this area, there were several periods of Middle and Late Byzantine use, as represented by several deposits of fill on top of an ashy layer of soil (6747).  This fill is later than the 10th-11th c. fill that covered the marble tile floor and underlaid the external floor surface in the Western half of the area, and therefore probably is not related to the same period of disuse.  The ashy soil layer covered, and thereby post-dates, three walls: E-W wall 6764, N-S wall 6765, and E-W wall 6775.  The ashy soil also covered a stratum of compact clayey soil (6777), dated to the Late Byzantine period (12th c., npd).  This compact clayey deposit possibly represents a surface, slumping to the East and South due to soil disruption below.  The clayey surface is related to feature 6807, an arrangement of tiles, set horizontally into a bed of yellow clay, all of which was covered by an accumulation of nearly pure ash (6778).  Taken together, the ash, clayey surface, and tiles might represent a Late Byzantine hearth.  Mitigating this hypothesis is the fact that the ash contained very few traces of charcoal, there was a general lack of pottery within the deposit of ash and the clayey surface, and there were no traces of burning on the tiles or stones of N-S wall 5394 and N-S wall 6789 (the tile feature abutted and partially ran underneath wall 5394; it runs directly up to wall 6789).  It is possible that there was industrial activity occurring nearby and the ashes were dumped in this area; this would explain the lack of localized burning and absence of materials within the deposit.; ; In addition to the Late Byzantine “hearth,” the 12th c. occupation of this area included the use of a rectangular pit, created by the intersections of N-S wall 5431, E-W wall 6764, N-S wall 6765, and E-W wall 6775.  These four walls created a long, narrow space (L. 1.80m, W. approximately 0.32m), that was filled with very loose and soft soil (6759, 6770).  The soil contained several ash lenses, possibly representing a connection with the ash associated with the “hearth.”  Near the bottom of the fill of this pit (6759, 6770), several cook pots, one 12th c. white ware plain bowl, and large quantities of bone were deposited (including part of a human skull).  This rectangular area appears to have been used as a receptacle for the disposal of goods during the Late Byzantine period.  It is possible that the N-S wall 6765 and the E-W wall 6775 were built specifically for this disposal pit, but that hypothesis remains uncertain without further excavation of the area.  ; ; The positive reconstruction of this area is complicated by the fact that the relationship between the ash deposit and “hearth” feature and the rectangular pit is unclear.  They all date to the 12th c., but it is not clear if they were being used simultaneously.  All three deposits might be linked to the industrial activity postulated within this broader area.  After the area fell into disuse, several layers of accumulation and fill built up, until the clayey surface of the Frankish period was installed, along with N-S wall 5430.; ; To the West of this activity, the situation is likewise imprecise.  The western part of the Western half is delineated by N-S wall 5561 (and earlier N-S wall 6821) on the West, and N-S wall 5394 (and earlier N-S wall 6789) on the East.  The latest layers of this area were, like those to the East, Frankish, dating to the early 13th c.  Most likely, the Frankish occupation of this area was the same as that to the East and West.  The Frankish contexts in this area overlaid 11th-12th c. strata.  At some point in the 11th or early 12th c., a stone feature was built (6820), running parallel to E-W wall 5562.  This feature might be a Western continuation of E-W wall 6764, or it might represent an independent structure of unknown function.  The 11th c. occupation of the area is represented by several deposits underlying N-S wall 5561 (12th – early 13th c.).  These deposits (e.g. 6812, 6814, 6805, 6815, 6816) are layers of accumulation or fill on top of earlier N-S wall 6821 (this wall has not yet been phased).  Possibly related to these deposits of 11th c. activity, are two external floor surfaces (6819 and 6825), identified as such due to the small to medium pebbles embedded in their surfaces, as well as horizontally-laid tiles.  The later floor, 6819, is optically identical to the external floor surfaces excavated in the Western half (6698 and 6696), although possibly slightly earlier in date.  These external floor surfaces represent our clearest evidence of linked activity and occupation throughout the Western and Eastern halves of the area.  ; ; The positive reconstruction of events in this area begins with the N-S wall 6821, of uncertain date.  This area subsequently is filled by various 11th c. deposits, including an ash deposit (6814), potentially related to the ash deposits further to the East.  In the late 11th c., an external floor is laid, which was later cut by 12th c. bothros 5595, late 12th c. robbing trench 5802, and Frankish pit 5758.  Co-terminus or later with the external floor surfaces, a stone feature (6820) was installed, of uncertain purpose.  These strata and features represent the Middle and Late Byzantine period of use in this area.  The connection between these areas and the 1961 Byzantine House to the South remains unclear, as the Byzantine House at this point was covered and filled with backfill.  It is also unclear at the present moment what is happening further to the East, in the direction of the road.  To the North, the relationship between the South Stoa and the Byzantine and Frankish activity here is similarly unclear, although there is general evidence of industrial activity along this area.; ; ; CONCLUSION; ; The Frankish occupation in this area is characterized by several rubble walls (E-W wall 5678, N-S wall 5430) and deposits.  The Frankish activity is dispersed throughout the area and not localized in one particular section.  The Late Byzantine period immediately preceding the Frankish period, is primarily identifiable in the various late 11th and 12th c. floor surfaces (6696, 6698, 6819, 6825), which, in some places, are associated with rubble walls.  The Late Byzantine walls, in general, are built with fewer pieces of spoliated stone than the Frankish walls, and also tend to be constructed with smaller stones and in more regular courses.  The Late Byzantine occupation of this area included industrial or cooking activity of some sort, as indicated by the various deposits of ash, cookware, and bones, particularly in the Eastern half of the area.  The arrangement of walls and stone features in the Eastern half, along with the material finds from this area, potentially indicates compartmentalized disposal activity.  The Middle Byzantine period of occupation in this area is thus far indicated by layers of fill on the East and a marble tile floor on the West.; ; The relationship between this area and the 1961 Byzantine House to the South has been made somewhat clearer by the excavations of Session I.  In the Western half of the area, at least, the connection between the Byzantine House and the marble tile floor can be postulated (the construction date for the Byzantine House is late 10th-early 11th c.; the marble tile floor is co-terminus).  ; ; ; SUGGESTIONS FOR SUBSEQUENT EXCAVATION; ; 1.     Continue excavating the deposits between N-S wall 6821 and N-S wall 6789.  Contexts 6791 and 6810 revealed a relatively compact, reddish stratum that covers most of this area.  Excavation of this area will help clarify the nature of the stone feature 6820, as well as better define the parameters of the two N-S walls.; 2.     Define the Northern baulk as it continues to the West.  The Eastern edge was revealed by the excavation of context 6809, but it is important to continue tracing this line of backfill and cuts made in the 1930s, in order to prevent contamination.  ; 3.     Continue excavating context 6787, which was paused, mid-excavation.  This is a stratum of loose fill between E-W wall 6764 and N-S wall 6789.  Further excavation of this layer could reveal more of E-W wall 6764 or expose a foundation trench for N-S wall 6789.; 4.     Resume excavation of the pit between walls 5431, 6764, 6765, and 6775.  Contexts 6759 and 6770 revealed a stratum of loose soil with lenses of ash and charcoal, and with lots of inclusions of pottery and bone.  Excavation in this pit will help to clarify the nature of the Late Byzantine activity in the area.; 5.     Investigation of the area around the “hearth” (6807) might reveal more information about the nature of the activity in this area and the ashy deposits.; 6.     Continued excavation of the central area, between the Western and Eastern halves, would help to unify the two areas and better our understanding of the overall activity.  The floor surfaces 6819 and 6825 revealed a stratum of loose fill, somewhat similar to that revealed by the external floor surfaces to the West (e.g. fill 6701, 6699).","2010 Session I Final Report: Area North of 1961 Byzantine House","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Nezi Field 2010 by Paga, Jessica (2010-04-07 to 2010-04-23)","","Corinth","","Report","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2010 by Paga, Jessica (2010-04-07 to 2010-04-23)","","","",""
"North of Nezi 2010: Green First Session Report (Scott Gallimore); ; The following summarizes the results of excavations in two areas north of Nezi field during the first session of the 2010 excavation season at Corinth. These areas were the room directly west of the courtyard of the Byzantine house and the room directly north of the courtyard. Excavations took place from 7 April, 2010 until 23 April, 2010. Supervising these excavations were Guy Sanders (director) and Martin Wells (field director). The excavation team included Scott Gallimore (recorder), Athanasios Sakellariou (pickman), Panos Stamatis (shovelman), and Pavlos… (barrowman).; ; The main focus of excavations during this session was the room directly west of the courtyard of the Byzantine house (E. 261.10 – 264.70; N. 1030.80 – 1034.90). We dug in this room each day of the session (7 April – 23 April) with an aim to identifying the earliest phases of Byzantine occupation along with tracing possibly Middle Roman and Late Roman usage, abandonment, and post-abandonment of the space. This room had been previously excavated in the 1960s (NB 235), in the second and third sessions of 2008 by Sarah Lima, and in all three sessions of 2009 by Will Bruce, Scott Gallimore, Karl Goetz, and Dan Leon. We excavated a single context in the room directly north of the courtyard of the Byzantine house (E. 265.30 – 270.50; N. 1035.60 – 1039.20) on 9 April during a period when the stratigraphy in the room west of the courtyard was causing some confusion and we needed some time to consider the best method of approach. This room had been previously excavated in 1961 by Steven Lattimore (NB 230), in the second session of 2008 by Nathanael Andrade and Jody Cundy, and during all three sessions of 2009 by Will Bruce, Scott Gallimore, Karl Goetz, and Dan Leon.; ; ; ROOM WEST OF THE COURTYARD; ; Frankish:; ; At two different points during the Frankish period, two deep pits were dug into the room west of courtyard. The earliest of these pits (fills 5754, 5766, 5943, 6481; cut 6326=5767), dating to the first half of the thirteenth century, is located in the southern part of the room and was subsequently truncated to the southwest by the corner of the Ottoman house. Where this pit is not truncated, it is circular in profile and is relatively deep (top elevation of 85.01; bottom elevation of 82.88). It is possible that this pit represents an attempt to dig a well that was abandoned before reaching the water table. Near the bottom of this pit, the diggers came upon the foundations for the northern curb (structure 6738) of the Roman decumanus. While they continued to dig until reaching the bottom of these foundations, they stopped when they hit they hit sterile bedrock perhaps indicating they did not feel this location was suitable for a well. The latest of the two pits was dug against the southern face of wall 5725 and was semi-circular in shape (fill 6583, cut 6655). This pit, which dates sometime between the late thirteenth and late fourteenth century, contained several different lens of fill, the latest of which was excavated during the 1960s (NB 235, Bothros 9).  Unfortunately, it is difficult to assign any specific function to this feature. It is deep enough to perhaps be considered another failed attempt to dig a well (top elevation of at least 84.99; bottom elevation of 83.35), but it is unlikely that a well would be dug against the face of a wall. ; ; Middle and Late Byzantine: ; ; No evidence of Late Byzantine activity was encountered in this room during this excavation session. This indicates that these levels must have been removed during previous excavation sessions. Asides from the necessity to continue investigating the Frankish pits mentioned above, the latest activity discernable in this space was Middle Byzantine in date, specifically the eleventh century A.C.; ; During the eleventh century, a floor of packed earth was laid down in this room which likely would have covered the entire space (6668=6670=6672). In several areas this floor was disturbed due to later activity in the room and was only preserved in a few isolated patches. This floor was laid down on a series of leveling fills which would have altered the floor level of the room by a noticeable amount (fills 6679, 6482, 6489, 6490, 6528). The earliest of these fills (6528) has a bottom elevation of 83.96 while the latest (6679) has a top elevation of 84.36 indicating a change in floor level of approximately 0.40m. 6528, the earliest of these fills, was laid down on part of another floor surface consisting primarily of rounded to subrounded, spherical, medium-sized pebbles (6656). Floor 6656 has an associated cut, 6708, although its original shape has been disturbed by the two Frankish pits in the room (defined by cuts 6326=5767 and 6655). This floor surface may have originally been rectangular in shape and covered most of the central part of the room. It does not appear that 6656 was intended to be a floor covering the entirety of the room, however, and instead occupied a central position with surfaces of compact earth surrounding it.; ; Floor 6656 was cut into a series of fills of unknown character spreading across the room (6710, 6713, 6714, 6717). These fills tended to have high percentages of poorly sorted inclusions and could represent some type of dumping action. This could perhaps coincide with the fact that the earliest of these fills, 6717, was laid over a robbing trench (fills 6722, 6734; cut 6720). The robbing trench appears to be associated with the foundation for the northern curb of the Roman decumanus which had first been identified in the northern scarp of the Frankish pit defined by cut 6326=5767. Stones laying atop this foundation were likely the target of the robbing trench and there may have been an attempt following the robbing out of these stones to level off this space with a series of fills. ; ; The act of dumping material into this space appears to have also preceded the digging of the robbing trench since this feature truncated another large fill (6752) containing a large percentage of poorly sorted inclusions which would have covered most, if not all of this space. This fill appears to date to the ninth or tenth century C.E. and may be part of a period of post-abandonment in the space. Overlying fill 6752 at its eastern end was a shallow lens of soil with few inclusions possibly representing an accumulated fill which built up against the eastern face of wall 5724.; ; There was also other activity which occurred in this room at some point during the ninth or tenth century A.C. The robbing trench defined by cut 6720 was not the first to be dug in association with structure 6738. Fill 6752 overlay an earlier, smaller robbing trench which only affected the easternmost revealed section of structure 6738 (fill 6754, cut 6756). In this part of structure 6738 a different construction technique was employed. Most of the revealed blocks associated with this feature are substantial in size with a height of approximately 0.55m. At the eastern end, however, it appears that two blocks were stacked on top of each other to achieve this same height. The robbing trench defined by cut 6756 was dug to remove the upper block of these two. This robbing trench also truncated a deposit of what appears to be dumped fill in the northeast corner of this room (6758). Fill 6758 contained a high percentage of poorly sorted inclusions and sloped steeply to the south giving it the appearance of a ramp. However, parts of this context continued beneath wall 5725 to the north and wall 6375 to the east making it difficult to interpret since we cannot reconstruct its original shape.; ; Fill 6758 was dumped in over part of another robbing trench (fills 6761, 6808; cut 6762), this one apparently for a north-south wall that ran along the eastern edge of this space. This robbing trench was fairly deep (approximately 1.2m) and came down on sterile bedrock at its lowest elevation. Part of the wall robbed out by this trench (structure 6817) is visible beneath the easternmost revealed block of structure 6738. There is also another block which abuts the southwestern edge of the robbing trench.  This wall appears to be quite early, at least predating the construction of structure 6738. It appears that the robbing trench defined by cut 6762 was the first action to occur in this space following a period of abandonment which lasted for several centuries. This trench was dug at some point in the ninth or tenth century, but there is no preceding activity in this space until the sixth or seventh century. ; ; Early Byzantine:; ; No evidence for any activity has been revealed which can be associated with this period. It appears, thus, that this space was abandoned sometime during the Late Roman period with usage of the space not occurring again until the ninth or tenth century. This abandonment may coincide with the construction of the Late Roman Wall at Corinth possibly in the mid-sixth century. The construction of this wall east of the Forum placed Nezi field outside of the city proper and the lack of evidence for activity in the room west of the courtyard would suggest this area was abandoned shortly afterwards.; ; Late Roman:; The latest discernable Late Roman activity in this space occurred in the form of a tall, rectangular patch of slumped mud-brick (6768) located in the eastern part of the room. This mud-brick could date to the sixth or seventh century A.C. In the Middle Byzantine period this mud-brick was truncated by the robbing trench defined by cut 6762 and covered by fill 6758. The slumped nature of this mud-brick indicates it collapsed from the north-south wall which was later robbed out by the trench defined by cut 6762 in the Middle Byzantine period. This collapse may have occurred after the abandonment of this space leading into several centuries of post-abandonment. 6768 covered a small part of a larger surface that may also represent slumped mud-brick (6773). This mud-brick may have again slumped off from the north-south wall at the eastern end of the room, but the lack of any noticeable slope towards this wall could also suggest it is some type of dumped fill that included mud-brick within its soil component; ; If fill 6773 were dumped into this space, this occurred over another fill that was likely dumped in (6776). This earlier fill is characterized by comprising of mixed soil, numerous pieces of charcoal, and evidence of burning. The evidence of burning is not so substantial to suggest any kind of destruction occurring in this space, but does indicate that the fill was originally obtained from a location that may have suffered from some type of fire. Both fill 6776 and 6773 were dumped into this space over a large fill of slumped mud-brick (6784) that does appear to be associated with the north-south wall robbed out in the Middle Byzantine period. The soil was mixed and contained large amounts of white marl and red mud-brick and had a noticeable slope away from the area of the wall. At the eastern edge of 6784 where this context was truncated by the Middle Byzantine robbing trench for this north-south wall there were several cobbles and boulders which likely represent some type of collapse off of the wall when this mud-brick slumped down. Based on pottery evidence this collapse may have occurred at some point in the late third or early fourth century A.C., although it is not infeasible that it may have occurred even later than this.; ; Middle Roman:; ; The third century A.C. is when we first see evidence of active usage of this space. It is during this century when the large foundations for the northern curb of the Roman decumanus (structure 6738) were laid down. Specifically, the foundation trench for this structure was dug at some point during this century (fill 6795, cut 6796). This foundation trench was unique in that it was dug deeper than the lowest elevation of the blocks of structure 6738 (bottom elevation of 6795 is 82.75; bottom elevation of 6738 is 82.93). This appears to have been a purposeful decision and it became clear that each individual block which is part of this structure lies on a different type of soil. What this suggests is that the foundation trench was dug and then small patches of soil were laid down in an effort to level each block independently. At the eastern-most revealed end of structure 6738 this foundation lies on a large block from an earlier wall which may have been an important marker for leveling the other blocks. This foundation trench was covered by a small number of fills (6785, 6792). The soil of these fills tends to be mixed in character and contains numerous inclusions including large amounts of charcoal. Directly above the foundation trench defined by cut 6796 was a shallow surface of compact earth (6793) which appears to have been purposefully laid down, perhaps coinciding with the establishment of structure 6738. Surface 6793 was of homogenous thickness throughout and contained very few inclusions of any type. The soil was also fairly homogenous distinguishing it from the mixed fills described above. Along with overlying the foundation trench for 6738, surface 6793 also overlay a small, circular pit of unknown function at the western end of the room (fill 6798, cut 6799).; ; Both the foundation trench (cut 6796) and the small circular pit (cut 6799) truncated a shallow surface of compact earth (6800) similar in character to surface 6793. This may be another surface purposefully laid down in this space and may be associated with some earlier version of the decumanus since it is unlikely that foundations associated with this road were laid down for the first time only in the third century A.C. In fact, surface 6800 was one of several of these surfaces of compact earth (6802, 6804) superimposed on one another across the space of this room. Each is relatively shallow, of homogenous soil type, and contains relatively few inclusions. The earliest of these surfaces, 6804, overlies a deep dumped fill of mixed soil and mud-brick (6806) which appears to date to the late second or early third century. The nature of this fill could suggest it was some type of leveling fill for the surfaces above. Fill 6806 overlay an uneven surface of white marl mud-brick (6823) that covered only a few patches of the northern part of the room. The uneven nature of this mud-brick argues against it slumping off a wall and it is likely that it was dumped into this space. Below fill 6823 is a deep dumped fill of mixed soil which appears to overlay a floor surface associated with wall 6817. However, we only excavated a small portion of this context and it is difficult at this point to provide any indication of function. ; ; ; ROOM NORTH OF COURTYARD; ; Middle Byzantine:; ; The only context encountered in this room appears to be Middle Byzantine in date. At some point during the ninth or tenth century A.D. a fill was built up into a ramp abutting the southwest junction of walls 6526 and 6016, perhaps to facilitate dumping of material on either side of these walls. This ramp (6491) was then covered by a deep dumped fill of dirt, tile, and stone (6516) which abutted the southern face of wall 6526 and the western face of wall 6016. Fill 6516 was one of a series of contemporary dumped fills in this area (6532, 6550, 6554) which could represent a period of post-abandonment for this space prior to its reorganization as part of the Byzantine house.; ; ; CONCLUSIONS; ; The room west of the courtyard represents one of the components under investigation in the Byzantine house situated north of Nezi field. While the primary goal of these excavations has been the identification of the construction phase for the house, the decision was made during session 1 to explore earlier levels in this space to attempt to trace periods of usage and abandonment prior to the construction of the house. While our excavations did require us to finish digging two Frankish pits, the majority of the contexts we encountered provided us with indications of the earliest Byzantine usage of the space as well as the latest Roman usage. ; ; The earliest evidence for use we have encountered occurs during the late second and third centuries C.E. when a series of surfaces were laid down along with the foundations for the northern curb of the Roman decumanus. Several more surfaces were laid down subsequent to this. By the Late Roman period there are indications that this space may have been neglected or abandoned. There is evidence of slumped mud-brick and collapse from a north-south wall and several fills were dumped in. The latest evidence of activity is a patch of collapsed mud-brick which would have abutted the western face of this north-south wall. When usage of the space resumed in the Middle Byzantine period (during the ninth or tenth century) it came in the form of a series of robbing trenches and fills. The north-south wall (perhaps associated with structure 6817) was robbed out as were components of the curb. Following this a series of leveling fills were dumped in and the earliest floor surface, a pebble floor only covering part of the room was laid down. On top of this were laid more leveling fills and until the first floor surface to cover the entire room (6668=6670=6672) would have been laid down sometime in the eleventh century.","2010 Session I Final Report: The Room West of the Courtyard of the Byzantine House","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Nezi Field 2010 by Scott Gallimore (2010-04-07 to 2010-04-23)","","Corinth","","Report","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2010 by Scott Gallimore (2010-04-07 to 2010-04-23)","","","",""
"Rob Nichols, Marty Wells; Corinth Excavations 2010; North of Nezi; We, Rob Nichols and Marty Wells, commenced excavation in the area north of Nezi during the first session of the 2010 Corinth excavation season, 6 April – 23 April.  We excavated primarily in the northwest room of the Byzantine house—the ‘well room’ (6288)—bounded by walls 54, 5631, 6426, 10086, 10081, 10087, 55 and 6333 (E. 273.95-283.00; N. 1026.9-1034.78). This session continues the work supervised by Katie Rask, Marty Wells et al. during the 2009 excavation season.  Generally, current excavation in this area continues the work carried out during the 1960s by Henry Robinson (director) and William Berg III (supervisor).  Our objectives were to expose the earlier (11th cent CE or before) layers of the room in order to understand the changes of space over time in the various phases as well as to open up the house for public display.; The following is a summary and interpretation of the first session of excavation. The director was Guy Sanders, the field director was Marty Wells, the pickmen were Thanasis Notis and Panos Stamatis, the shovelman Sotiris Raftopoulos, and the barrowman Vangelis Kollias. The dry sieve was operated by Raftopoulos and Kollias.; Late Byzantine (1059-1210 CE); Early in this period (it still may be a late Middle Byzantine action), a small rectangular pit was cut and filled (6757, 6753) against the corner of N-S wall 6421 and 6052.; This period saw quite a bit of activity geared changing the use of space in the room between n-s walls 10087 (and 10086) on the east and wall 54 on the west. Most importantly, it seems that two perhaps mid-byzantine walls (6421 and 6707) were robbed of their upper courses, probably to make room for the well (6288). Two well constructed plaster floors (6693 south of the well and 6748 in the center of the room) were laid in this period. A series of leveling fills in the room (6774, 6771, 6755, 6695) raised the center of the room considerably for the construction of these floors. East – west wall 6426 was built in this period, dividing what had most likely been one long north-south room (wall 55 at the north, probably wall 5341 at the south) into two rooms. More detailed discussion of these contexts follows below. ; In the center of the room, probably early in this period, a large trashy fill consisting of tiles, bone and small stone cobbles was deposited (6774, probably 6780 as well). The bones are quite weathered, suggesting that the fill contained re-deposited dirt that had been sitting exposed for some time. This may also be the case for the fill 6780, which seems to have been a re-deposited Hellenistic fill. A series of leveling fills (6771, 6766-67, 6769, 6755) served to bring the floor level up to accommodate a white clay floor surface (6748, including several resurfacings) that extended north to wall 55 and west perhaps to N-S wall 6421 before 6421 was later cut for the well 6288. At some point a small pit for a posthole was cut and later filled (6750 and 6751), though the relationship between this posthole and the surrounding surfaces is still unclear; for now it can only be added that in 2009, four postholes were excavated in this area but at a considerably higher level. At a later point the level of the room was raised again by two fills (6685, 6686).; In the southwest corner of the room a series of fills (6694, 6695) were deposited for the construction of floor 6693 (above two earlier Late Roman/Middle Byzantine walls (E-W 6707 and N-S 6421, probably contemporary, sharing foundation trench cut 6706), likely due to the fact that the shape of the room and its relationship to adjoining rooms by the Late Byzantine period had changed.  Further information of the area to the SW of walls 6707 and 6421 is hindered somewhat by the large tree root in the corner of the room as well as the fact that this area was one of those excavated in the 1960s.  At some point, wall 6422 was put in as a foundation for a higher level in later phases.; In the southern area of the room, leveling fill (6736) was used to accommodate an E-W wall (6426), which was later robbed out (6724, 6725) and cut by a large pit (5935, 1960s excavation).; Middle Byzantine (802-1058 CE); In the southern area of the room, leveling fills (6730, 6736) would later be used for the construction of the E-W wall 6426 (or these were fills that 6426 was built on. The fact that this area was excavated in the 1960s and in 2008 and 2009 makes definite dates for this wall’s construction difficult to ascertain.  Two pits were also dug in this area, though their relationship with the surrounding architecture remains unclear.  The first pit (6742, 6741) was cut south of fill 6736 and is remarkable for containing a large amount of carbon and a nearly complete cookpot. The second (6745, 6746) was cut and appeared to extend N-S along wall 6421 and may have been part of the foundation trench for this wall. ; E-W wall 6707 and N-S wall 6421 were constructed during this period.  Wall 6707 abutted 6421 on its western side and share foundation trench 6706.  The upper courses of the walls were most likely robbed out at the same time in order to accommodate well 6288 later. Eventually the middle section of 6421 was robbed out and filled (6709, 6721), with the lower courses abutting wall 5631 to the south, and terminating on the north at the same elevation as wall 55. This robbing trench fill would be cut by well 6288 in a later phase.; Quite late, the E-W wall 6052 was robbed out and filled in (6718 and 6719); later a pit (6712) seems to have been cut into the robbing trench fill.; Late Roman/Early Byzantine (300-801 CE); These layers are concentrated primarily in the center of the room. In the Late Roman period, a sewer drain (structure 6827) was in existence (we have not dated the structure as of yet), oriented NW-SE, under the phases of the later Byzantine room and continued under wall 10086 to the east. It consisted of a combination of building materials: worked fieldstones, marble pavers and a collection of weathered and/or badly carved architectural members: two geison blocks (so far excavated), one half-column cut lengthwise, and an unfluted (so far as is visible) column with an offset empolium.  At some point the drain went out of use, and an extensive fill of re-deposited material (6788) was deposited over it, followed by subsequent fills 6686, and 6682 in later periods.; Middle Roman (200-400 CE); During this period a pit was cut to the south (6824, 6822) into a deposit of reddish fill (6813). It is possible that this cut may be for a pit which was later cut by the sewer and then partially filled in by the fill (6788) overlying the sewer.  Again, the fact that this area had been previously excavated makes understanding the relationship between this pit and the fill over the sewer difficult to understand. It is possible that what had been an early pit (6824, 6822), with pottery dating to the middle Roman period, was later cut due to sewer maintenance. We only had a small portion of the cut on the south side.  ; Conclusions/ Suggestions for Further Excavation; Based on current excavation, the earlier phases of the Byzantine house were constructed over a Late Roman sewer and contained a good deal of reused material and re-deposited fill, perhaps from the Forum to the north.  In the later chronological phases the internal space of the room was modified and enlarged: the walls in the South and Southwest went out of use and were either filled above their foundations or robbed out completely. The large white clay floor surface in the middle of the room may have extended beyond what was visible upon its excavation; evidence for this may have been obliterated in the construction of the four large piers (observed in the 2009 excavations) used to support a second story.  See the Blue summary from 2009 for more detailed discussion on the cutting of the clay/plaster floors 6693 and 6748.; The position of the sewer indicates that the Late Roman E-W road may have passed near to this later room.  Director Guy Sanders has suggested prima facie that the major N-S artery to the East of the room may have been wider in the earlier phases, perhaps incorporating the sewer in its urban space; in the later Byzantine periods and with the construction of the major house walls, the road contracted. ; Additional items to consider:; 1.    Mid-Byzantine wall 6707 seems to have extended west past wall 54 about 50cm. What is the wall’s relationship to the surrounding contexts during that time?; 2.    The Late Roman sewer (6827, revealed under fill 6788): from where are the drain builders getting the architectural members to use as coverslabs? The South Stoa? Some then-defunct admin building? Where was the Late Roman road? Where does the drain go? Can we find a more precise date for the drain after excavating under it? Further excavation and investigation into these issues will have to wait until the second session.; 3.    The relationship between the sewer and fill above it (6827, 6788) the red fill to the south (6813) and what remains of a pit cut (6824) is not fully understood.  See the notes on 6824.","Blue 2010 Session 1 summary","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Nezi Field 2010 by Rob Nichols, Marty Wells (2010-04-28 to 2010-04-29)","","Corinth","","Report","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2010 by Rob Nichols, Marty Wells (2010-04-28 to 2010-04-29)","","","",""
"North of Nezi, 2010: Green Session II Final Report (Dominic Galante, Christina Trego); ; The following summarizes Green Team’s excavations in two rooms in the Byzantine house north of Nezi field during the second session of the 2010 excavation season at Corinth. These are the rooms north and northwest of the courtyard of the house. Excavations took place from 4 May to 21 May 2010. Supervising these excavations were Guy Sanders (director) and Martin Wells (field director). The excavation team included Dominic Galante (recorder), Christina Trego (recorder), Athanasios Sakellariou (pickman), Pavlos Senis (shovelman), Panos “Junior” Stamatis (barrowman), and Vangelis Kollias (sieveman).;  ; For the first week of the excavation (4-7 May), work was done in the room north of the courtyard ( N 1035.70-1039.30, E 265.40-270.60); from 10-21 May, work was pursued in the room northwest of the courtyard (N 1035.00-1038.70, E 260.70-264.90).  In the room north of the courtyard, our goal was to trace periods of usage and abandonment, especially in regards to the construction phases of walls (e.g. 5562, 6016, 6526, 6321).  In the room northwest of the courtyard, our goal was to excavate two tile-built pithoi and their surrounding contexts in order to understand the usage of the room in the Frankish and Byzantine periods, as well as take the room down to the middle Roman levels excavated by Scott Gallimore in the room west of the courtyard in the first session of 2010.; ; ROOM NORTH OF THE COURTYARD; ; During the first session of the 2010 season, Scott Gallimore excavated a ramp abutting the southwest junction of walls 6526 and 6016 (6491), which was covered by a dumped fill (6516, excavated in May 2009). The ramp is dated to the the 9th-10th centuries.  Gallimore believes that these two contexts could represent a period of post-abandonment for this space prior to its reorganization as part of the Byzantine house.  Second session work in this room concentrated on the southern half of the room, with some work being done in the NW.; ; LATE ROMAN; ; The earliest activities encountered in the room north of the courtyard in the Byzantine house were fills in the southern half of the room (6869, 6871, 6872, 6874). These fills are dated to the Late Roman (5th-6th century CE) and contain ash, iron, bronze, and nails. One item, parts of which came from 6872 and 6874, is particularly intriguing. It needs cleaning for more exact study, but it may be a lamp stand comprised of a central iron shaft connected to arms by means of a wooden joint; the arms appear to have iron hooks at their ends that may have been used to hang lamps. ; Rubble wall foundations (6876) were revealed during excavation of 6842 and 6850, running E-W on the southern side of the room. A block appeared under contexts excavated to the north of this wall, and perhaps represents a robbed out wall that joined with 6876 and ran N-S. The foundations were not excavated, and neither superstructure nor foundation trench was found; however, stratigraphically we might date 6876 to the 5th century CE.; Previous excavations had discovered Late Roman pottery in a pit fill on the northern side of this room, between (and disturbing) walls 6526 and 5562 (cf. cut 6536 and associated fills 6539, 6543, 6459, and 6460). This cut goes deeper than was excavated and possibly fills a cistern.; ; EARLY BYZANTINE; ; Little from the Early Byzantine period remains in the northern half of the room, although we did not do extensive excavation in this area. A cut dated to the 7th century CE (6836 and its fill 6835) may be a robbing trench for wall 6526, indicating that the wall was in existence by this time period.; There appears to be something of a gap in activity in this room from this robbing trench until the tile-built grave discussed below. There is one context dated by pottery to the 8th-9th centuries, 6846; however, this context stratigraphically is above a 10th century deposit (6868) and therefore must be updated. As explained below, we believe that the construction of the grave caused some disturbances in the stratigraphy.; ; MIDDLE BYZANTINE; ; A tile-built grave was discovered at the SW junction of walls 6526 and 6016. Four tiles were placed on top of the tile-lined grave on an E-W orientation in the corner of the two walls. The structure itself was 1.09m long, and contained the burial of a child. The skeleton was well-articulated and missing the left leg below the knee and all foot bones. Water sieving the grave fill revealed no grave goods. The fill inside the cut for the grave (6865 in cut 6859) can help date this grave: it is dated to the Middle Byzantine period (NPD). This fill is above 6868, which is 10th century in date; therefore we suggest a 10th century date. The amount of earth moved for the construction of this grave may have contributed to the stratigraphy of this part of the room: e.g., 6868 (10th century) appears below 6850 (6th century). The existence of this grave, placed deliberately in the corner of walls 6526 and 6016, demonstrates with certainty that these walls were constructed before the date of this grave. ; ; The 9th-11th centuries saw a significant amount of activity in this room, as revealed by our excavations and 2009 excavations. The southeastern area of the room, including the grave, was covered by a ramp (6491) of the 9th-10th centuries that was used to assist in dumping material in this room. Several fills dating to the 10th-11th centuries contained high amounts of boulder inclusions (6516, 6532, 6550, 6554), which may have come from dismantling walls 6526 and 6016. It is possible that these fills were used to level the area. A foundation trench (6831 with fill 6830) of wall 5562 is dated to the Middle Byzantine period (NPD) and possibly belongs to a second construction phase of the wall. We reconstruct two phases of this wall based on the usage of larger boulders on the upper sections of the wall, contrasting with sections of the wall below. Foundation trench 6567 (with fill 6568), excavated in June 2009, was also clearly a foundation trench of wall 5562. Based on the presence of two distinct building materials and two distinct foundation trenches, we propose two phases for this wall. The first of these must have been Middle Byzantine in date and the second in the 10th-11th centuries. ; ; ROOM NORTHWEST OF THE COURTYARD; ; The room northwest of the courtyard was last excavated during the 2009 season; this work covered all areas of the room, centering around a tile-built pithos on the east side of the room (6881), another tile-built pithos on the southern side of the room (on the northern side of Wall 5725) (6991), and a rubbish dump in the northwest part of the room (6112).; ; LATE ROMAN; ; The earliest construction in the room northwest of the courtyard in the Roman period is a plaster floor and rubble wall foundations (7032), also coated with plaster (the same as the floor on the west side, and painted plaster on the east side), in the northeastern half of the room.  The floor surface continues under Wall 10111 and on the southern side of the cut of the built pithos (6881), as well on the eastern side of Wall 7031.  As these features have not yet been excavated, the date of their construction is uncertain, but they were covered and associated with a destruction debris of burnt mud brick (7015) that is dated to the 5th-6th centuries CE, most likely from the superstructure of Wall 7032.  This wall is cut by the later built pithos (6881), but continues to the south of the pithos (unexcavated, but visible in the scarp), and may be connected to the robbed out N-S wall (6817), the robbing trench only of which was excavated in the room west of the courtyard (cut 6762), and which was also associated with fallen/slumped mud brick.  The earlier phase of construction indicated by this wall perhaps dates to the Middle Roman period, and may be associated with ashlar blocks in the room north of the courtyard (underlying walls 6526 and 6016, as well as the N-S spur running from 5562 and below 6526).  The farthest south ashlar block (N 1036.00-.50, E 267.20-70) uncovered between walls 6526 and 5463 had plaster on its western face, perhaps indicating the area to west was interior space, if the block is in its original location in association with the plaster.; ; The Late Roman period is represented by a destruction debris (7015) of burnt mud brick, as noted above, and contained large amounts of burnt pottery, iron and bronze, glass, and painted wall plaster.  Again, this may be connected to the slumped mud brick uncovered in the room west of the courtyard, as it appears these two room were one large space in the Late Roman period, and walls 10111, 6321, 5725 and 6130 were not constructed until the Byzantine period. The nature/cause of the destruction is unknown, but it does appear to signal the end of the Late Roman phase of use in this structure.  The burnt mud brick layer was covered by several fills of compacted, unburnt mud brick (7030, 7013, 7011, and 7002), which in turn were cut by 7012 (filled by 7005). Although the purpose of this cut is unknown, the odd wave pattern at the western bottom of the cut suggests perhaps it was used to remove something from the destruction and subsequent layers of mud brick.  A floor was constructed atop these mud brick fills (7000), most likely a compaction of the topmost mud brick layer, and was truncated by a foundation trench for a later phase of Wall 5562 (6970, cut 6971), an earlier version of which seems to date to the same period as the plaster floor and Wall 7032, as indicated by plaster on the lowest visible blocks in association with the floor and 7032.  ; In the southern half of the room, a leveling fill (6983) at the northwestern juncture of wall 5725 and 5724 and what may be the foundation trench of Wall 10111 (fill 6978) represent the Late Roman period.  More excavation is necessary to determine if the Late Roman phase has actually been reached (as indicated by 6983), and if the 6978 does indeed represent the fill of the foundation trench of 10111, and if it should be dated by the pottery (dated tentatively to the 5th century CE), or if it dates instead to the Early Byzantine period (since it was covered by fills dating to the 7th century CE, see below), and the fill represents earlier fills cut into and redeposited with the construction of 10111.  More excavation is necessary to securely date this, as 6978 was taken about 75 cm farther down than the fills to the south of it before excavation was terminated.; ; EARLY BYZANTINE; ; As with the room north of the courtyard, the Early Byzantine period is not very well represented in this room.  There are several dumped/leveling fills (all in the southern half of the room, 6969, 6925, 6932, 6905) that may date to this period.  6969 and 6932 were dumped fills, extending over a large portion of the room south of the east pithos (6881), and cut by both pithoi.  6925 and 6905 were deposited against  walls 10111 and 5724 and may represent leveling fills.  It is unclear if these fills should be taken to indicate use of the site in the Early Byzantine period (although 6925 and 6932 overlaid fill 6983, the possible foundation fill for Wall 10111), or if there was a period of abandonment from the end of the Late Roman period, until the Middle Byzantine (9th-10th century), as suggested by the lack of Early Byzantine remains in the house overall.; ; MIDDLE BYZANTINE; ; The Middle Byzantine period sees the resumption of construction and use of this area, with several foundation trenches for Wall 5562, the E-W wall extending along the northern boundary of the rooms north and northwest of the courtyard (cut 6959, 6957; cut 6945, 6951), Wall 6130 (cut 6947, 6946), and several dumped fills.; ; In the northern section of the room, under floor 6600, several leveling fills were excavated (6604, 6935, 6941, 6944), which all indicated activity in the 10th-11th centuries, and were cut by foundation trenches for Walls 5562, 6130, and 6321.  The earliest trench appears to be that for Wall 6321, and may be part of the original foundation trench (6973, fill 6965).  7030, the fill that contained mud brick and was associated with the destruction layer, appears to run under wall 6321, and also underlies the fill of this foundation cut.  It would appear that Wall 6321 (under which Wall 10111 also runs, perpendicularly) dates to the 10th century, although the construction of the east pithos (6881), as well as the robbing trench for Wall 6375 make the stratigraphy in the area directly abutting the western face of 6321 somewhat confusing.   A foundation trench for an earlier phase of Wall 5562 in the Byzantine period, 6959 (fill 6957), which was later cut by 6945 (fill 6951), cut these leveling fills.  A similar pattern emerged along the south face of wall 5562 in the room north of the courtyard, and seems to be on equal elevations and have similar dimensions (6568, 6831).  This would seem to indicate at least two phases of construction of Wall 5562 in the Middle Byzantine period – the first (associated with 6957, 6831), uses smaller, unworked stones with tile used to level the courses, and the second, later phase (associated with 6951, 6568) uses larger, roughly squared blocks.  ; A foundation trench for Wall 6130 (6947, fill 6946) also cut these leveling fills, and appears to be a bit high for the original foundation of the wall, but may relate to a second phase of use/construction (much like with Wall 5562), occurring the 11th century.  ; In the southern half of the room, much disturbed by the two pithoi, several fills extending across the entirety of the southern half of the room were uncovered, dated to the 10th century.  These may have been leveling fills for the construction of the rubble foundations (6100), removed in the 2009 season of excavation.  These fills were characterized by moderate amounts of animal bone, charcoal, and seem to confirm the hypothesis that this area was used for cooking/a tavern in the Byzantine period.  ; ; LATE BYZANTINE; ; The Late Byzantine period in the room NW of the courtyard is dominated by the presence of two built pithoi. The first of these, structure 6991, was located in the southern part of the room and had been built over by wall 5725; half of it lies in the room W of the courtyard. It was built of corbelled tile with a tile bottom over a leveling fill. No plaster was used in the construction and it was bonded with mud.  The fill inside this pithos (6512) was first excavated in May 2009, and on the basis of pottery the associated cut (6513) was dated to the 12th century. However, excavations of this season revealed fill of the 10th-11th centuries (6880, 6897) within the pithos and excavation of the structure yielded pottery of the 11th century. We therefore propose a construction date of the 11th century, with use of the pithos extending into the early 12th century and terminating with the construction of wall 5725 in that period.;  The second pithos is structure 6881, which has been identified by previous excavations as a well. Work of previous seasons excavated parts of this structure: a stone “well head” (5876) and tile corbelling lined with plaster (6493). Our excavations of 6881 and its fill also yielded tile corbelling lined with plaster. Therefore we reconstruct two construction phases, the later stone head and the tile corbelling. The former is dated to the third quarter of the 13th century, in the Frankish period. 6493’s pottery is 10th-11th century, the same as 6881. Two holes in the tile and plastering were observed on opposite ends of the interior of the structure, approximately 10cm wide; we believe these were to allow access (perhaps during the pithos’ construction), which was about 2m deep in this first phase. Excavation of the tile revealed some reused material, including a terracotta sima with egg and dart moulding from the South Stoa. Wall blocks, probably from wall 10111, were also reused in the construction of the pithos. Blocks were observed on the west side of the interior, repositioned to the curve of the structure (but still generally aligned with wall 10111) and with plaster applied to them. Similar blocks were observed on the east side of the interior of 6881, and more stone blocks were observed on the north and south sides of the scarp left from the excavation. These latter may represent yet another wall, and the northern projection of these blocks has been opened as context 7032. The pithos had a cement and plaster bottom, which was built over a leveling fill of tiles (6889).; ; CONCLUSIONS; ; The rooms N and NW of the courtyard in the Byzantine house represent different spaces, perhaps differently oriented in various time periods and not all of which were strictly domestic in use throughout the periods excavated this session. One of the most complicated aspects of these spaces is the number of walls that have been found. Just within the confines of the room N of the courtyard, there are three walls (6016, 6526, 6876) and there could be yet another. Because these walls have not been excavated and not precisely dated, it is difficult to say anything about their chronology and use with any certainty. However, it is probably that 6526 was built in the 7th century, and we do not believe that wall 6321 existed at that point.  Furthermore, ashlar blocks were found under parts of 6526, apparently in a N-S line towards wall 5562. Some plaster was found on these blocks. These may have formed a room in conjunction with 7032. The area of the room north of the courtyard may also have been used as a workshop during the Late Roman period, based on finds recovered from 6872 and 6874. ; ; In the room NW of the courtyard during the Late Roman period there was a destruction, as evidenced by 7015. This seems connected to slumped mud brick and robbed out N-S wall excavated in Session I of 2010 in the room W of the courtyard. This is further evidence that these two rooms were connected before the construction of wall 5725 (early 12th century), a supposition also supported by the existence of pithos 6991 directly under 5725. The destruction fill 7015 probably extended over most of the room, and certainly under wall 10111. This destruction may have contributed to the decline in use of this space during the Early Byzantine period.; ; The Early Byzantine periods sees a noticeable slacking of activity in these two rooms. There is some pottery from the 7-9th centuries, but these were all found in stratigraphically later contexts. Therefore, the actions these contexts represent must be Middle Byzantine in date. This may represent an abandonment of these areas, and this may be as a result of the Late Roman destruction (fill 7015) found in the room NW of the courtyard. ; In the Middle Byzantine period, we believe that pithos 6991 may be contemporary with the floor and white ware kettles (6145) and that it may have been built to service a cooking or tavern area. Pithos 6881 was constructed close in date with wall 5725 (which marks the end of use of pithos 6991), and that 6881 was a replacement for 6991. At this point, then, the room NW of the courtyard was divided from the room W of the courtyard. ; In the room N of the courtyard, the tile-lined grave of a child of the 10th century marks the resumption of activity in this room after little evidence of the 7-9th centuries. By this point both walls 6016 and 6526 have been built. It is likely that wall 6321 is built during the Middle Byzantine period and separates the room N of the courtyard from that NW of the courtyard. The 10th-11th century sees dramatic changes in the space, with a ramp (6491) being constructed over the area of the grave to facilitate dumping boulders from the superstructures of surrounding walls for leveling fill. These actions have been interpreted by previous excavators as part of the effort to organize the spaces around Nezi into a house.","2010 Session 2 Green Team Final Report: Rooms North of the Courtyard of the Byzantine House","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Nezi Field 2010 by Dominic Galante, Christina Trego (2010-05-03 to 2010-05-21)","","Corinth","","Report","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2010 by Dominic Galante, Christina Trego (2010-05-03 to 2010-05-21)","","","",""
"Yellow Second Session Report (Johanna Best and Kelcy Sagstetter); 2010; ; North of Nezi; ; The following summarizes the results of excavation in the area directly north of the Byzantine House excavated in 1961, in the space bounded by north-south wall 5677 on the west (E. 261.83), east-west wall 5562 on the south (N. 1040.23), and north-south wall 5431 on the east (E. 276.78).  The northern boundary of the area under investigation is delineated by the scarp of the excavations and backfill from the late 19th century, later excavations in the area to the south of the South Stoa by Oscar Broneer in the 1930s, and the subsequent excavations in the 1960s (N. 1046.51).  ; ; The excavation of this area was supervised by Dr. G.D.R. Sanders (director) and Martin Wells (field supervisor).  The Yellow team consisted of Panos Kakouros (pick man) Vassilis Kollias (wheelbarrow man), and Agamemnon Karvouniaris (sieve man).  Johanna Best and Kelcy Sagstetter were recorders for the second session, from 4 May – 21 May, 2010.  This area was last excavated in the first session of 2010 by Jessica Paga. ; ; Our primary objectives in excavating this area include defining the relationship of this area to the Byzantine House to the south, clarifying the possible connections and relationships between this trench and the area south of the South Stoa, and understanding what was backfill from previous excavations in the 1930s and 1960s and what were unexcavated strata. The excavations of session 1, 2010 have led us to believe that this area is probably an exterior space, and another goal was to clarify how it was used in the Middle and Late Byzantine periods. The many large pits, ashy layers in the middle and eastern end of the trench, and the possible external floor surfaces led us to believe that this may have been an industrial area, a hypothesis we hope will be tested in the final session of excavation. The work in session 2 has concentrated on the eastern half of the trench: the western limit has been defined by robbing trench 5802, the northern boundary is the scarp created in the 1930s, the eastern boundary is wall 5431, and the southern boundary is wall 6765.  The western half of the trench remains at the level of excavation achieved at the end of session 1.  ; ; From the excavation this session, we can add to Jessica Paga’s suggestions from session 1 about the area west of robbing trench 5802, east of wall 5677, and north of wall 5562.  She suggested that the marble tiled floor (5710) was laid in the 10th century.  Based on the placement of the tiles and placement of the later built pithos (5504), we hypothesize that in the 10th century this tile was an external decorative surface surrounding a fountain.  Above this, in a possible period of abandonment after the 10th century, several deposits of fill and accumulation (most likely both natural and man-made, and all datable to the 10th-11th centuries) may indicate a period of abandonment.  In session 2, we found that 6912, a possible leveling fill for a floor, was visually similar to 6696 and 6698 (according to Martin Wells), both of which were excavated in session 1. Based on the dating of 6912 by pottery to the 11th century, and the similar dating of 6696 and 6698 to the 11th and mid-12th centuries, the western and eastern portions of the trench (at least including the area west of 269E and wall 5677) may have been united as one external floor surface in the mid-11th century. Jess Paga has noted that this large external floor surface was cut in the 12th century by a bothros (5629) and a built pithos (5504).  The 12th century dates of the pits 6840 and 6891 in the central part of the trench lead us to believe that they may have been contemporaneous with the pithos and bothros in the west. ; A pit filled with ash (6929) was revealed to the east of pit 6840 and north of wall 6821.  Although we have no precise date for wall 6821, we know it was robbed out in the late 11th/early 12th centuries due to the fill of robbing trench 6927.  The first layer of fill, context 6928, was removed as a U-shaped context, since the ash in this context surrounded a small intrusion of dark reddish brown soil which was the same as the soil in 7009 (fill of robbing trench 6927).  The cut for the robbing trench did not truncate the cut for the pit 6929, yet the fill of the robbing trench continued into the fill of the pit.  In context 7014, the fill second from top in 6929, we discovered a large stone covered in concrete. Under the following layer of fill (7033), we came upon a very deep ash fill, which remains unexcavated.   A small tile stack, structure 7017, was excavated just to the east of the robbing trench 6927.  The working hypothesis for area is as follows: pit 6929 was dug and filled in with layers of ash and dirt around a large stone in the 11th century.  At some point before the late 11th or early 12th centuries wall 6821 was constructed to the south of this pit and also the tile stack (7017) was built adjacent to it, upon which burning activities took place.  It is possible that 7017 is only a portion of a larger tile stack, which extended from the north end of wall 6821 to the edge of the pit.  We speculate that the ash in the pit came from this source, and that when the robbing of 6821 took place the majority of this tile structure was also removed.  This hypothesis would account for a portion of robbing fill 7009 intruding into the fill of pit 6929.  Further excavation into the deeper fills of pit 6929 will hopefully create more clarity in this area. We speculate that whatever industrial activity led to the creation of cuts 6840, 5629, and 5504 may have also led to the cutting of pit 6929.; ; Excavation of contexts 7018 and 7022 in the area between walls 6821, 5562, and 6789 has revealed that these areas were active in the 11th century. Although there is no more precise date, a possible pit in the southeast corner of 7018 suggests a continuation of the pit-digging activity seen in the central and western portions of the trench. Further excavation of this area may bring provide some greater clarity on this point.; ; In investigating the extent of ash deposits in the trench, we removed structure 6807, identified by Jessica Paga as a possible tile-covered hearth. Under a layer of clay bedding  for the tiles (6936) we found three distinct layers of ash fill (6938, 6942, and 6981 respectively). 6942 included areas of extremely compact ash, which may have been mixed with lime and water, and the stones surrounding 6942 showed signs of burning.     However, the contexts immediately to the south of the tile “hearth,” include less ash (though some charcoal), more inclusions (bone, tile, and ceramics), and large stones.   One of these contexts, 6962 (currently not completely excavated due to a threat to the integrity of wall 6765) seems to continue under wall 6765 and may join with context 5759.  Additionally, 6962 contains a curved line of large stones at its current bottom.  At this point, we hypothesize that the area between walls 6789, 6764, and 5431 was filled with dumping or leveling fills in the 11th century.  Wall 6765 must have been both built and partially robbed in the 12th century as it rests on 6962 and 5759 (dated late 11th century and mid-12th centuries respectively) and under context 6747, which was dated to the 12th century.  At this point, we speculate that selective robbing on the northeast and southwest portions of 6747 was the cause for the creation of what appears to be an S-shaped wall.  Further excavation of the northeastern part of wall 6765 might clarify its use and construction.  Structure 6956 was probably built abutting the western side of 6765 at about the same time that tile structure 6807 was constructed.  Although we saw signs of burning in fill 6942 under the tile structure 6807, the quantity of ash in this area is probably best explained through dumping activity.  The source of the production of this much ash is yet unknown.; ; In conclusion, the Middle and Late Byzantine period is primarily identifiable in this trench by means of the various 11th century floor surfaces, the number of pits dug in the area, and the evidence of industrial activity.  Although there is not any direct access between this area and the Byzantine House in this period, it is clear that both spaces were actively in use.  The trench’s small spaces, the presence of ashy deposits, and external floor surfaces suggest an industrial use.    ; ; Suggestions for further excavation:; ; 1.     Continue to define the northern baulk and trace the line of backfill and cuts made in the 1930s in order to prevent contamination. ; 2.     Continue excavating contexts 6787, 6977, and 6962, all of which were paused, mid-excavation, as well as resume excavation of the pit between walls 5431, 6764, 6765, and 6775 (contexts 6759 and 6770)    Excavation in this area may help to clarify the nature of the Middle Byzantine activity in the area.  In addition, it might be profitable to continue excavation to the north of wall 6775.; 3.    Continue excavation of the area between walls 6821 and 6789 and north of pit 6840 to better the understanding of the overall activity in this area.  In particular, the excavation of pit 6929 might clarify what sort of industrial or storage activities were taking place here.; 4.     Excavation of the marble tile floor (5710) and further excavation of built pithos 5504 could provide evidence of activity in the western part of the trench; 5.     Define the rocks that have appeared just north of wall 5562 in between walls 6789 and 6821.  This might help to clarify the nature of structure 6820.; ; ; Panayia Field (NE) Report; ; The following summarizes the results of excavation of Ottoman graves in two areas of Panayia Field.  The first area is located between 987-988N and 416-419E.  The second area is further to the south between 978-980N and 424.5-426E. ; ; The excavation of this area was supervised by Dr. G.D.R. Sanders (director).  The Yellow team consisted of Panos Kakouros (pick man) Vassilis Kollias (wheelbarrow man), and Agamemnon Karvouniaris (sieve man).  Kelcy Sagstetter and Johanna Best were recorders, from 5 May – 11 May, 2010.  This excavation was, in part, filmed for the television documentary “1821: Birth of a Nation” by Anemon Productions.  ; ; The primary objectives for these excavations were to continue the excavation of Ottoman period graves in Panayia Field, which had recently been published by Rohn, Barnes, and Sanders in Hesperia 78 (2009).  In addition, the excavation of these graves could visually aid the viewers of “1821” and help them to better understand burial practices and social fabric of Ottoman Corinth.  ; ; Excavation in the first area (987-988N and 416-419E) took place on 5 May.  Two small grave pits were dug, in hopes of revealing burials.  Both of these small pits (Baskets 43 and 45) revealed disarticulated human bone beneath the topsoil.  The date given to both these baskets, based on associated pottery, was Mid-Byzantine (12th century), however this may be due to agricultural activity in the area, making the graves themselves as late as the Ottoman period.; ; Excavation then commenced in the second area (978-980N and 424.5-426E).  This area was selected because the skull of the skeleton in this burial was emerging from the baulk running north-south along 424.5E.  Excavations over the course of 6 May – 11 May, 2010 (Baskets 44 and 46) revealed an unlined burial pit oriented northeast-southwest containing an articulated skeleton. The skeleton was complete and in good condition. The grave appeared roughly sub-rectangular in shape, although the western edge had completely eroded.  The skeleton’s skull was in the southwestern part of the grave and the head appeared to have been turned to face the southeast.  The skeleton was in a partial fetal position, turned onto its right side, but with its pelvis flat and the left leg extended straight down. The right leg was bowed. The left arm was placed at roughly a 90 degree angle across its ribcage, with the hand and fingers tucked directly underneath the wrist. The right arm was extended along its right side with the palm down. The shoulders were hunched up in a manner consistent with having been dragged by the shoulders. Based on stature (approximately 5’1”) and a cursory examination of the sciatic notch, we believe the skeleton is female. Comparanda from the Hesperia supplement suggest that skulls facing the southeast and legs bowed indicate Muslim-style burials. However the lack of bowing in the left leg, as well as the careless way the rest of the skeleton appears to be placed, suggest that these features are coincidental and may not indicate a religious affinity. All of the graves immediately surrounding the burial, except one, were hypothesized to be Christian-style. Pottery found both baskets (the fill and the grave itself) range from Middle Byzantine (12th century) to the early Ottoman period. However comparanda from the rest of Panayia Field suggests that the burial is probably from the first 2/3 of the 17th century.","Session Two 2010 Yellow Team Report","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Nezi Field 2010 by Johanna Best; Kelcy Sagstetter (2010-05-04 to 2010-05-21)","","Corinth","","Report","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2010 by Johanna Best Kelcy Sagstetter (2010-05-04 to 2010-05-21)","","","",""
"North of Nezi 2010; White Second Session Report (John Tully); ; The following summarizes the results of excavations in two areas north of Nezi field during the second session of the 2010 excavation season at Corinth. These areas were:; - the area bounded by coordinates 265.90-270.70 E, 1023.65-1028.00 N.  This was known as the 'West Room' in Yellow Third Session 2009, and was excavated from 5 May, 2010, until 14 May, 2010.  For consistency, this will here too be referred to as the West Room.; - the area bounded by coordinates 275.01-276.92 E, 1027.53-1028.88 N.  This was known as the southwest corner of the 'Well Room', the east room of the Byzantine house, in Blue First Session 2010, and was excavated from 14 May, 2010, until 20 May, 2010.  For consistency, this will here too be referred to as the Southwest corner.; Supervising these excavations were Guy Sanders (director) and Martin Wells (field director). The excavator was John Tully, with assistance from supervisors and workmen in the area.  ; The objective in the 'West Room' was to complete removal of all material occupation traces, focussing initially on the area under 6624, and, in particular, to trace any sign of a possible EW road or pathway in this area.  The objective in the Southwest Corner was to trace the ashy deposit noted by Blue Third Session 2010 on the south side of Wall 5631 as continuing under the wall, and to understand better the activity in the area.;  ; Conclusions:; 'West Room'; 6923, the large deposit of large Neolithic and Early Helladic Sherds excavated last, is strong evidence for Neolithic and Early Helladic settlement in this area. ; The juxtaposition of Early Helladic and Hellenistic layers supports previous hypotheses that this area was not a focus for the classical or archaic city.; The juxtaposition of Hellenistic and Byzantine layers provides further evidence for site reorganisation and cutting-back that occurred in this area in the Early Byzantine period.; No additional evidence for an EW road or pathway through this area was found beyond the probable E-W robbing trench of the southern side of the decumanus excavated in 2009.; ; The Southwest Corner; The stratigraphy in this area was disturbed owing to a tree in the SW corner, and prior excavation in the 1960s. 6972, as the deposit nearest the tree, may have been particularly affected.  Nevertheless, its ceramic date, if accepted, gives foundation trench 6704 and its associated wall 6421 a terminus post quem of 5th/6th AD.; The consistency of the dating of the deposits below 6972 excavated suggests that this area represents the results of a single dump c 225 BC.; ; Future Considerations; Excavation in both areas was prematurely terminated, before bedrock was reached, because of the low quantity of pottery being recovered.  As such, both might be productively explored.  In particular:; West Room; The area under the redeposited fill of 6887 might lead to a deeper understanding of Neolithic and Early Helladic activity in this area.; the Southwest Corner; The area under 7008 and foundation trench 6707 might be examined to investigate activity prior to the third quarter of the third century BC.; ; 'West Room'; The West Room was excavated in the 1960s by Lattimore and Berg (NB 229, p 180), but most recently in the second and third session 2009.  Our efforts in 2010 concentrated on completing the excavation started in 2009.  As such, it was a broad, shallow dig, with several isolated parts of the room being excavated for their traces of material occupation.; ; Early Helladic and Neolithic Occupation; Most Early Helladic and Neolithic material found in this area was found in Hellenistic layers, and small, consistent with being redeposited colluvium washed down from Acrocorinth.  6923, however, was a thick, compact layer, and contained only Neolithic and Early Helladic sherds up to Early Helladic II, suggesting that this was not redeposited.; ; Hellenistic occupation; Most evidence of occupation found was Hellenistic, in layers also containing much redeposited Neolithic and Early Helladic material.  This was primarily found in the higher area to the north of the room under stone structure 6853: 6849 (2nd quarter 3rd BC), 6863 (3rd BC), 6870 (mid 3rd BC), 6875 (1st half 3rd BC), 6887 (3rd BC).  ; The juxtaposition of Byzantine and Hellenistic layers supports theories of post-Roman clearing and site reorganisation in this area.  ; The absence of archaic and classical material from these redepositions perhaps supports the notion that this area was being newly occupied in this period, with the focus of the earlier city elsewhere, further to the north.  Alternatively, this may also reflect significant site reorganisation and clearing in the early Hellenistic period.; ; Roman occupation; Roman occupation has previously been traced in this room, eg, in 6673 (1st/2nd AD), the robbing trench to the west of the western bothros.  The only additional evidence discovered for Roman activity this year was robbing trench 6893 for wall 6157, previously identified on the excavation of cut 6380 as context 6381.  Fill 6894 dated this to the late 1st BC/early 1st AD.  It is noteworthy that both of these actions are fills for robbing trenches, and that both are at a lower elevation than the layers dated ceramically to the Hellenistic period (6649 and below).  The Roman floor level, if such there was, would thus most likely have been at a higher level, one not here present quite possibly because of post-Roman clearing of the site, rather than because of lack of occupation. ; ; Byzantine occupation; Much previous evidence for Byzantine activity had already been identified in previous years in this room, down to the late 10th/11th centuries (6646).  Only two further such traces were found in this excavation. ; A feature of seven stones in two rows (6853) was revealed in 2009 by the excavation of 6624 (11th AD NPD).  6868, the fill on which the stones sat, was ceramically Byzantine (NPD), but contained a coin of Romanus I (931-944), indicating that the structure was likely constructed and in use in the Middle Byzantine period, a date also in keeping with that of 6624.  This was the only structure excavated or revealed this year.; Deposit 6903, a fill of Byzantine date (NPD), filled cut 6904, a thin cut of the southeast corner of the higher area in the northern part of the room.  Only a small section of this cut survives, as it was itself cut by cut 6665 (filled by deposit 6676: late 12th/early 13th), excavated in 2009.  Nevertheless, the profile of 6904 suggests a pit rather than a robbing trench.  In addition, the looser soil forming 6903 was only identified after excavation of 6875, a context of Hellenistic date.  As the edge of the higher area slanted here, it is possible that 6904 did not cut 6675 (1st half 3rd BC).  Alternatively, we may have missed 6904 when excavating 6675.  In 2009, the excavators believed that cut 6665, a robbing trench filled by deposit 6676 (late 12th/early 13th), cut the layer we this year excavated as 6875.  If correct, this would suggest we did miss the cut at a higher level.  Alternatively, they may have failed to notice 6904, which was very slender.; ; Southwest Corner; This area was last excavated by Marty Wells and Rob Nichols, Blue First Session 2010.   In exploring the room, they unearthed wall 6421 restricting access to the southwest corner, and excavated its foundation trench (6704: Late Roman/mid-Byzantine).  We returned to learn more about earlier activity in this area.  Excavations were complicated by a tree in the southwest corner of the room, where walls 54 and 5651 meet. This could not be removed as it was structural, and might imperil them.  Its roots had caused some disturbance to the stratigraphy.; ; Hellenistic occupation; Bar 6972, all activity was dated to the 3rd BC, and involved a large dumped fill in several layers.  These layers extended under the walls, and were disrupted by root activity from a tree in the southwestern corner of the area.  Hence, each was taken as multiple contexts.  There was a significant number of joins not just between contexts forming the same layer, however, but between layers, including between 6993 and 7008, and 6888 and 6993.  This may be owing to root activity.  Alternatively, given the close dating of the contexts, all to the 3rd century BC (2nd half, 2nd quarter, 3rd quarter, or 225 BC +/- 10 years), we might argue that the fill represents stages of a single dumping or clearance operation.  In favour of this may be that all deposits sloped to the NE, suggesting they were all dumped from the same direction.; ; Late Roman activity; 6972, a small patch of fill dated to the 5th/6th AD, was the only additional evidence of late Roman activity found in this area.  It is also the latest layer cut by 6706, the foundation trench for wall 6421.  As such, it confirms the late Roman/mid Byzantine date ascribed that trench, and wall.","2010 Session II White Team Final Report: Area North of 1961 Byzantine House - west room and southwest corner","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Nezi Field 2010 by Tully, John (2010-05-05 to 2010-05-21)","","Corinth","","Report","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2010 by Tully, John (2010-05-05 to 2010-05-21)","","","",""
"Corinth Excavations 2010 Session II; North of Nezi Room A; We, Cameron Pearson and Lincoln Nemetz Carlson, continued the excavation in the area north of Nezi opened by Rob Nichols and Martin Wells in the first excavation session of 2010. During the first week of the second session of the 2010 Corinth excavation season, May 4 – May 7 we excavated primarily in the northwest room of the Byzantine house—the ‘well room’ (6288)—bounded by walls 54, 5631, 6426, 10086, 10081, 10087, 55 and 6333 (E. 273.95-283.00; N. 1026.9-1034.78). Generally, current excavation in this area continues the work carried out during the 1960s by Henry Robinson (director) and William Berg III (supervisor).  Our objectives were to continue the work of the previous session and expose the drain structure 6727 in order to see if there was any evidence of a Roman north-south road in the area.; The following is a summary and interpretation of the first part of the second session of excavations. The director was Guy Sanders, the field director was Marty Wells, the pickmen were Thanasis Notis and Panos Stamatis, the shovelman and barrowman Sotiris Raftopoulos, and the dry sieve was operated by Iannis Senis ; Late Roman/Early Byzantine (300-801 CE); These layers are concentrated primarily in the center of the room in and around drain (structure 6827). In the Late Roman period, a sewer drain (structure 6827) was in existence, which has been dated to the late 4rd- 5th c. B.C.E. on pottery (6931, 6939, 6943) found between it and the cut for the drain (6737). It is oriented NW-SE, under the phases of the later Byzantine room and continued under wall 10086 to the east. It is unclear if it continued to the west. It is possible that it connected to the north-south drain associated with the Roman road east of room. The drain consisted of a combination of building materials: worked fieldstones, marble pavers and a collection of weathered and/or badly carved architectural members: two geison blocks, three half-columns cut lengthwise, and two unfluted (so far as is visible) cylindrical blocks, one with an offset empolium.  At some point the drain went out of use, and an extensive fill of re-deposited 8th c. material (6788) was deposited over it, followed by subsequent Middle Byzantine activity 6686 and 6682 in later periods.; Excavation west of the built part of the sewer revealed that there were no more covering slabs despite the walls of the drain curving southwest. The cylindrical rough-hewn block (not a column) with the offset empolium to the south was fully uncovered along with a badly carved half column and some worked fieldstones to the north.  They all lined the drain. It is unclear whether this part of the drain was ever covered or if it was robbed out at some point. One of the half columns was revealed lying near the bottom of the drain (cf.6867).; Based on the contexts (6931, 6939, 6943), between the drain (6827) and the cut (6737) the date of the drain’s construction is 4th-5th c. AD. It is unclear which roads or other drains it was connected to but it is likely linked with the unexcavated sewer next to the Roman road just above it to the east. It then goes out of use in the middle 6th -7th c. The top layer (6856) of the small mound that formed the western end of where the covering slabs had lain over the drain dates to the 7th c. but it could have fallen in from above as the slabs were not sealed by any means (the drain continued to the west but with no covering slabs). The rest of the fill  (6854, 6860, 6861), which was clearly from the wash inside the covered portion of dates to the middle of the 6th c.; One explanation for the different layers and types of soil inside the area where the drain was covered is that it was plugged up some time in the 7th c. The small mound toward the west of the covered area would have been created by the blocking. The half column found during the removal of the bottom fill (6867) for the drain (6827) could have served this purpose. The covering slabs to the west and any evidence of the dark silt (6854, 6861) not found outside of where the drain was covered (6832) would have been removed during this stopping up operation. The problem with this explanation is that there is no clear evidence that the soil (6867) at the bottom of the covered eastern section of the drain is earlier than the fill that hypothetically would have been used to fill up the western part (6832). Furthermore, in order for the stopping up theory to be validated, there would have be a good explanation as to why a century or two after its construction such trouble would be taken to plug it up.; A second idea is that the drain simply went out of use. However, this explanation has to account for why the soil in the covered portion of the drain contained layers of dark silt and wetter soil (6854, 6860, 6861), which were not found outside to the west (6832).  If it clogged up on its own there should be traces of this silt to the west as well. It is possible that the silt was removed while the covering slabs to the west were robbed out, perhaps in connection with the building of wall 6421 or its repair.; A third solution would have the drain simply never containing covering slabs to the west. James Herbst has suggested that there would have been a need for such drains to funnel out water before it flooded the forum to the south but it is doubtful that the drain would have been able to function without covering slabs. ; Of important note is that during a cleanup defining the edge of one of the Frankish piers (6841), a piece of Roman sculpture, most likely from a relief, was found. It consists of the right side of the face (S 2010).  ;  Conclusion; We have dated the drains (6827) construction (4th-5th c.) and the end of its use (7th c.) Notably, we did not find evidence for a Roman north-south road in or around the drain. It remains to be explained why the drain was built at such a late date. It if is associated with the road’s construction to the east it should be early (ca. 1st c.). For a clearer picture of why and for what purpose the drain was built at this time, comparanda from other Roman drains in Corinth will need to be studied. ; ; ; ; Corinth Excavations 2010 Room B; North of Nezi; We, Cameron Pearson and Lincoln Nemetz Carlson, continued the excavation in the area north of Nezi opened by Sarah Lima, Mark Hammond, and Kiersten Spongberg in session II 2009.  ; During the second week of the second session of the 2010 Corinth excavation season, May 10 – May 19 we excavated primarily in what we are calling Room B (the second room we dug this session which was called the East Room by the previous excavators) south of the courtyard in the Byzantine house— Bounded by walls 5403  to the south, 6300, 6027,  (threshold) 6285 to the east, 5483 to the west, and to the north 6267,  (threshold) 5671, and (foundation) 6245. Our objectives were to continue the work of the previous session and to search for any trace of a North-South Roman road. ; The following is a summary and interpretation of the second part of the second session of excavations. The director was Guy Sanders, the field director was Marty Wells, the pickmen were Thanasis Notis and Panos Stamatis, the shovelman and barrowman Sotiris Raftopoulos, and the dry sieve was operated by Iannis Senis.; Hellenistic 3rd Century; A series of ash pits were found in the southwest (6901, 6906, 6917) and one in the north (6924). All of these dated to the Hellenistic period with one late Roman contaminant in 6906 and three in 6926. Despite the contaminants, which probably entered these ash contexts because we mistakenly dug them before later contexts or due to overdigging, it seems most likely that in the Hellenistic period the whole area covered by Room B was an ash dump for some sort of industry. ; Late Roman 3rd C.; A large cut, as of yet undated, appears to run east-west through the center of the room. It could have been for a Roman wall along the south side of the east-west road. There is evidence for this cut in the rooms to the east and west of Room B. A small wall bit, most likely a foundation, (6968) might be what is left of the robbing out of this Roman east-west wall. The pottery on top of this wall bit (6968) dates to the 3rd c. AD (6966). Another possible small foundation for a wall (6937) runs north-south under wall 5403. The relationship between these two hypothetical wall foundations is unclear as they have not been excavated. We are also unsure if the tile dump 6916 is a structure at all (whether a furnace or another wall foundation?).  However, we can postulate that sometime from the 6th-8th c., the Roman wall was robbed out and filled with deposits 6967, and possibly 6982 and 6888 as well. Another problem left for future excavation is the relationship if any of wall 6933 to wall 6120. We had originally thought that wall 6120 was associated with paving stones 6190, which reached the wall. But since the Hellenistic ash is visible just below wall 6120 it is possible that this wall is earlier than the paving stones which are associated with threshold 5285 to the east, which the previous excavators had concluded was earlier than threshold 6261 on the north side of the room but has no precise date.   ; Conclusions; In Room B we hypothesize that a Hellenistic ash layer was probably cut for a wall of an east-west Roman road.  We exposed the cut which should be explored by the next team.  They should begin at the north west of the cut and try to decide what the relationship is between the cut and walls 6968 and 6933. We could not see evidence for the cut continuing on the area just east of wall 6933. There was a clear greenish layer passing form the western to the northern scarp of 6967, implying that the cut does not continue between walls 6933 and 6968. However, the paving stones at the bottom of fill 6967 appear to end at the northern edge of the cut, indicating that it does indeed continue along the lines of wall 6968 to the west. Other questions to answer are what is 6915. Is it a structure of a dump? Also it could be that wall foundations 6937 and 6968 formed a corner where the north south road met. What is their relationship?  ; Room C ; ; In the third week of Session II, we turned out attention to the room directly to the South of Room B, referred to here as “Room C.”  Room C was last investigated by Anne Feltovich, Catherine Persona and Emily Rush during the 2008 season. Room C, referred to as Room E by Feltovich, Person and Rush during the 2008 excavation, is bounded by walls 5403 to the north (formerly W 32), Wall 5435 to the west (formerly W 22), Wall 5435 to the South (formerly W 23) and 5346 to the east.  ; We were interested in looking into the relationship between the Room B and Room C, which appeared to be terraced above Room B, and for looking of signs of the N-S Roman road that may have ran through both rooms.  ; During the 2008 session, the previous excavators established that the wall dividing the room, Wall 5446, was the first wall in the room and the other walls in the room were built in this order.; ; a) Wall 5446 ; b) Wall 5403; c) Wall 5435; d) Wall 5434; e) Wall 5346.; Early on in the excavation, we discovered a wall (Wall 7001) running parallel with 5446 to the west of 5446.  Wall 7001 also seems to have been cut by the foundation trench for wall 5403 and thus is one of the earliest features of the room.  At this time, however, it is hard to say whether wall 7001 predates, postdates or is contemporary with wall 5446.  Two overlying early Roman Contexts (6997 and 7003) deposited between Walls 7001 and 6997 would seem to indicate that both walls predate the 2nd century AD.  Walls 7001 and 5446 also seem to be aligned with Structure 6916 (the furnace or tile dump) and Wall 6937 in Room B, but this might be coincidental.  Further investigation of Structure 6916 is recommended in order to establish its relationship, if any, to Wall 7001.; ; It seems that during the late 1st/early 2nd century AD, the area between Walls 7001 and 5446 and the area to the east of Wall 5446 (between 5446 and wall 5346) were filled with leveling deposits (6997/7031 and 7010/7021) which brought the surface of the room to the current extant height of the two walls (7001 and 5446).  At the present time, however, we do not have enough information to understand the intentions behind this action.; ; In the late 3rd/early 4th century AD, a pit (Cut 7020) was cut into the 1st/early 2nd century deposit (7010/7021) up against and to the east of Wall 5446 and a large amount of charcoal and ash was deposited (Deposit 7019).  The top of this pit of charcoal was cut by the construction of another pit above it during the 6th century AD (Cut 5380).  Fill to the west of wall 5435 (7003)  dates to the same period (3rd/early 4th century AD) as the charcoal and ash deposit, though it is unclear if the two deposits are related.  ; ; Excavations and cleaning also revealed a partial Greek inscription on the southern face of a block in Wall 5446.  Although we were able to make out and transcribe a couple of letters (as documented on Structure 5446 Context Sheet), the fragmentary nature of the inscription inhibits any further conclusions as to the nature of the writing.","2010 Session II Blue Final Report: Well Room (A), Room south of Courtyard (B), and Room South of the Byzantine House ( C )","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Nezi Field 2010 by Cameron Pearson and Lincoln Nemetz Carlson (2010-05-27 to 2010-05-28)","","Corinth","","Report","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2010 by Cameron Pearson and Lincoln Nemetz Carlson (2010-05-27 to 2010-05-28)","","","",""
"North of Nezi (Green) Report 2010 Session III: Charlotte Maxwell-Jones; ; The following summarizes results of excavations during the third session of the 2010 season at Corinth in four areas north of Nezi Field in the area previously excavated in the 1960s under the direction of H.S. Robinson.  The room immediately northeast of the courtyard was the primary area of excavation and small architecture removal operations were carried out on two partition walls forming the east and southern borders of the courtyard, as well as on two threshold blocks east of the courtyard.; ; Excavation in these areas was supervised by Guy Sanders (director) and Scott Gallimore (field director).  Our pickman was Athanasios Sakellariou, our shovelmen Panos Stamatis and Pavilos Senis, and our barrowman and sieveman Vangelis Kollias.; ; The primary area of excavation, the room northeast of the courtyard, was bounded on the north by wall 7040, on the south by walls 5741 and 7038, on the east by the large pit from the 1960?s excavations, and on the west by wall 7039.  This pit was an irregular circle that left unexcavated material to its northwest and north.  The western and northern borders of the pit formed the eastern and northeastern boundaries of our excavation area, though the room originally extended farther east.  The coordinates of the excavated area are the following: North-1039.84, South-1036.05, East-275.28, West-271.06.; ; In excavating the room northeast of the courtyard, we left a martyr around stone feature 7092 which was later removed.  This is why many contexts were dug at separate times and have multiple numbers.; ; When we excavated the lowest contexts in this room, the excavation conditions became difficult due to a system of tunnels that extended under the trench, beginning at the bottom of the 1960s excavation pit.  These were probably animal burrows, and we found plastic and other modern materials in them.  We excavated carefully and did not have any contaminated ceramics, but were unable to collect and sieve all of the soil from the lowermost units due to the possibility of contamination.; ; Summary of Room NE of the Courtyard; ; All areas excavated in this space are Middle Byzantine, mostly 11th century, with only two small deposits from the 12th and 13th centuries.; ; The earliest architectural element in this space is the east-west wall 7040, which forms the northern boundary of this space.  Several fills and features were deposited in the area northeast of the courtyard when wall 7040 was the only known architectural boundary.  First, fill 7272 was laid down in the southwest, probably as a leveling fill.  Then fill 7269 was deposited in the northwest.  During this action, ceramic and tile feature 7270 was laid in this fill.  In the far northwest, abutting wall 7040, a small pit, 7268, was dug and filled with deposit 7267, likely a pit for dumped material of some sort.  Above these leveling fills and pits an earthen floor was laid, 7231/7262.  Whatever activity occurred in this area resulted in the incorporation of thin laminae of ash into this floor.  This floor was only found in the portion of the area west of wall 7200, though it is likely that floor contiguous with this was also in the eastern portion of the room and was either cut through at a later date or, if it sloped to the east, it remains unexcavated.; ; After these deposits and floors had been laid, earthen floor 7262/7231 was cut by the foundation trench for N-S wall 7200.  This foundation trench, 7199/7221/7224/7266, was relatively straight in the east and irregular in the northwest, possibly following the outlines of earlier pits whose original deposits no longer remain.  After the construction of wall 7200, fill 7198/7265/7220/7223 was placed in the trench.  This wall likely contained a threshold, approximately 1.80 meters in width, whose upper blocks were robbed, thus preventing us from ascertaining its original elevation.  After this wall was built, a thin lamina of charcoal filled soil, 7258, was laid over the foundation trench fill in the west at the same elevation as floor 7231/7262, which continued to be used as a floor after the space was divided by wall 7200.; ; After the construction of wall 7200, there are two distinct areas of occupation, though their complete architectural boundaries are unknown.  In the west, a small area is bounded by 7040 on the north and 7200 on the east.  The western border for this area was likely the easternmost N-S wall in the room north of the courtyard.  The eastern boundary likely led via a stone threshold to the second area.  This area is bounded by wall 7040 on the north and 7200 on the west.  I will first discuss the eastern area.; ; In the eastern area, the earliest deposit visible is the unexcavated red fill.  This was cut by the foundation trench for wall 7200 as well as by two distinct pits in the south that remain unexcavated.  This was also cut by pit 7278, which was filled by a deposit of building debris, 7277, then covered with a thin layering deposit, 7282.  It is likely that there were several layers of fill and flooring over this area that were cut down significantly upon the construction of wall 7200, but no deposits predating wall 7200 have been excavated in this eastern area and because of the large number of pits over the area of wall 7200, it is unclear which floors were in use while the threshold was standing, but it is likely that floor 7274 was among them.  All direct relationships between this wall and material east of it were lost due to these pits and robbing trenches.; ; The threshold blocks and wall blocks south of the threshold were robbed out by cut 7212, a shallow pit that cut floor 7274 as well as the foundation trench, which was then filled with deposit 7211.  This was then cut on its southeastern edge by pits 7219 and 7215, which were filled with deposits 7218 and 7214, respectively.  Deposit 7214 was cut by 7210, the foundation trench for wall 7038, which was then filled with deposit 7209.  Laid on top of deposit 7214 is a thin lamina of floor, 7213, which was likely deposited after the construction of wall 7038, which bounded the eastern portion of this area on the south.  From this point on, the eastern area has both northern and southern architectural boundaries.; ; Above floor 7213 are two more floor lamina, 7208 and 7206, floor laminae that are preserved only in small patches in the southeasternmost portion of this area.  These were cut in the far south by a small pit, 7130, filled by deposit 7129, whose purpose is unclear.; ; To the north of floor 7213 is a large area of reddish flooring, 7274.  It is probable that floors 7213, 7208, and 7206 once extended over this entire floor, which extends north to wall 7040 and as far east as wall 7254, of which so little remains that its chronology is unclear.  Floor 7274 was truncated on the west by robbing trench 7212.  Floor laminae 7213, 2708, 7206, and whatever deposits that were contiguous with then were cut by a large pit, 7205, which was then filled with a very thick layer of pebble flooring, 7202/7273 that extended west as far as the northernmost section of wall 7200.  Placed into this pebble flooring was an E-W wall, 7093, which abuts wall 7254.  This pebble floor extended west as far the line of the robbing trench/foundation trench of wall 7200.  It was in all likelihood in use while this wall was standing and this is the last deposit in the eastern area before wall 7200 is robbed and the architectural boundaries change.; ; In the western area, after the construction of wall 7200, fill 7229 was laid down, probably as a leveling fill, though it is possible that it was used as a surface.  This is the only fill laid down during this architectural phase, and it is unclear why there is so much more activity in the eastern area.; ; After the dismantling of wall 7200, Fill 7194/7252 was laid down.  This is a thick fill that was cut by a large pit, first 7189, which contained three deposits, 7192, 7191, and 7188.  This was probably a dumped deposit of construction material, including cobbles and roof tiles.  Cut into this fill is the first foundation trench for wall 7039, a N-S wall that forms the western boundary of the room northeast of the courtyard.  Shortly after this first phase, represented by cut 7133 and fill 7131, another foundation trench is dug, likely to make minor changes or repairs on this wall.  This trench, 7064/7070 is filled with deposit 7065/7021; ; After this pit, an earthen floor was laid down over the entire area, 7181/7251, which was contiguous with a rectilinear section of flooring in the north consisting of closely packed broken tiles abutting wall 7040.  Also contiguous with these flooring layers is floor 7173, another earth floor section made of slightly different soil. A posthole, 7246, and its fill, 7245, present in the northwest section of flooring point to the possibility of makeshift structures.  At the time this floor was laid, the known architectural boundaries are wall 7040 in the north, wall 7038 in the southeast, and wall 7039 in the west. Wall 7093, also an E-W wall, was built directly south of wall 7040, though its purpose is unclear.  The area west of wall 7093 was disturbed by two pit/robbing trench activities, pits 7135 and 7090, filled with deposits 7134 and 7090, respectively.; ; After this earthen floor is deposited, wall 5741 was built, forming the southern border of this room.  This is an E-W wall directly west of 7038.  It was laid in trench 7178, then abutted by trench fill 7177.; ; The earthen floor layers, 7180/7251/7183/7173 were covered in small patches of reflooring and leveling fills throughout the room.  Laminae 7174, and 7168 were laid in the southwest portion of the room and lamina 7167 was placed in the center of the room. Fill 7244 was laid in the northwestern corner and fill 7172 was laid in the northeast.  In the northeastern area of the room, on the edge of the large pit from the 1960s excavations, a series of fills are present.  The truncation from the large pit makes the nature of these fills unclear, but they are deposited over the large earthen floor deposit.  These are fills 7167, 7157, 7142, and 7110. These flooring layers/leveling fills were disturbed by several pits after their use phase.  Pit 7248 was dug in the northwest corner, which was then filled with a dumped deposit, 7247.  Pit 7243 then cut this pit and was filled with deposit 7241.  Pit 7147, almost 2 meters in diameter, was dug in the south, abutting walls 5741 and 7038.; ; After pit 7147 was filled with a dumped, bone rich deposit, 7146, earthen floor 7143 was laid in this room.  Filling the entire room, this was cut by pit 7118, which was then filled with deposit 7115.  Several leveling fills/surface laminae were deposited above this floor.  7139/7240 was laid down on the western side of the room, 7119 was laid down in the northern side, and 7121 was deposited in the southeast.  When these fills had been laid down, a stone structure, 7092, was constructed in the northwest corner of the room.  This required a partial dismantling of wall 7040 and was bonded with this wall, and its purpose is unclear.  It is possible that it is a bin of some sort.  When this had been installed, a large mixed fill, 7111, was laid down over most of the room.  This was a mixture of ashy and clayey soils, and it is possible that it represents the remnants of some sort of industrial activity.  We found significant amounts of slag and black ash, and while it is unlikely that industrial activities occurred in this room, they probably occurred nearby.  Substantial amounts of ash were found in the room directly north of this, also excavated in 2010. Deposit 7111 was not present in the 0.80 m south of wall 7040 because this area was excavated in the 1960?s.  At elevations higher than deposit 7119, there are no deposits in this northern area of the room.; ; Deposit 7111 was cut by 7109, as mall pit filled entirely with soft black ash, 7108.  Deposited onto fill 7111 and covering pit 7109 were several patches of floor laminae/leveling fill, 7104, 7102, 7101, and 7100.  It is possible that all of these patches as well as fill 7111 were used as surfaces, but if so, it was not for long enough to make them compacted.; ; Fill 7105 was deposited in the southeastern area of the trench.  Almost 40 centimeters thick, it is likely that this fill covered a significantly larger area, but was truncated by both the 1960s excavations to the east and a later cut to the north and west.  It is unclear how far east it originally extended, but above deposit 7111 and its leveling fills, there appears to be a difference in activity and use of space between the eastern and western portions of the room.  While there is a very thick fill in the east, there are several nice floor laminae in the west, 7098 and 7097.  The relationship between these areas was completely truncated by a large cut, 7083, and filled with a large, debris filled leveling deposit, 7075.  This brought the room to a level surface, but it is unclear why such a cut and deposit were necessary.  Above this large dumped fill, a leveling fill/floor laminae, 7057, was deposited.  At this point, wall 5741 was rebuilt or repaired, which required the digging of a foundation trench, 7053, and trench fill, 7054.; ; Above this is the only deposit containing Frankish material, 7049.  The stone structure, 7092, contained some late 13th century ceramics, but it is likely that the continued use of this structure, and not its date of construction, are the cause of this late pottery.; ; Summary of Architectural Removals; ; Wall 5649, a small rubble built partition wall east of the courtyard, directly east of the drain, was removed, revealing a well-constructed wall, 7141.  Only the top of this structure has been revealed.; ; Wall 5784, a rubble built partition wall along the south of the courtyard was removed, revealing  a surface that appears to run onto the courtyard, so no further excavation was conducted in this area.; ; Threshold 10114, which had been pedestaled in the area east of the room NE of the courtyard, was removed, and the soil and threshold below this, 7284, were also removed, in part due to the precarious nature of their position.; ; Conclusions; ; The deposits excavated this season from the room northeast of the courtyard represent activities and occupation during the 11th century and the early 12th century.  The 1960s excavations removed the deposits later than this, and those earlier remain unexcavated.; ; Given the thick fill evident in the scarps and visible throughout the entirety of the room at the close of excavation, it is likely that there was abandonment between the late Roman period and the Middle Byzantine occupation.  The thick fill is probably a leveling and construction fill prior to reoccupation.; ; The area of the room northeast of the courtyard was used intensely as a dump from the time of its reoccupation onwards.  It was also near to an area of industrial activity, and there was probably some overflow of work into this area.  If the nature of the stone feature 7092 were known, it could clarify our understanding of the later use of this room.","Green Session III, Room NE of Courtyard, North of Nezi","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","","Nezi Field 2010 by Charlotte Maxwell-Jones (2010-05-31 to 2010-06-18)","","Corinth","","Report","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2010 by Charlotte Maxwell-Jones (2010-05-31 to 2010-06-18)","","","",""