Chersonesos 2006

Anton Smirnov's Field Notebook

27.VI.2006

Starting the trench across the Stenopos. After putting the string the shape of the thrench is: (Fig.1).Taking off the Surface1 of Stenopos. It consists of pebble stones mixed with Ø 5-10 cm stones, frag-s of ceramics and tiles. Also includes bones and slag concretions. The depth of Surf.1 layer - near 5-7 cm. It is equal to CH05 SR488.
Under the Surface1 - two layers: SR766 (Sidewalk) and SR767 (Surface2 of the Stenopos).
Fig.2.
PMP 9: 10 picts were taken. 4 highspots (prob. meaning spot heights).
From the NE the Stenopos surface is distyrbed and cut by a modern trench (SR533). On the SW the Stenopos and the prospective trench have the wall (SR292).

SR766 (Sidewalk) is a brown compact without a lot of inclusions. The depth - 5-7cm (was sharped after further excavations), width - from SW to NE – near 40-45 cm.
SR767 (S2 – Surface 2 of Stenopos is covered by SR766 under the wall. It’s very compact, hard for troweling.Consists of stones, tiles and bricks. At the sides it has reddish-black burning traces. In the center stones are mostly light. Central part is lower than edges.

28.VI.2006

Taking off the SR766 “Sidewalk”. It goes deeper than Surface2. So, for that it was decided to change the definition of Sr766 to a filling of cut for the trench. The soil includes ceramics, tile fragments and pebble stones and a lot of shells.
So, after taking off the soil of SR766 I made 2 pictures and PMP10 photos.
After that I started to discover the S2. First of all I checked the correlation of central and side parts.
Fig.3.
It seems like central yellow part is a fill of cut made in red-black surface of the street.
In the NW part of the trench border between these two different soils was loose.
Fig.4.

29.VI.2006

Continuing with SR778. Material goes: slags (iron), lacquered frags of vessels, shells. Big slabs of limb rocks appeared under the fill.
Fig.5.
PMP12. Drawing #84 by AM.
Contextes: 778 – Fill of the cut in S2.
779 – Cut in S2.

30.VI.2006

-786 – Fill of brown soil with stones – coin in profile cleaning.
-789 – Drain.
After taking off the cover of the drain:
PMP15.
Drawing #85 by AM.
-791 – Drain fill. Paleobotanical samples.
Fig.6.
SR791 – Fill of the drain. Samples go to the bags, then – for floatation. All soil in the trench goes as a Paleobotanical sampling.
1-st portion includes the material fallen from above as a result of excavation, and 2-3 cm of a fill itself. (#531).

1.VII.2006

Paleobotanical samples from a drain:
-532
-533                     -   SR751
-534
When the soil from a drain was taken off, the bottom of the drain opened. The bottom part is cut in a bedrock. It gets # SR787.
PMP18.
Photo 1157: Surface2; cut of a drain, drain-box, cut for a wall-trench.
         
3.VII.2006

Start removing of SR767 in SW part of the prospective trench. This area hadn’t such a big amount of pottery as NE had. After removing of NW part strong layer full of pottery showed up.
So, the layer of pitos gets # SR797 (in NE part) and a new surface gets # SR797 (in SW part).
PMP19 for SR796.
PMP20 for SR797.

While AM makes drawing our crew started with the area infront of an oltar in the church.
SR798 – soil in the center of the church.
Fig.6.

4.VII.2006

Removing of SR796 (Pitos) to a box(es). Several different vessels were in the same place: mixed into one compact and rich of ceramic fragments layer.
On the SW part this layer (SR796) covers big area of the Surface3.
In the middle of NE part of prospective trench above the ceramic fragments and surrounded by the – concretion of white matter (stuff) (like plaster). It seems to be filling one of  a broken vessels.
So, after removing surrounding pieces of ceramics, we’re taking the matter as an architectural sample (# (#554).
Between the surface of the street and a bottom pieces of vessels there were a traces of burning.

5.VII.2006

Cleaning of Surface 3 of the Stenopos.
PMP22 – for the surface and a drain (NE part);
PMP23 – for SW part.
After removing the SR797:
SR802 – “red” surface of the Stenopos (S4).
SR803 – yellow mix of glay and lime crumbs. Big stones come through SR802 from SR803.

6.VII.2006

PMP of SR802 and SR803: #30, 31.
Removing of SR802.
SR802 includes pebble stones, pieces of ceramics, tiles d=3 – 5 cm. Sea shells.
SR803: PMP: #32 – for NE.
#33 – for SW.
Munsell color to SR803: 10YR 5/8 (yellowish brown). Yellow compact soil includes little amount of ceramic fragments, stones and concretions of white substance (plaster). In the SW part this yellow layer gets reddish hues: traces of burning or iron stain..

7.VII.2006

We continued taking off SR803. During the trowelling in SW part of the trench yellow clay had a brown-red layer of burning. I cleaned and took a picture of two layers. In the NE part situation was the same as before: yellow clay mixed with a big rocks wich were seemed to be a bedrock earlier.
Some of the big stones were lifted up. There were several pieces of vessel collapse connected with the burnt layer. They were dated as Hellenistic.
Several stones were laying on the burnt clay and covered pieces of charcoal and the remains of bronze pin.
It was decided to separate the layer of burnt clay and give it a new number: SR818. This layer has a sloping from the Southern part of the road.

8.VII.2006

Going deeper in the NW part taking out the big (d=15 – 40 cm) stones from mixed clay surface. Also excavating SR818. It includes little pieces of ceramics with the traces of burning.
In the yellow clay pieces of charcoal were met sporadicly.
In the NE part under the layer of yellow clay the burnt red layer appeared. In the N corner of the prospective trench it seems to cover the layer of bedrock.

10.VII.2006

I made a context for the layer under SR818, it’s a SR836. It was almost clear from material and went to a bedrock. In SW corner in a bedrock depression there were traces of burning: charcoal pieces.
Under clayish yellow layer of SR836 is a layer of bedrock (SR999) with a big depressions. After a quick cleaning and refreshing the profile I made a series of pictures of a drainbox and a bedrock.

Rainy day.

11.VII.2006

Continuing the excavation of the church apse. It’s still context SR798. 
Fig.8.
In the E part of the apse it’s less bones than in the W part. On the N from oltar stone the bones quantity decreases.
Bones lay in a non-anatomical order, mixed with animal bones, shells, fragments of ceramics and tile.

12.VII.2006

We started from the S part of the church – after finishing getting one level on the whole area.
The big fragment of plaster architectural ornamentation was removed from the SW corner before. It had a human scull and a several finger bones on the layer around and a bit lower. So now we got more bones laying in proper order. Then 3 skeletons were showed up partially. They are laying at the different height.
Fig.9.

13.VII.2006

After cleaning the Skeleton 1 Renata started to remove it.
Taking off the soil from the W part of the church. It includes less bones and more plaster from the walls.
In the NE corner, between the apse wall and the remains of the wooden object (board) laying next to a human bones (photo).
Deeper in the NE part of the area this layer covers the mixed accumulation of human bones. Under the N wall of the apse the bedrock appeared, sloping down from under the wall to the center of the church.
One more skeleton was showed up.

15.VII.2006

We took off one and started to remove an other skeleton from the S corner of the central part of the church.
In the W corner – the soil gets white crumbs. In this part under the wall there are the remains of other two skeletons.
They lay at the same level with the piece of grind (mill) stone laying horizontally (SF3806). Several big stones lay in the middle of the area.

16.VII.2006

Continuing removing skeleton #3 from the S corner; taking off the soil from the W corner. After cleaning the skeletons in the W corner we took all needed pictures and removed the skeletons. At this level we had 3 skeletons (5, 6, 7), a line of stones from SW edge of the central part to its middle,  and a fragments of millstone laying horizontally. Between this line and NW wall under the SR798 new light-brown claish soil which gets #SR878.
Fig.10.

17.VII.2006

Cleaning the level of the bedrock floor. The hearth in the center, next to the apse stone (SR881). Not very deep (10-15 cm). Has a pink hue on the top; ashy and crumbly at the bottom.
Removing SR878 was began from the NW wall. It includes  not very many bones, big pieces of ceramics, several fragments of bricks.

18.VII.2006

Start to excavate the area between two thumbs in the church.
SR893 – squarish cut in the NW corner filled with upper soil.
SR894 – white crumbled lime with a pieces of charcoal above the cut in a bedrock. Was covered by a hearth partially.
 Fig.11.
PMP70 for a cut in a bedrock (SR902). Light-brown soil (SR903) covered the compact soil (SR907) wuth two tiles. PMP71.
Fig.12.
Tiles on the top of SR907 appeared to be a ceramic vessel cover laing upside down.

21.VII.2006

Taking off the fill of the cut in a bedrock in a central part of the church. The remains of SR798 covered and filled the foundation trench for the tomb.
The soil of the SR907 has been taken off.
After a general cleaning of the bedrock in the whole church one more cut appeared (SR919). It’s a squarish cut in the very center of the church. There were two nails in its fill.

22.VII.2006

The big (earlier) cut in the W of the central part of the church gets the #SR920. It is 65 cm deep in the edge parts and goes deeper deeper in the center. For we left the walls of the church and the tombs in situ they are standing above the soil layers and make a profiles. The NW wall of the church goes ca. 40 cm deeper than the bedrock layer and 25 cm higher than the bottom of the cut (SR920).

Fig.13.