Corinth Basket Nezi Field, context 993

Collection:		Corinth
Type:		Basket
Name:		Nezi Field, context 993
Area:		Nezi Field
Title:		Eastern fill of Cut 870
Category:		Deposit
Notebook:		1107
Context:		993
Page:		0
Date:		2013/04/04
Stratum:		20% inclusions; tile, ceramic sherds, bone, cobbles, fine and medium pebbles, glass.
Description:		Top slope of the context is steep down to the W. The soil color is dark brownish black. The soil compaction is loose. The soil is moderately sorted. It is silty sand.
Notes:		We opened this context to excavate the sloping dumped fill on the east side of Cut 870. The context slopes down to the west steeply and seems to represent a dumping event. The soil in the context looks like it was intentionally tipped in from the top of the cut, either simply to dispose of it or in an attempt to fill in the pit. The soil is fairly loosely packed and contains much pottery and tile. As excavation continued, we found part of a terracotta lion's head spout and a marble lion's foot. Many cobble-sized rocks and tile were revealed, especially in the NE corner of the context. The NE corner also undercuts the higher levels surrounding the pit. In this undercut area, a large, roughly-squared boulder was revealed in the north scarp (possibly part of a wall?). This area also had many tiles and limestone fragments. As work continued in the NE corner, another large boulder was reveal in the east scarp. Further excavation produced more stones in the east scarp which articulate with the stones in the north scarp. This collection of stones now seems to be a wall of large boulders running roughly N-S. It also appears that the soil from the current context may, in fact, continue further under the baulk on the east side of the pit. Although we were initially concerned that we had overexcavated this area when the wall appeared, upon further investigation and testing, we now believe the soil from this context continues under the higher layers to the eat. Thus, we may have excavated this context too early. The soil contains some small flecks of charcoal and many limestone fragments, possibly from the wall itself. Several pieces of painted plaster were also found in this context. We stopped excavating the context at this point, with three courses of the wall revealed in the eastern baulk. The soild for the whole context remained dark and moderately well sorted, so we believe that everything in the context belonged to the same deposit and we did not overexcavate the area. Before continuing with this deposit, the higher levels to the east will need to be removed. When Guy arrived, Thanassis the pickman said that he thinks that the deposit cut away at the wall and does not continue beyond it to the east. WE cannot tell right now before we excavate the area to the east. We have christened this area "The Neverending Pit of Doom."
Context Pottery:		Cooking ware. collar rim stewpot2 rims. ; Cooking ware. mid byzantine amphora, amphora. 2 handles. 13 bodysherds. ; Fineware. preclassical1 bodysherd. ; Fineware. preroman8 bodysherds. ; Fineware. premediaeval5 bodysherds.
Pottery Summary:		14 frag(s) 0.1 kg. (0% saved) fineware.
		423 frag(s) 13.45 kg. (0% saved) coarseware.
		127 frag(s) 2.35 kg. (0% saved) cooking ware.
Context Artifacts:		glass, clear, greenish, base, 1, Diam. 0.024; similar to Corinth XII #798, 11th-mid12th c CE; marble, white, stopper, 1, dim. 0.044; spout, lion head, with red paint, 1; slag, 2; glass, clear, green, rim, 1; glass, panel, clear, green, bs, 1; glass, blueish green, bs, 1; bronze, pendant?, padlock shaped, 1, formerly coin 2013-25 (saved to lot); wall plaster, red, 4; marble sculpture, eagle's foot, made with running drill, 2nd century CE or later; glass, clear, green, jug base, 1; glass, panel, clear, yellowish green, bs, 1; glass, clear, light green, bs, 4
Period:		Middle Byzantine (802-1058 AD)
Chronology:		10th-11th c. CE
Grid:		260.79-259.05E, 1012.44-1013.95N
XMin:		259.05
XMax:		260.79
YMin:		1012.44
YMax:		1013.95
Site:		Corinth
City:		Ancient Corinth
Country:		Greece
Masl:		84.4-85.37m.
References:		Coin: 2013 25