| Collection: | Corinth | |
| Type: | Basket | |
| Name: | Nezi Field, context 5324 | |
| Area: | Nezi Field | |
| Context Type: | Surface | |
| Title: | tile and cobble floor of courtyard in 1961 house. | |
| Category: | Deposit | |
| Notebook: | 1101 | |
| Context: | 5324 | |
| Page: | 0 | |
| Date: | 2008/04/22 | |
| Lot: | Lot 2008-070 | |
| Stratum: | 75% tile, pottery, bone, cobbles, pebbles (various sizes) | |
| Description: | Top slope of the context is uneven. The soil color is light brownish black. The soil compaction is hard. The soil is moderately sorted. It is sandy silt. | |
| Notes: | This context represents the tile and cobble floor which was partly exposed by the 1961 excavations and further exposed and delineated by the removal of contexts 5300, 5309, and 5315. The area covered by this floor context is over half of the remaining surface area of the courtyard (from which a large section in the southeast corner and another around the well were removed in 1961), and the area at the north of the courtyard which has yet to be excavated probably represents a continuation of this same floor. The portion of the floor we excavated runs approximately 3m east and 3m north from the southwest corner of the courtyard. It goes under the western portion of the south wall of the courtyard (as did 5300 on top of it), but it runs up against the earlier eastern portion of the south wall. On the north, it ends in the cut (made by the 1961 excavation) around the well, while on the west it runs up to the top of the large rectangular block at the south end of the rubble wall and does not actually touch the rubble wall on its northern half because it is separated by a hard whitish grey patch of soil. The eastern edge of this floor disappears into the lower-lying patch of silt from courtyard runoff (5315) which was excavated yesterday since it is stratigraphically above our floor. To the northeast the floor tapers away, possibly continuing to exist as the disturbed deposit 5309 although if so, the floor was uneven indeed. The floor surface is comprised of tile fragments (up to 20 cm in length) lying horizontally along with large pebbles and cobbles packed in a hard soil layer. There were more tiles to the south and west, fewer as the floor continued north and eastward. The same is true of the inclusions in the soil, which in addition to tiles, cobbles, and pebbles, included a relatively large amount of bone, two pieces of marble (fragments or scrap, not revettment), some cement chunks (usually adhering to tiles), and an abundance of pottery. From the sieve we collected only two metal fragments and a small shard of glass in addition to pottery and tile not picked up from the ground. Due to a misunderstanding by the workmen, we estimate the loss of approximately 5% of the total tile, but even so we counted 475 fragments, weighing 72.9kg. One final feature of note on the floor was a north-south line of seven stones near the easternmost identifiable limit of the floor. The purpose of this line of stones is unclear, but all were rounded and roughly spherical, roughly 10 cm in diameter. Below this floor, we encountered several different sub-floor contexts. None of these have been excavated, but all continue to have tile inclusions, in fewer numbers than the floor above yet still lying more or less horizontally. The director has suggested that these sub-floor contexts may have served as a short-term temporary floor during a period of construction and the re-flooring of the courtyard. The westernmost of these sub-floor contexts has a brownish red soil and the greatest number of tiles while a large area under the eastern part of 5324 is a context of soft reddish brown soil with numerous inclusions. To the east and west of this soft soil are hard lumps of whitish grey soil. There may be other distinct contexts, but these are the most readily identifiable. Others will have to be indentified in the course of further excavation. In terms of the relationship between this floor and two others we plan to excavate to the east and north, they may all belong to the same period since they present a fairly uniform floor surface. The area to the north of the courtyard is the more similar of the two to the present floor but is separated from our context by the excavated areas around the well and context 5309 (which we have noted may be a very disturbed portion of the tile and cobble floor). The floor to the east of the 1961 excavation pit is harder, flatter, and has relatively few inclusions (and, no visible tiles), but its separation from 5324 by the silting context 5315 suggests both floors were in existence at the time of the silting. Hopefully further excavation will clarify these relationships. | |
| Context Pottery: | Fineware. AfRS, Form 105. 1 rim. ; Coarseware. basin2 rims. ; Cooking ware. triangular rim stew pot (1100-1270)1 rim. (saved to lot) .; Coarseware. amphora12 handles. 71 bodysherds. ; Coarseware. amphora1 rim. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. plain glazed, unslipped (800-1100), chafing dish. 1 rim. (saved to lot) .; Coarseware. pitcher5 handles. 11 bodysherds. ; Coarseware. pitcher (saved to lot) .; Coarseware. amphora1 bodysherd. ; Coarseware. pithos2 rims. 9 bodysherds. ; Cooking ware. ww, kettle. 1 rim. 1 bodysherd. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. chafing dish1 rim. 2 bodysherds. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. pre-Medieval5 bodysherds. ; Coarseware. amphora1 bodysherd. (saved to lot) .; Fineware. ww incised (700-1120), bowl. 1 rim. (saved to lot) . | |
| Pottery Summary: | 13 frag(s) 0.16 kg. (38% saved) fineware. | |
| 307 frag(s) 6.93 kg. (1% saved) coarseware. | ||
| 38 frag(s) 0.44 kg. (8% saved) cooking ware. | ||
| Context Artifacts: | iron unidentifiable 1; Bone- a mix of compact/spongy tibia of Ruminant, med (Ruminant, med) - 6 example(s).; iron nail, flat triangular shank, complete, no head, 1. Similar to MF 20.; marble revetment, white 3, schisty 3, pink 2; pithos, classical BS 2; Bone- fragment cranial of Capra aegagrus hircus (Sheep/Goat) - 3 example(s).; Bone- fragment cranial of Sus scrofa (Wild Boar or Domestic Pig) - 8 example(s).; Bone- half mandible of Canis familiaris (Dog - Domestic) - 1 example(s).; Bone- most (nearly complete) metapodial of Capra aegagrus hircus (Sheep/Goat) - 2 example(s).; Bone- most (nearly complete) metapodial of Sus scrofa (Wild Boar or Domestic Pig) - 3 example(s).; Bone- proximal ulna of Sus scrofa (Wild Boar or Domestic Pig) - 3 example(s). | |
| Period: | Late Byzantine (1059-1210 AD) | |
| Chronology: | 1100 +/-20 | |
| Grid: | 270.97-267.79E, 1030.64-1033.67N | |
| XMin: | 267.79 | |
| XMax: | 270.97 | |
| YMin: | 1030.64 | |
| YMax: | 1033.67 | |
| Site: | Corinth | |
| City: | Ancient Corinth | |
| Country: | Greece | |
| Masl: | 84.7-84.92m. | |
| References: | Report: Nezi Field 2008 by Jody Cundy and Megan Thompsen (2008-04-07 to 2008-06-13) Report: Nezi Field 2008 by Josh Gieske, Laurie Kilker (2008-04-07 to 2008-04-24) |