Locus C.8L72.015

General Information

Locus Type:

Installation

Supervisor:

C. Peachey

Designation:

Plaster installation or surface

Reason:

Plaster

Top Separation:

Very Clear

Bottom Separation:

Very Clear

Start Date:

23 Jul, 1984

End Date:

24 Jul, 1984

Interpretation

Function:

Uncertain; may have been an area for the preparation of food or liquid; must have required some harder (and perhaps liquid retaining) foundation than the compact earth of most surfaces; though its shape is ideal as a grinding cup, the earth surface covering it is prob not strong enough to withstand that kind of abrasion

Stratigraphy remarks:

The most important information gained by sectioning the installation was that it was set into Surf 16, & prob coexisted with it; a vertical line separating the plaster of Installation 15 on the S from the earth makeup of Surf 16 on the N showed that Installation 15 was set into the ground & intended to be on the same level as Surf 16; although Installation 15 did not seal against the cornerstone of Wall 8 next to which it is located, Surf 16 did seal against Wall 8, so Installation 15 prob did also, but part of the surface may have been broken away; the S & E edges of the Installation were also broken away, as was the S edge of Surf 16; there may have been a continuous earth surface here which was later cut away; the fill of L 17 now occupies this area, so this is a feasible hypothesis; it is curious that all the pottery found within Installation 15 is EB; this may be because it is set into the EB layers below; one poss is that this feature was built in EB, & because of its strength & usefullness was preserved & reused in later times with Surf 16 & Wall 8

Balk:

Phase:

Stratum :

Installation Description

Type

Certain:

Surface

Probable:

Possible 1:

Work area

Possible 2:

Material

Limestone Qualifier 1:

Limestone Qualifier 2:

Limestone Percent:

Bedrock Qualifier 1:

Bedrock Qualifier 2:

Bedrock Percent:

0

Ceramic Qualifier 1:

Ceramic Qualifier 2:

Ceramic Percent:

0

Mud Qualifier 1:

Mud Qualifier 2:

Mud Percent:

Mudbrick Qualifier 1:

Mudbrick Qualifier 2:

Mudbrick Percent:

Nari Qualifier 1:

Nari Qualifier 2:

Nari Percent:

0

Plaster Qualifier 1:

Plaster Qualifier 2:

Plaster Percent:

0

Earth Qualifier 1:

Earth Qualifier 2:

Earth Percent:

0

Stone Qualifier 1:

Stone Qualifier 2:

Stone Percent:

60

Plan

Type:

Rectangular

Quality 1:

Slightly

Quality 2:

Remarks:

Lining

Lining:

Stone

Measurements

Greatest Length in meters:

1

Greatest width in meters:

0.6

Smallest width in meters:

0.5

Greatest Height in meters:

0.29

Lowest Height in meters:

0.19

Orientation (degrees):

20

Remarks

Remarks:

When first uncovered, this installation appeared to be a compact earth surface, like Surfs 6, 10, & 16; it was only a remnant of a surface, as all edges seem to be broken off; the poss existed that it was connected to Surf 16 (which runs along the E balk) at the installation's N-most point, however, the connection was not clear; Surf 16's S-most point also could have been a later resurfacing of Surf 16; Installation 15 is at a higher level than any of the surrounding loci; in the N half of the installation is a cup-like depression whose surface is continuous with the rest of the installation surface; it is 10 cm deep & 30 cm in diameter; it may have been a small storage cup, or used for holding or preparing some liquid or food; when the installation was sectioned, it became clear that it was made of plaster & stones: beneath 1 cm of the compact earth surface was a layer of crushed limestone plaster with a sandy texture which cannot be broken down into lumps; beneath & throughout the plaster are smaller & then (deeper down) larger limestone cobbles (5-10 cm); these in turn are set into the hard compact material of L 22; a cross-section through the installation would have a concave shape; the section clearly showed that the installation is a part of Surf 16, the separation being a vertical line; the surfaces are coplaner

Levels

Location	Top Level	Bottom Level
29	892.98	892.69
29	892.88	892.69
34	893.04	892.8

Stratigraphy

Under	Earth layer	C8L72:004
Cuts	Earth layer	C8L72:022
Cuts	Earth layer	C8L72:013
Cut by	Earth layer	C8L72:017
Seals against	Surface	C8L72:016
Seals against	Wall	C8L72:008

Pails

Number	Date	Baskets	Total	Diagnostic
37	23 Jul, 1984	2	30	0
42	24 Jul, 1984	13	26	2
43	24 Jul, 1984	7	61	2

Photos

Date	Photo Number	Subject
23 Jul, 1984	84C72363	Progress
24 Jul, 1984	84C72388	Progress
24 Jul, 1984	84C72390	Installation 15 & Surf 16
24 Jul, 1984	84C72390	Installation 15 & Surf 16