"Icon","dc-date","Chronology","Id","Collection","dc-title","Type","dc-description","UserLevel","Name","dc-creator","dc-subject","dc-publisher","Redirect"
"Corinth:Image:digital 2016  0404::/Corinth/Photos/digital/2016 season photos/2016_0404.jpg::0::0","2016/05/10","14th","Corinth:Basket:Temple E, Southeast, context 943","Corinth","Fill within Grave 2016-03 along Wall 20","Basket","Deposit","","Temple E, Southeast, context 943","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","",""
"","","","Corinth:Report:Northeast of Theater 2022, Trench 16C,  by Madson, Luke and James, Jesse (2022-05-30 to 2022-06-24)","Corinth","Northeast of Theater 16C Excavation Summary","Report","Luke Madson and Jesse James, Session III 2022 (May 30 - June 24); ; Excavation Summary:; ; This excavation took place from May 30 to June 17, 2022, during the third excavation session of the season. It continued work done in the same trench in the second session (May 2022) recorded by Kaia Brose and David Picker-Kille, for which see [prior field report]. Jesse James and Luke Madson worked as trench recorders under the supervision of Chris Pfaff (Director) and Manolis Papadakis (Assistant to the Associate Director). James Herbst (Architect) and Ioulia Tzonou (Associate Director) also offered guidance on our complex and sometimes bizarre stratigraphy and Michael Ierardi assisted with the identification of our coins. In our trench, Argyris Tsirikis was our Pickman (newly appointed) and worked hard in consultation and collaboration with Athanasios Notis (Foreman); Argyris was supported by our Shovelman Agamemnon Karbouniaris, our good-natured Barrowman Sotiris Raftopoulos, and our eagle-eyed Sieve Operator Ilias Soli (Hekuran Coli), who also picked occasionally.; ; Area Description:; ; The excavation area consisted of a rectangular trench and was designated NET 16C, that is north east of the Theater, Trench 16C. The coordinates for the area when initially opened were: 35.0 E to 41.0 E and 1387.5 N to 1385.0 N. At the time we began our rotation, the trench had three main architectural features: Wall 27 which runs slightly off N-S axis; Wall 28 running east from Wall 27 and partially embedded in the southern scarp; and Water Pipe 3, running N-S and dividing NET 16 C from NET 16 B. The excavations were carried out largely in relation to Wall 27; from May 30th to June 2nd we worked E of the wall, moving west of the wall from June 2nd to June 16th. On June 10th the architectural features of the Vaulted Drain began to emerge and on June 16th  the Amphora Deposit and Branch Drain were excavated.; ; Phases:; ; Hellenistic: ; ; We found no evidence of activities in this area during the Hellenistic period (but note that two Hellenistic Sikyonian coins were found in contexts that are dated by pottery to the 1st century CE).; ; Early Roman: ; ; We uncovered two apparent drain structures that we have dated preliminarily to the 1st century BCE: a “Vaulted Drain” (Structure 96 in iDig) and a “Branch Drain” (Structure 97), the latter containing the amphora deposit below, with significant remains of approximately ten amphoras. The Vaulted Drain, and possibly the Branch Drain, was likely built shortly after foundation of the Roman colony in 44 BCE and its centuriation at approximately the same time. The Vaulted Drain aligns with a major N/S road of the Roman era uncovered in Trench 16 B (directly adjacent to the W), a road whose width may originally have extended into our trench, although we found no direct, independent evidence of it. ; ; Vaulted Drain; The most significant structure excavated in Trench 16C during the June session was the Vaulted Drain (Structure 96), a stone structure running N-S at the west end of Trench 16C, below Water Pipe 3. As so far exposed in the trench, it consists of a wall, partial arched ceiling, and apparent floor layer. 1.74m of the drain’s N-S length has been excavated. The floor’s elevation is approximately 57.89masi (ca. 3.4m below current topsoil), and the arch’s highest interior point is ca. 1.25m above the floor. The wall of the drain (which is the western wall of the visible structure) consists of a main lower course of large, moderately worked rectangular poros stones (the largest stone is 0.79m tall and 1.22m wide) topped with a course of smaller worked poros stones (ca. 0.2m tall), possibly with mortar between them. At its top this wall curves into the arch of the ceiling consisting of smaller unworked stones (rounded, hard limestone and conglomerate, ca. 0.12–0.35m in length) and bonded into a vault structure with a rough pinkish mortar embedded with small pebbles (0.001 to 0.008m dia.). There is an apparent floor layer consisting partly of worked rectangular stones and partly of soil. The stones run beneath the bottom course of wall stones, indicating that they were set there deliberately, as part of the construction of the Vaulted Drain. Further investigation of these stones and what lies beneath them is needed. They are of different sizes and their top surfaces are now set at slightly oblique angles and elevations, making an irregular floor surface. The larger floor stone measures approximately 0.7m N-S by 0.8m E-W (visible exposed surface); the smaller stone, directly to the N, is 0.31 by 0.33m. The soil around the stones was not compacted to a hard surface, possibly indicating that other floor stones were previously in place and were subsequently removed. An alternative interpretation is that the “floor” stones are not a floor at all but served another function. ; ; The existing arch of the ceiling of the Vaulted Drain appears to peak ca. 0.25m east of the wall surface. Assuming a symmetrical arch, and that we have the highest point of the arch (which seems correct), we would expect an eastern wall to the Vaulted Drain ca. 0.5m from the existing wall. But we found no direct evidence of such an eastern wall: no large worked rectangular stones (no worked stones at all), no other large stones that appeared part of the same structure as the western wall and arch, and no inclusions of mortar matching the mortar of the arch. This evidence suggests one of two possibilities: either the eastern half of the Vaulted Drain was fully disassembled in antiquity (see dating discussion below), removing all traces of the disassembly within the area of our trench; or the drain is significantly wider than appears to be indicated by the remains of the arched ceiling. ; ; The outside top of the Vaulted Drain’s arched ceiling is covered with a reddish, perhaps clayey soil, and Water Pipe 3 sits ca. 0.4m above the top of that ceiling, also in reddish soil. During excavation, that 0.4m depth of soil appeared to be in two layers, which suggests that the pipe may have been laid some time after the Vaulted Drain was built. But the pipe appears to be centered directly over the Vaulted Drain, which could indicate that it was laid at the same time. If that is the case, it may be that this 0.4m of reddish soil was placed deliberately both as a kind of sealing layer over the Vaulted Drain and as a bedding layer for Water Pipe 3.; ; Branch Drain; Slightly to the east of the Vaulted Drain, at the north side of the trench, we discovered what we have called the “Branch Drain” (Structure 97) running roughly SE to NW. It becomes visible in its path from the E (at 36.95m in the easting in our trench, elevation 58.3masl) at a height of ca. 0.5m above the floor level of the Vaulted Drain. At this point the Branch Drain is 0.25m wide, and widens to ca. 0.4m by the time it exits the trench to the N (at 35.25m in the easting, elevation 57.95masl), with a total exposed length of 1.7m and drop of 0.25m. At its westernmost  visible point the Branch Drain is less than 1.0m from the floor of the Vaulted Drain. Some stones still in situ between the SW curve of the Branch Drain and the Vaulted Drain may originally have been part of the Branch Drain walls.; ; We only partially excavated the Branch Drain, even within the boundaries of our trench. We excavated as far E as the west side of Wall 27 (which is a much later wall, for which see below, under “Byzantine”), and have not uncovered the north or south sides of the stones that form its walls. We have also not found a point at which the Branch Drain joins the Vaulted Drain, although we presume such a joint slightly north of the boundary of our trench. Hence the description and interpretation here are highly provisional. ; ; The Branch Drain appears to consist of two walls or sides built of unworked, dry-stacked stones. At the moment of writing there appear to be three or four courses of stones in these walls, but more excavation is needed to confirm what remains of the entire structure. This Branch Drain also has a partial tile floor. At its eastern visible limit the drain is oriented mostly E-W, but curves more toward the northwest as it proceeds west toward the Vaulted Drain. The tile floor slopes down visibly, and the tiles give way to soil after two visible overlapping tile courses. The top tile shows 0.4m of visible length and 0.33m of visible width, and is 0.03m thick. The Branch Drain’s stone sides also slope downward. (Some of this slope of the sides of the drain could be a result of inadvertently removing structural stones during the excavation process. We attempted not to remove any stones that were parts of an obvious structure, but some large stones were excavated in this context and they might originally have been built into the drain sides).; ; Amphora Deposit; One of the major breathtaking finds from the trench occurred on the final day of excavation. A deposit of perhaps eleven amphoras and one mortar, mixed with non-amphora potsherds, some large stones (ca. 0.2 to 0.4m long), and soil, was found in and above the Branch Drain. This deposit, roughly in the shape of a steep wedge, was approximately 0.7m wide (N-S), 1.6m long (E-W), and 1.7m deep at its highest, easternmost point. We were not able to determine definitively whether this deposit was placed into a man-made trench, but its position directly above the Branch Drain indicates that the deposit was made into and onto that man-made drain (the soil within and around the amphoras and stones may have been deposited by natural erosion). All the amphoras appeared to have been lying on their sides (none deliberately placed upright). We did not collect elevation points on individual amphoras in situ, but the highest was found at approximately 59.35masl. All of the amphoras were broken, but the completeness of the remains suggests that none had been moved more than once or twice between the end of its functional life and its final deposition here, and that therefore their deposition was intentional and expected to be final. At least two amphoras (C-2022-7 and C-2022-20) appear to have been deposited as complete vessels, although parts of them (the mouth of C-2022-7 and one longitudinal half of C-2022-20) remain in situ in the trench scarp as of the time of writing. Preliminary analysis indicates that the amphoras date to between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE.; ; As study and cataloging of the amphora remains is ongoing, and additional ceramic material remains underneath Wall 27, this is a preliminary catalog of the approximately ten amphoras from this location: ; ; C-2022-7 (Amphora 1); Dressel 2-4 with dipinto, 1st cent BC to 1st cent CE; ; C-2022-8 (Amphora 2): Dressel 21-22 (resinous substance on interior), 1st cent. CE (cf. C-80-180) ; C-2022-9 (Amphora 3): Spanish Dressel 2-4, 1st cent BC to 1st cent. CE (fragments originally labeled C11 [Amphora 5] and C16 [Amphora 9] have been determined to be part of C-22-09); C-2022-10 (Amphora 4); Dressel 6A(?), 1st cent. BCE to 1st cent. CE; C11 (Amphora 5); see C-2022-09; C-2022-12 (Amphora 6): pompeii vii amphora, end of 1st cent. BCE to 1st cent. CE; C-2022-13 (Amphora 7): thin-walled sandy fabric amphora toe; C-2022-14 (Amphora 8); pompeii vii amphora; C-2022-15 (spouted mortar): late 1st cent. BC to early 1st cent CE (cf. C-2004-12); C16 (Amphora 9); see C-2022-09; C-2022-17 (Amphora 10): Pompeii vii; C-2022-18 (Amphora 11): Pseudo-Coan; C19 (Amphora 12); see C-2022-15; C-2022-20 (Amphora 13 = C19 [fragments originally labeled C19 (Amphora 12) have been determined to be part of C-2022-20) ; ; Water Pipe 3; Water Pipe 3 (Structure 95) runs N-S directly above the Vaulted Drain, centered at 34.645m east, with a top elevation of approximately 59.96m above sea level. Within Trench 16C the pipe slopes slightly from N to S, with a drop of 0.023m over a length of 1.585m (this is surprising because the general slope of the landscape here is gradual from S to N). Its diameter varies from 0.107m to 0.127m (the greater width is at the junctions) with approximately 3 segments (ca. 1.6m) currently exposed in situ. As noted above, the apparent continuity of red clayey soil from the top of the Vaulted Drain up to the bottom of Water Pipe 3, along with the similar orientation of the two structures and Water Pipe 3’s position approximately centered over the Vaulted Drain, suggest that Water Pipe 3 was laid down close in time to the construction of the Vaulted Drain. As explained in detail below, that was likely between 44 BCE and the mid-1st century CE.; ; ; Dating; The Vaulted Drain, Water Pipe 3, and the Branch Drain were likely constructed between 44 BCE and the middle of the 1st century CE. The founding of the Roman colony in 44 BCE provides the terminus post quem. Two separate sets of evidence provide the same terminus ante quem: the dating of the amphora deposit in the Branch Drain, and the pottery deposited around Water Pipe 3.; ; The manufacture and use of the amphoras and the mortar have been preliminarily dated to the period from the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE. A single coin was found in the amphora deposit (Coin 2022-440) and dates to between 40 and 30 BCE, shortly after the founding of the colony. The non-amphora pottery within the amphora deposit dates to the second half of the 1st century CE. These dates provide a terminus post quem for when the Branch Drain went out of use (although not a precise date as the amphoras were likely used for a significant duration after their manufacture). It is unclear how the amphoras came to be in the Branch Drain (deliberate human action? Mudslide?); it is also unclear whether they were all placed there at one time or over a long period of time. Because no material in the amphora deposit dates after the end of the 1st century CE, we conclude that the deposit was in the Branch Drain by that time, and therefore that the Branch Drain was out of use by ca. 100 CE (although the Vaulted Drain may have continued to function). Because it was defunct by the end of the 1st century CE, the Branch Drain was likely built somewhat earlier, probably at or before the mid-1st century CE.; ; Pottery found in the soil directly surrounding Water Pipe 3 (in both Trench 16C, Context 68 and Trench 16B, Context 111), indicates that the pipe was laid in the 1st century CE.; ; As discussed above, stratigraphy indicates that the Vaulted Drain was built either before or at the same time as Water Pipe 3. And because the Branch Drain is apparently ancillary to the Vaulted Drain, it is likely that the Vaulted Drain was built before or at the same time as the Branch Drain (this hypothesis should be clarified in next year’s campaign, when the conjectured meeting point slightly to the north can be explored). These two structures therefore converge on a terminus ante quem for the Vaulted Drain of the mid-1st century CE.  ; ; On present evidence it is difficult to settle on a date for the Vaulted Drain more specific than between 44 BCE and ca. 50 CE. On one hand, the Vaulted Drain appears to be a major infrastructure and planning project aligned with the Roman road. This suggests that it was part of the original centuriation of the colony and therefore was built soon after 44 BCE. On the other hand, Water Pipe 3 may have been laid at the same time that the Vaulted Drain was built. But this points to a 1st century CE date, decades after the founding of the colony.  ; ; ;  ; Late Roman (4th to 6th cent.):; ; Disassembly of the Vaulted Drain; The Vaulted Drain’s fragmentary state within trench 16C--no eastern wall and incomplete arched ceiling--and the lack of remains from the eastern wall and the eastern part of the arch, suggest that at some point the Vaulted Drain stopped being used and that part of it was deliberately removed, i.e., robbed out. The deep deposit of loose sandy fill within the Vaulted Drain (in particular from Contexts 84, 91, and 92) appears to date to the Late Roman period from both pottery and coins (e.g. Coin 2022-403 dates to 347–48 CE). The entire deposit was of similar texture and soil type, with no apparent stratigraphy between layers, suggesting that it was deposited within a short period of time. Because we failed to number the buckets of pottery as they were excavated from Context 84 (a fill whose height was 0.84m containing 34 kg of pottery), we cannot now distinguish between pottery from the top of 84 and that from the bottom, to determine if there is in fact any discernible chronological distinction between the top and bottom layers. Yet Contexts 91 and 92, both beneath Context 84 and just above the Vaulted Drain’s floor layer, also contain a mixture of early Roman and late Roman pottery and therefore indicate that they were part of the same deposit as Context 84. Hence it appears that the Vaulted Drain was partially disassembled, and filled, in the Late Roman period.; ; Bronze ring: One find of particular note was a bronze finger ring (MF 2022-39), located quite close to the Vaulted Drain’s floor in Context 91; while this ring has yet to be conserved, its basic form is that of Type 1A finger ring with a setting (Davidson 1952: 228). It is most similar to Davidson No. 1819 (Plate 102/MF 7176; cf. Davidson No. 1818). As this ring form seems to be common in Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine contexts (see Davidson 1952: 232, indicating a gap from the 5th to 10th centuries CE), it is consistent with a late Roman dating for the deposit.; ; Domitian coin: Another noteworthy find from the fill in the Vaulted Drain was Coin 395, a bronze assarion of Domitian, minted in Corinth between 85 and 87 CE. On the reverse is depicted a tetrastyle temple on Acrocorinth, seen in perspective from the left corner. This coin, with the obverse head of Domitian facing right, is an example of a hitherto unknown die combination (all published examples with this reverse pair it with an obverse head facing left). This coin, found in Context 84, is chronologically consistent with the wide chronological variety of the pottery found in that deposit.;  ; Road; Unlike in Context trench 16B, immediately adjacent to the west, we found no definite road surfaces dating as early as the Late Roman period. To the west of Wall 27 the lowest clear road surface was Context 71 or 72, both of which still contained Byzantine green glazed monochrome and other Byzantine pottery dating to the 12th century. Similar layers of road may lay east of Wall 27 but remain to be excavated. ; ; The disassembly of the Vaulted Drain and the lack of Late Roman road surfaces suggest that the area between Water Pipe 3 and Wall 27 was not used as a road surface during the Late Roman period. There may have been a Late Roman road which was either intentionally removed or naturally washed out. Perhaps a flash flood or a partial collapse of the Vaulted Drain caused the east side of the Roman Road to subside in the Late Roman period. Then inhabitants may have taken the opportunity to partly disassemble the Vaulted Drain, fill it in, and then use the disturbed area as something other than a road. ;  ; Byzantine:; ; We have found no features or objects datable to the roughly 600 years from Late Roman to the 12th century CE. 12th century features include Walls 27 and 28, apparent road surfaces to the W of Wall 27, and levels of fill to the E of Wall 27.; ; Road; In the Byzantine Period a road ran N to S along the western side of the trench, to the W of Wall 27. The width of this road may continue East of Wall 27 but this remains to be seen. While the earliest apparent layer or fill of the road contained some 6th Century CE Late Roman pottery, no layer appears to date earlier than the 12th cent. CE. The manner of road construction appears informal: rather than any sort of paved surfaces, the stratigraphy revealed a series of hard packed earth surfaces with occasional inclusions and/or potholes, though since there was no formal construction we cannot say how many road layers there were or the thickness of a given layer. The precise width of the road is similarly not yet secure. At some point in the 12th Century, a cut was made for a foundation trench for Wall 27 (below). ; ; Wall 27 ; Wall 27 appears to be continuous with a wall segment in Trench 18C to the south (although the two segments may not be in perfect alignment with each other). Its construction dates to the 12th Century CE based on pottery in the foundation trench (context no. 48). This wall (length 2.25 m running the entire width of the trench; width varies from .60 to .66 m; height 1.09 m at maximum surviving height)  is characterized by 2 large worked blocks (block (1) width .71 m; height .44 meters; thickness .36 m; block (2) width .62 m; height .70 m; width .32 m; apparent spolia from another structure) in the east face which sit on 2 or 3 courses of at least partly worked stone blocks. There are a few worked smaller square blocks in the wall placed irregularly. The west face is mostly made of irregular unworked cobbles and larger stones 6 or 7 courses high. The fill that went up and over the remaining portion of Wall 27 also dates to the Byzantine Period (Pottery NPD), suggesting the wall went out of use later in the Byzantine or Post Byzantine Periods. Notably, in the fill directly beneath the lowest course of stones on the west side of Wall 27, an intact Roman unguentarium was found (C 2022 6); when dated, this object will establish a terminus post quem for the construction of the foundation trench and wall. Wall 27 provides a 12th century eastern limit for the width of the road after it was constructed. Whether the wall was cut into the middle of an existing Byzantine road, or built against the side of that road remains to be seen.; ; Wall 28 ; Wall 28 runs along the south edge of the eastern side of the trench (length 0.41 m; exposed thickness 0.35 m in W to 0.23 m in E; height 0.15 - 0.20 m). The stones and tile on top are 0.10 to 0.15 m in width forming a sort of capping cours. Wall 28 is an enigma and remains only partially exposed as the scarp encloses the south-facing side. There does not appear to be a foundation trench on the north facing side but the soil level that is at the level abutting the wall and that was in use with the wall with the first course of stones dates to the 12 century CE (pottery). The date of this fill and the construction of the wall probably date to the 12th or later. Wall 28 appears later than Wall 27 based on two features: (i) its base is at a higher elevation than the base of Wall 28 (suggesting deposition of earth after the construction of Wall 27 and before that of Wall 28), and (ii) Wall 28 butts to the E face of Wall 27 rather than being bonded or integrated into the larger wall’s stonework. Wall 28, as it remains now, consists of three or four courses of irregular cobbles and small flat stones and tile pieces. As with Wall 27, the fill which covered the wall dates to the Byzantine Period (Pottery NPD), suggesting this wall went out of use later on in Byzantine or Post Byzantine Period.; ; Suggestions For Future Excavators:; ; A great deal of further excavation is needed to clarify this trench. A parallel trench to our south might be opened to better account for the south-facing side of Wall 28 and any possible foundation trench. Such southern exploration would clarify the purpose of Wall 28 as it relates to Wall 27 and whether it functions as an internal wall to a larger structure. Similarly, such investigation would continue to clarify the courses of Wall 27, Water Pipe 3, and the Vaulted Drain, and the course of the Branch Drain as it lies in relation to its possible source to the (south?) east. A similar parallel trench might be opened to the north as well, in order to better clarify the relationship between the Branch Drain and Vaulted Drain which may join just beyond our north scarp. Digging both north and south would also clarify the disassembly of the Vaulted Drain, and whether this occurred throughout the Vaulted Drain structure. The Amphora Deposit may continue to the NE as evidenced by the remains of Amphora 1 still in the scarp to the north and Amphora 13 underneath Wall 27 to the east. Additional amphora finds from next year’s campaign will need to be collected in relation to the amphoras we excavated to complete their conservation and show us their level of preservation. The road layers and deposits underneath, like the Amphora Deposit, may be better clarified with the removal of Wall 27.","","Northeast of Theater 2022, Trench 16C,  by Madson, Luke and James, Jesse (2022-05-30 to 2022-06-24)","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Northeast of Theater","",""
"","2014/06/18","late 13th/early 14th c.","Corinth:Basket:Temple E, Southeast, context 564","Corinth","2nd lens of fill of pit in center of room 2 unit 2","Basket","Deposit","","Temple E, Southeast, context 564","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","",""
"Corinth:Image:digital 2014  0111::/Corinth/Photos/digital/2014 season photos/2014_0111.jpg::0::0","2014/04/15","","Corinth:Basket:Temple E, Southeast, context 99","Corinth","Fill of Grave 2014-04 in church","Basket","Deposit","","Temple E, Southeast, context 99","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","",""
"","","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Danielle Smotherman and Tim Brannelly (2015-05-04 to 2015-05-22)","Corinth","2015 Session II, Frankish activity in Unit 2, Room 9","Report","Danielle Smotherman; Timothy Brannelly; Temple E, Southeast Excavations; Session II; Unit 2, Room 9; N: 1086.73, S; 1079.10 N, E: 132.85 E, W: 126.83 E; 4-22 May 2015; ; 2015 Session II, Frankish activity in Unit 2, Room 9; ; This is the final summary of the second session excavation for 2015 in Room 9 of Unit 2 in the Frankish quarter, Temple E Southeast. Guy Sanders (director) and Larkin Kennedy (field director) supervised. Danielle Smotherman and Timothy Brannelly (area supervisors) recorded. The workmen were Thanasis Sakellariou (pickman), Christos Sakellariou (shovelman), and Panagiotis Rontzokos (barrowman, sieve). ; Excavation work focused on Room 9. In Room 9, the area of excavation was bounded by the walls of the room: the East wall (Wall 659: N. 1087.97; S. 1079.86; E. 133.18; W. 130.68), the North wall (Wall 700: N. 1087.11; S. 1086.23; E. 126.99; W. 130.93), the West wall (Wall 720: N. 1086.14; S. 1079.21; E. 128.46; W. 126.48), and the South wall (Wall 729: N. 1079.62; S. 1078.48; E. 132.11; W. 128.35). Excavation in room 9 was done in order to clarify the dating and the relationship between the walls of this room to the other areas of Unit 2 in preparation for the area being presented to the public as part of the Frankish Quarter. Especially of interest was the relationship between the church and the construction of Room 9. ; ; Excavation in Room 9 was begun in Session I 2015, prior to that it had not been excavated since 1996 (NB888 P1-46). The final two days of Session I excavation, 27th and 28th of April, were spent in Room 9. In Session II, Room 9 was excavated 4th-22nd May 2015. The majority of the excavation time in Session II was dedicated to the removal of a very large pit cut into the space, which produced an enormous amount of soil, pottery, bones, and small finds. On the 11th of May, there was a significant amount of rain, which necessitated putting aside soil to dry on the morning of the 12th prior to sieving and created a backlog on the sieve. This soil was not completely sieved until the 15th.  The large pit has been a massive endeavor and the team has been greatly aided by Angela Stamati (sieve), Vasillis Kollias (barrowman), Kostas Arberoris (acting as shovelman), Wesley Bennett (sieve, pottery, small finds), Kurtis Tanaka, and Emilio Rodriguez-Alvarez (sieve).; ; Unit 2, Room 9, excavated 4/5/2015-15/4/2015; ; Frankish Period (AD 1210-1458):; All contexts excavated in the Session II excavation in Room 9 date between the late 13th and 14th centuries by pottery and coins. ; During the third quarter of the 13th century, it is most likely that the space of Room 9 was outdoor. A courtyard surface (Context 772) is preserved in the eastern half of the room, cut by several pits. That courtyard surface is securely dated to the second half of the 13th century by three William Villehardouin coins (coins 2015-227, 2015-228, and 2015-230) all of the CORINTVM type that date AD 1250-78. The courtyard surface was prepared by a leveling fill (Context 792) that was probably put down at one time, even though the pottery represents a mix of periods, because the fill is homogenous throughout. The fill contained three minor finds: a marble stopper (MF-2015-18), a fragment of a glass bracelet (MF-2015-17), and a glass tessera with gold leaf (MF-2015-34). The leveling fill was above an earthen surface, which was not excavated this season. The fill is also securely dated to the second half of the 13th century by three definite William Villehardouin coins, two CORINTI (coins 2015-266 and 2015-313), the other a CORINTVM (coin 2015-312), and two other coins that are most likely also Villehardouin CORINTVM or CORINTI (coins 2015-316 and 2015-320).; ;  A large pit (Context 733/717/726/747, L. 5.7 m, W. 3.1 m, N. 1083.88; S. 1079.99; E. 130.80; W. 127.50) was dug into the courtyard surface during the fourth quarter of the 13th century and filled with a mix of pottery, animal bones, industrial rubbish such as iron crucibles, part of a glass kiln, and domestic refuse including crochet hooks. The middle layer in the pit, Context 726, contained a stamped amphora handle from Zakynthos (C-2015-1), and the following minor finds: an iron weight (MF-2015-11), an iron door handle (MF-2015-10), an iron knife (MF-2015-35), an iron blade (MF-2015-38), a square iron buckle (MF-2015-36), a pierced bronze disc (MF-2015-37), a bone die (MF-2015-30), a bronze pendant (MF-2015-33), a glass bead (MF-2015-39), a silver pendant (MF-2015-9), and a silver necklace with a coral pendant, silver cross, bronze cross, and glass bead (MF-2015-21). The top level of the pit, which spills outside of the cut of the pit, included a pilgrims’shell (MF-2015-19) and a bronze earring (MF-2015-40). The pit most likely represents a trash dump that may not reflect the use of nearby spaces. Excavation of the pit also revealed the side of a cistern, which was not excavated this session as it remains under nearly a meter of fill in the eastern half of the room. ; ; Numismatic finds in the pit were numerous with a total of 40 coins found, several of which securely date to the Frankish period. In addition to several Byzantine coins, several of which belong to Manuel I, AD 1143-1180 (coins 2015-143, 2015-161, and 2015-204), Context 726 yielded several Frankish coins belonging to William Villehardouin as well as several French Royal coins also belonging to the 13th century. Coins 2015-124 and 2015-127 are Villehardouin CORINTI coins, Coin 2015-139 is a Villehardouin CORINTVM coin (both dated c. 1250-1278). Coin 2015-138 is a French St. Martin of Tours coin utilizing the imagery of the castle Tournois, which Villehardouin also used on some of his coins, dated to the 13th century, while coins 2015-145 and 2015-201 belong either to the reign of Louis VIII or Louis IX and are dated 1223-1270. In addition, coin 2015-149, although illegible, is most likely either a French royal or a Frankish Villehardouin coin. Likewise, Context 747, the lower sense of the large pit, yielded a similar assortment of coins, albeit a smaller number. Several of the coins from Context 747 were unfortunately illegible, but are most likely Frankish, including coins 2015-184 and 2015-186. The only secure Villehardouin coin from context 747 is Coin 2015-164, a CORINTVM type. Furthermore, the deposit at the bottom of the pit (Context 773), which, according to pottery, is actually not part of the pit and represents the level to which the pit was cut, has a date of the fourth quarter of the 13th century, indicating that the pit must have been cut and filled during the later part of the fourth quarter of the 13th century. Context 773 also yielded a single Villehardouin CORINTI coin (Coin 2015-215), which may have found its way into this lower level when the pit was cut. For a list of all the coins by their respective contexts and with their dates, see the attached chart. It is worth noting that none of the coins postdates William Villehardouin and 1278.; ; In the fourth quarter of the 13th century, the area ceased to be used as a trash dump and became an indoor space. The first wall definitely constructed in the space of Room 9 was the North wall (Wall 700: N. 1087.11; S. 1086.23; E. 126.99; W. 130.93). The pottery from the foundation trench for the N. Wall, Context 706, indicates a date of the fourth quarter of the 13th, and the three Villehardouin CORINTVM coins from the trench, Coins 2015-111, 2015-112, and 2015-113, can be dated 1250-1278, thus confirming the date from the pottery. A leveling fill which covers the foundation trench also dates to the late 13th century by the pottery (Context 696) and indicates the beginning of the indoor use of the space. The floor itself was excavated in 1996 (NB888 B38 P42; NB888 B41 P45-46), at a higher elevation. The East wall (Wall 659: N. 1087.97; S. 1079.86; E. 133.18; W. 130.68) and its respective foundation trench (Contexts 673/672) is only generally dated to the early 14th and late 13th centuries by the pottery. The West wall (Wall 720: N. 1086.14; S. 1079.21; E. 128.46; W. 126.48) rests on the bottom of the large pit (Contexts 733/717/726/747), which could have served as the foundation trench for the wall in the late 13th century and was partially robbed out in the later 13th/early 14th centuries, so the foundation and the robbing out of the wall may be very close in time (Contexts 664/663). Excavation thus far has not indicated a date for the South wall (Wall 729: N. 1079.62; S. 1078.48; E. 132.11; W. 128.35), but it may be contemporary with Wall 720 because they do meet at the SW corner of the room along with Wall 156. It is not clear how the walls bond, so their stratigraphic relationship is in question. In general, the corners of the room are obscured or the walls appear to rest against one another without clear stratigraphic relationships: the Northwest corner of the room is obscured by a robbing trench (Walls 700 and 729), the Northeast corner includes touching walls (Walls 659 and 700), the Southeast corner is disturbed by the pit in the corner (Walls 659 and 729), and the Southwest corner (Walls 720 and 729) meet. It is possible that the relationship at the corner of 729 and 720 could be clarified by further excavation, but it is not clear at the current level of excavation. Wall 729 was later extended to the west by Wall 156, which dates to the mid- to late-13th century (cf. Bennett Session I summary), indicating that Room 9 was an interior space prior to either the creation of an enclosed passageway north of the Church or prior to the enclosure of the southern end of Room 8.; ; Multiple layers of fill, unevenly distributed in the room, were excavated and represent multiple depositional activities in the space during the late 13th - early 14th centuries, dated generally by the pottery (Contexts 652, 674, 676, 679, 683, 685, 699, 694, 704, 712, 715). These layers of fills appear to be contained within the walls, with only the unexcavated earthen surface appearing to go under the east wall (Wall 659).  In part, some of these could be leveling fills to raise the floor level, possibly to the 14th century floor level excavated in 1996, a small portion of which was excavated in Session I (NB888 B38 P42; NB888 B41 P45-46; Contexts 628 and 634). Among the levels of fill, a bronze hinge comes from a layer of ashy fill (MF-2015-32, Context 652), a lead mending strip was recovered from Context 712 (MF-2015-20), a lead seal was recovered in the trench 692/695 (MF-2015-31), and another bone die in the fill directly above the pit (MF-2015-29, Context 685). It is possible that the space went out of use for a short period of time when two small and relatively shallow circular rubbish pits (Contexts 660/665 and 661/666), a small post hole (Context 689), and a larger rectangular trench of unknown use (Context 695/692, L. 1.87 m., W. 1.0 m., D. 0.20 m., N. 1083.60; S. 1083.00; E. 129.50; W. 127.68) were cut into the fill.; ; Above the tile floor removed in 1996, the previous excavators also encountered a layer of destruction debris, primarily tiles, which was originally dated to the late 13th-early 14th century and now thought to be 14th century in date (NB888 B32 P36, NB888 B37 P41) providing evidence for when the room went out of use. ; ; Early Modern:; The pit in the center of Room 9 is a later intrusion (NB888 B18 P22-23; NB888 23 P26; NB888 B24 P27; NB888 B25 P28). It was excavated in 1996 to a total depth of 0.80 m and the material of the fill dated primarily to the 18th and 19th centuries, with some earlier materials included (a 12th century coin, Coin 1996-150, and some 16th century pottery). The final lense in the pit contained 13th century pottery, but this most likely indicates material disturbed by the cut of the pit rather than the date of the pit itself. This pit cut through a portion of the large pit (Contexts 733/717/726/747) excavated in Session II. ; ; Future goals:; 1.    Full inventory of all the minor finds from Room 9. As time was limited, not all minor objects were fully inventoried by the end of Session II, although all were noted. These objects can provide more information on the use of the space in the late 13th-early 14th centuries. ; 2.    Try to find a foundation trench for the South wall (Wall 729) of Room 9 to help clarify the construction dates of the wall as well as to identify the relationship between Wall 729 and Walls 270, to the North, and 156, to the West. ; 3.    Explore the cistern under the courtyard, the side of which was revealed by the excavation of the large pit, and which needs to be excavated and filled prior to the final consolidation of Room 9. ; 4.    Further excavate the room to get a better understanding of its function prior to becoming an indoor space and its relationship to the church. ;  ; APPENDIX I: COINS; ; Context 639; Coin 43 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); ; Context 647; Coin 49 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 51 (sieve)    Frankish (1223-1250); Coin 53 (sieve)    Frankish (1200-1299); ; Context 652; Coin 56 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 57 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 62 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 63 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 64 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 65 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); ; Context 663; Coin 75 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); ; Context 676; Coin 91 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); ; Context 679; Coin 93 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 94    Illegible; Coin 95    Frankish (1223-1270); ; Context 683; Coin 96 (sieve)    Not a coin; ; Context 688; Coin 97 (sieve)    Frankish (1223-1270); ; Context 692; Coin 98 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); ; Context 696; Coin 100 (findspot)    Frankish; Coin 106 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); ; Context 704; Coin 109 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); ; Context 706 (foundation trench for Wall 700); Coin 111 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 112 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 113 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); ; Context 715; Coin 130 (sieve)    Frankish ; Coin 117 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 132 (sieve)    Not a coin; ; Context 717 (top of large pit?); Coin 118 (findspot)    Greek (400-300 BC); Coin 119 (sieve)    Frankish (1223-1270); Coin 120 (findspot)    Byzantine; Coin 121 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1184); Coin 122 (sieve)    Greek ; Coin 123 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 125 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 126 (sieve)    Frankish; ; Context 720 (Wall, under a loose rock); Coin 212 (findspot)    Illegible; ; Context 726 (large pit); Coin 124 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 127 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 128 (findspot)    Roman Imperial; Coin 129 (sieve)    Frankish; Coin 137 (findspot)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 138 (findspot)    Frankish (1235-1278); Coin 139 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 141 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 143 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 144 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 145 (findspot)    Frankish (1223-1270); Coin 149 (findspot)    Frankish (1223-1270); Coin 152 (sieve)    Byzantine (1150-1190); Coin 153 (sieve)    Byzantine ; Coin 154 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 155 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 156 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 159 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 160 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 161 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 162 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 194 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 201 (sieve)    Frankish (1223-1250); Coin 203 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 204 (sieve)    Illegible; Context 747 (large pit); Coin 163 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 164 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 180 (sieve)    Byzantine (1082-1118); Coin 181 (sieve)    Byzantine (1075-1080); Coin 183 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 184 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 185 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 186 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 187 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 196 (sieve)    Byzantine (1078-1081); Coin 199 (sieve)    Byzantine (1070-1095); Coin 202    Not a coin; ; Context 772 (courtyard paving); Coin 227 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 228 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 229 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 230 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 231 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 232 (sieve)    Byzantine (1143-1180); Coin 261 (sieve)     unread; ; Context 773 (level at bottom of large pit); Coin 213 (sieve)    Byzantine; Coin 215 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); ; Context 792 (leveling fill under courtyard paving); Coin 261    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 262 (findspot)    Greek Imperial (193-217); Coin 266 (findspot)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 268 (findspot)    Byzantine (1081-1118); Coin 270 (findspot)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 291 (sieve)    Roman Imperial; Coin 293 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 309 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 310 (sieve)    Byzantine (1204-1261); Coin 311 (sieve)    Roman Imperial; Coin 312 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 313 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 314 (sieve)    Roman Imperial; Coin 315 (sieve)    Roman Imperial; Coin 316 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 317 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 318 (sieve)    Illegible; Coin 319 (sieve)    Not a coin; Coin 320 (sieve)    Frankish (1250-1278); Coin 321 (loose dirt in Wall 659)    Frankish (1250–1278)","","Temple E, Southeast 2015 by Danielle Smotherman and Tim Brannelly (2015-05-04 to 2015-05-22)","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","",""
"","","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Larkin Kennedy and Jody Cundy (2014-05-06 to 2014-06-27)","Corinth","Sessions 2-3 of 2014: Church Nave, Unit 2 of the Frankish Quarter","Report","N-S 1074.64-1071.50; E-W 125.50-122.70; Session 2-3 Final Report, June 27, 2014; ; This is the final report of the second and third sessions during the 2014 excavations in the church nave in Unit 2 of the Frankish Quarter of the Temple E, Southeast area. Guy Sanders (Director) and Jody Cundy (Field Director) supervised. Larkin Kennedy worked as area supervisor and pickwoman with Angeliki Stamati(barrow and sieve) and Panagiotis Ronzokos(shovel, barrow, and sieve) during Session 2. In Session 3, work in this area continued under the supervision of Jody Cundy, with Athanasios Sakellariou (pickman), Christos Sakellariou (sieveman), and Vasilis Kollias (barrowman).; ; The excavation area was the NW quadrant of the church nave in the Unit 2 complex. Excavation under Larkin Kennedy concentrated on the graves in the area abutting the wall that separates the nave from the narthex. Jody Cundy excavated the remaining grave in the central aisle of the nave and the surrounding fills. The nave was previously excavated during the 1990 field season (NB 831, 835), at which time the southernmost grave along the narthex cross wall (Grave 1990-41, burial events A-C) was recorded and the layers of fill inside the church were removed to the level of a cement subfloor. Excavation in this area continued during Session I of the 2014 field season under the supervision of Maggie Beeler and Morgan Condell, during which time the cementsubfloor was sectioned and a lower surface uncovered.Graves 2014-03 and 2014-06, which cut this subfloor and contemporary fills, were excavated during Session 1. Just to the east of the later threshold to the narthex (Structure 22), Session 1 then proceeded to begin investigation of Grave 2014-04. Excavation of this grave was completed by Larkin Kennedy during Session 2, following which excavation proceeded north along the narthex cross wall (Wall 21).; ; The excavation area was bounded to the north by the north wall of the church (Wall 20, 1075.11-1074.52 N, 129.51-122.06 E) and its robbing trench, and to the west by the narthex cross wall (Wall 21, 1074.44-1067.99 N, 123.52-121.98 E) and the later threshold (Structure 22, 1072.09-1070.55 N, 123.31-122.25 W) built into it. The southern (1070.50 N) excavation boundary was established for sectioning and aligns with the excavation grid. Excavation proceeded east as far as 125.50 E during Session 3. Two graves (2014-04 and 2014-07) and a bench-like structure (Structure 302) associated with the northern grave (Grave 2014-07) were removed during Session 2. Grave 2014-10 and the fills to the east of this grave and surrounding the NW pier (Structure 23) were excavated during Session 3.; ; The primary goals of these sessionsincluded the completion of excavation of the commingled burial in Grave 2014-04 east of the threshold (Structure 22) and finding the eastern extent of this grave (Cut 188) in order to evaluate its chronological placement in relation to the cement subfloor (Context 47). As excavation of this grave revealed the articulated feet of an inhumation in Grave 2014-07 to the north, the investigation of this northerly grave also became a priority in order to better understand the use of this space in later periods. Fills to the east and north of Grave 2014-07 were then removed to determine the relationship of these graves to Graves 2014-03 and 2014-06 as well as whether the use of the church as a cemetery occurred after the church was no longer in use, as judged by the relationship of these graves to the cement subfloor. Secondary goals for session 2 included examiningsequences of burial episodes for Graves 2014-04 and -07 relating to differences in grave usage, and identifying means of recording commingled graves which would enhance productivity while preserving evidence for mortuary behavior.; ; FRANKISH PERIOD (1210 - 1458 AD); ; Bench-like Structure; ; Construction of a bench-like structure up against the narthex cross wall (Wall 21)occurred during the earliest phase of activity in this area. Structure 302 (1073.63-1072.22 N, 123.25-123.05 E) is aligned with Wall 21 north of the late threshold (Structure 22). This structure (L. 1.38 m, W. 0.30) consists of a single regular course (H. 0.11) of conglomerate and limestoneboulders and tile fragments, many reused and with cement adhering to their sides. The larger boulders were placed along the exterior face of the structure and measure 0.27 to 0.18 m long and 0.17 to 0.16 m wide. Tile fragments and smaller boulders, measuring 0.18 to 0.08 m long and 0.13 to 0.07 m wide, were placed in the interior along the east face of Wall 21. The presence of iron nails at the north end, both along the east edge and in the later, adjacent grave fill (308) as well as where this possible bench meets the narthex cross wall, suggest that an associated wooden structure may have extended up the wall. The leveling fill (Deposit 324) for this structure consisted of horizontally-laid tiles and rubble in a cut along the narthex cross wall (Cut Context 338,1073.85-1072.21 N, 123.25-122.75 E) which extends slightly beyond the north and south edges of the structure. Within this bedding were found an illegible coin (2014-139), a bronze handle for hanging glass lamps (MF 2014-33) and four joining fragments of a large Roman marble volute krater (most probably belonging to MF 1996-49 but non-joining), horizontally laid and used in a similar fashion as the tiles for leveling fill. The pottery in this deposit dates the construction to the early 14th century, including a heavily incrusted slipped protomaiolica plate, an unslipped metallic ware pitcher, and a slipped late sgraffito bowl. ; ; Further evidence for an early 14th century date for this structure stems from the non-joining portion of the Roman volute krater MF 1996-49 discovered during the 1996 excavation in Room 4 (D) of Unit 2. This large fragment covered the head and torso of an extended burial in Grave 1996-21 (NB 864, pp. 190-191, Bone Lot 1996-72), originally dated to the 13th century. Though both the large fragment in Grave 1996-21 and the smaller fragments in the bedding fill for structure 302 are present in at best secondary contexts, their reuse suggests either a contemporary construction based on common availability of building materials, or an even later, tertiary reuse of the volute fragments in the construction of the bench-like structure. In the latter case, these four joining fragments could have been used, when complete, to cover the head of a burial in a manner similar to that found in Grave 1996-21 and contemporary with it. When this grave was later disturbed during construction of the bench-like structure, the volute fragments were then reused yet again in the bedding fill. Support for this suggestion includes the large amount of disarticulated human bone also found in the bedding fill.; ; Osteological Inventory of Bone from Disturbed Graves; ; The inclusion of human skeletal materialwas common in fills dating to at least the late 13th, early 14th century AD in the church. A preliminary osteological inventory of bone recovered during the first and second sessions for the 2014 field season highlights that human skeletal remains outnumber faunal in 8out of 16 total sieved contexts from the church which were not otherwise directly associated with a human skeleton (cf. Deposits 14, 28, 49, 61, 74, 204, 308, and 324, in Bone Lot 2014-21). As a contrast, of the other 358 deposits which were sieved 50% or more during sessions 1 and 2 outside of the church area and which were not associated with graves, only two were observed to contain human bone. Deposit 141- leveling fill for the road north of Room E- contained an isolated fragment of proximal tibia, while Deposit 64 – a clay surface north of Room F –contained a few extremely fragmentary human skeletal remains. Both deposits contained more faunal than human skeletal elements. The inclusion of such high concentrations of disarticulated human bone in many church contexts indicates that earlier phases of church use included a burial component. Later construction in the church disturbed these graveswhich were then re-depositedas fill during the renovation process. As the remaining 8 sieved contexts from the church that were not directly associated with burials did not contained a large amount of bone, human or faunal, inclusions (cf. Deposits 67, 69, 70, 77, 81, 83, 105), this indicates that some fill was brought in from an outside source as well. In the case of Deposit 335 under the cut of the bench-like structure (Structure 302), as this deposit was dug out of sequence, it may date much earlier than the rest of the material excavated thus far. Further excavation may clarify its chronological placement and the depositional processes which gave rise to it. Osteological analysis and the removal of earlier graves in the nave may furthermore make it possible to determine the chronological placement of the early burials to which these isolated elements originally belonged, and their relationship to church use and renovation.; ; Cosmati-style floor ; ; A decorative flooring installed in the nave constitutes evidence for the latest use of this space as an enclosed space in the Frankish period. This may have occurred as part of renovations contemporaneous with the construction of the bench-like structure (Structure 302), though the relationship of the structure to the flooring is obscured by later graves along the narthex cross wall (Structure 21). Portions of the cement and plaster bedding for this flooring were exposed in situ and in a fragmented state in the 1990 field season, and a portion of it was excavated during Session 1 of the 2014 field season (Context 47, 1072.81-1071.78 N, 126.01-125.10 E). This bedding appears to have been laid across the center aisle of the nave. Evidence for the original Cosmati-style floor resting on this subfloor is represented by numerous fragments of marble tesserae and green-veined marble paving slabs (Lot 2014-001). Fragments of flooring indicate that grey, white, black, and red tesserae, 1-2 cm squares, were originally cemented in a decorative pattern through the center aisle of the church nave, and may have been bordered by wider white marble bands (cf. Lot 2014-001:1). Outside of the center aisle, the subfloor supported marble slab paving, such as that in situ in the church narthex, or partially preserved around the piers inside the church (Contexts 502, 506, 507). Tesserae and fragments of cemented subflooring were found in secondary context throughout multiple deposits (Contexts 52, 77, 83, 99, 105, 112, 129, 204, 347, and 508), all of which dating by pottery to the late 13th to early 14th century AD. As these deposits appear to be composed of fill redeposited from later digging, especially for graves, in the church, one fragment of sgraffito IV (1300-1400) can be used as a terminus post quem for the floor itself. ; ; TURKISH I PERIOD (1458 – 1680 AD); ; During the Turkish I period, this area undergoes its latest period of use as a cemetery. Portions of the cosmati-style flooring were found in the fill of Graves 2014-03, 04, 06, 07, and 10, indicating that all of these graves were dug through this floor, or the remains of this floor, during the following time period.As the decorative flooring was damaged and not repaired, and marble architectural remains were reused as grave markers in the church at this time, this space does not appear to have been in use as a church any longer at this time. It is unclear, however, how long this enclosed structure remained in use as a church before its abandonment and subsequent reuse as a cemetery. The graves themselves are preliminarily dated to at least the 15th century due to this presumed passage of time.; ; The earliest use of this space in this time period appears to have been limited to a sequence of burial activity along the east face of the narthex cross wall (Wall 21), starting in the northwestern corner of this space and then continuing south. ; ; Grave 2014-07 ; ; The northernmost Grave 2014-07 (Cut Context 317, 1073.89-1071.96 N, 123.90-122.75 E, filled by Deposits 308 and 347) was cut along the side of the bench-like structure (Structure 302) against Wall 21, and slightly undercuts the bench itself. The presence of a few iron nails in the upper levels of the grave fill (308) along with a fragment of the same or similar Roman stone volute krater (MF 1996-49E, non-joining) as that found in the leveling fill for structure 302 attest to the grave cut (188) skimming the eastern edge of the structure and dislodging material which became redeposited in grave fill. Grave 2014-07 consists of an oval pit grave (L 1.98 m, W0.825 m, Depth 0.73 m)which went through two distinct burial episodes. ; ; The original inhumation, a probable male, middle adult in age at death (30-40 years by pubic symphysis and ilium auricular surface morphology), was disinterred in order to reuse this grave. As many of the skeletal elements were broken, this individual was most likely covered with earth during burial ritual. After a new interment was placed in the grave and a layer of grave fill and tile were used to cover the body, these bones were returned, resulting in a disarticulated secondary bone pile (Skeleton 391, Bone Lot 2014-15) partially covering the abdomen and spilling over to the east of the later interment. This bone pile also includes the more fragmentary skeletal remains of two other adults of indeterminate age and one infant, and may represent elements from Frankish period burials disturbed during the construction of this grave. To the west of the later interment, other disarticulated remains (Context 472, Skeleton 473, Bone Lot 2014-15) were found which can be assumed to have originally belonged to one such earlier grave cut into by Grave 2014-07. This earlier grave remains unexcavated and extends south and west as well as lower into the fill underlying the bench-like structure. ; ; The primary adult inhumation (Skeleton 375, Bone Lot 2014-16) was placed in a supine, extended position, oriented N-S with the head to the north and propped up by the northwest corner of the grave cut. Mounded tiles and earth elevated the head and shoulders slightly above the rest of the body, though no tiles or stones were used to keep the mandible in place. The arms were crossed over the abdomen, palms down, with the right arm over the left and the left fingers curled. The legs were extended straight, the right foot turned slightly out. This male was a middle adult (40-44 years of age) at time of death with a maximum height of 1.7 m. Dental health of this individual was particularly poor given age at death, with the mandible almost entirely edentulous. Evidence for the initial burial behavior accompanying the disarticulated remains exists in the form of the left hand bones found semi-articulated under the right ribs of the primary inhumation. These remains seem to indicate analogous burial behavior to that of the primary inhumation, with the arms crossed over the chest and abdomen of an extended burial.; ; The overlying grave fill (308, 347) contained many iron nails, possibly attesting to the presence of a coffin associated with the early burials in this area, along with fragments of glass beakers, glass lamps and their bronze handles (cf. MF 11122, MF 2014-33), an iron hook, possibly used as part of a latch, a large amount of disarticulated human bone, and fragments of Cosmati flooring. Two coins from the fill (2014-150 and 2014-152) were both illegible. After filling the grave, an inverted marble column capital decorated on each short side with a cross in a circle and sculpted leaves on the corners was reused as a grave marker (A 2014-4). The grave fill (Contexts 308 and 347; Lot 2014-35) dates to the mid-14thcentury or later, on the basis of a possibly late medieval, combed cone pitcher and a Venetian I bowl associated with a variety of otherwise late 13th to early 14th century sherds. The late 13th to early 14th century remains, including the majority of the pottery, the glass lamps, the metallic ware pitchers, and the disarticulated human bone, all point to an earlier use of the church as a cemetery which was disturbed by the later construction of this grave, with the grave fill accordingly consisting of reworked, earlier grave fills and material dating to this earlier, Frankish use of this church. The construction of this grave and the burial episodes themselves are dated to at least the 15th century due to its association with the decorative cosmati-style flooring.; ; Grave 2014-04 ; ; Grave 2014-07 was truncated by a grave to its south, which was located east of the narthex cross wall threshold and was truncated in turn by later Grave 1990-41A-C. Grave 2014-04 (Cut 188, 1072.21-1070.45 N, 124.14-123.20 E, filled by deposits 99, 204, and 242), abuts the filling for the later threshold (Structure 22) and is aligned with Wall 21, cutting the cement bedding for the cosmati floor (47) to the east. This subrectangular pit grave (reconstructed L 1.98 m, actual W 0.94 m, Depth 0.45 m) was dug into fill covering an earlier built cist grave, partially disturbing the earlier grave’s west wall of built limestone blocks and the interred burials. This cist grave, which remains unexcavated, would have originally been built up against the narthex cross wall, with wall 21 forming its west boundary and one course of limestone blocks delimiting its eastern extent (reconstructed L ca. 1.75 m, W 0.45 m). The largest of these blocks, possibly still present in situ in the northeast corner of Grave 2014-04, measures 0.38 x 0.20 m. A number of skeletal elements from this earlier grave were left in the bottom of the grave cut as represented by the skulls of one adult (Skeleton 282, Bone Lot 2014-11) and one subadult (Skeleton 283, Bone Lot 2014-14), which were damaged by this later grave cut.; ; This grave pit was then used for a series of primary inhumations over a number of years, with the latest primary inhumation consisting of an adult (Skeleton 121, Bone Lot 2014-04) in an extended supine position overlying Skeletons 282 and 283, arms crossed over the torso and abdomen with the right arm over the left. The head and shoulders were propped up at the northern end of the grave on a deposit of earth and tile, the head facing south. No tiles were placed alongside the face or under the mandible. The bones from a number of individuals forming a secondary inhumation were piled over the legs and feet in the south half of the grave, and overflowed to rest on the limestone blocks of the disturbed west wall of the earlier cist grave while a few elements tumbled off the pile to rest near the shoulder of the primary inhumation. These bones included at least five individuals, represented by a preliminary count of the four intact skulls (Skeleton Contexts 278-281, Bone Lots 2014-7 to 14) and the skeletal remains of at least one subadult, probably an infant, and appear to have been commingled prior to their inclusion in Grave 2014-04. This pile of disarticulated human bone might represent the remains of previous primary interments in this grave. This would indicate that Grave 2014-04 remained open for an extended period of time, wherein it went through at least four episodes of removal of skeletal remains from previous burials followed by reuse through interring the new body in an extended position and placing the now disarticulated remains of previous burials on the legs and feet. The grave does not appear to have been filled, or the bones covered with dirt, between burial episodes. The surface of the grave may have been covered with a stone or wooden slab during this time, as the majority of the commingled skeletal elements appear relatively undamaged. The ragged widening of the northeastern boundary, and the slumping lip of cement bedding (47) cut into by this grave could also attest to episodes of reopening and covering of the same grave cut. This practice is still documented anecdotally in modern Greece. At the end of the grave’s span of use, which in the modern Corinthia commonly lasts ten years, or one generation (Tzortzopoulou-Gregory 2010). An overturned column capital (removed with overlying context 83 as A 2014-05) may have then been placed on top of the grave as a marker.; ; Within Grave 2014-04, one gold and pearl earring was found in the area covered by disarticulated bone (MF 2014-03), possibly representing an element of adornment for one of the episodes of primary inhumation. Other finds include glass vessel fragments including the remains of lamps (Cf. MF 1992-36), which along with the pottery were fragmentary and part of the fill covering the burials rather than grave goodsthemselves. This fill comes from contexts dating to the late 13th to early 14th centuries by pottery. One fragment of green glazed painted bowl joins to a fragment found in fill 52 (C 2014-6). Two coins may have been associated with either the interments or with the later grave fill closing the grave (coins 2014-58, Byzantine in date, and 2014-68, 1278-1289 AD Charles I or II Anjou, minted at Clarenza), while another four were associated with the later grave filling episode only. Of these four coins, one (2014-84) was illegible, two illegible but possibly Late Roman (2014-95, -96), and one (2014-99) from an imitative Bulgarian mint, dating to 1195. While these finds suggest a terminus post quem for the grave fill in the Frankish period, thegrave cut and the burial episodes date to at least the 15th century as this grave cuts through the already damaged remains of the cement subfloor (47) in the center aisle of the nave. As Grave 2014-04 furthermore truncates Grave 2014-07 to the N, further evidence for the later date from Grave 2014-04 comes from the late date for the fill of Grave 2014-07 and the fact that this grave must have been constructed after Grave 2014-07 went out of use. While the terminus post quem of Grave 1990-41A-C to the south was initially given by coin 1990-325 as 1289-1297 AD, this grave truncates Grave 2014-04 in turn. The late date of the fill for Grave 2014-07 and the stratigraphic relationship of Grave 2014-04 to the cement subfloor (47) therefore incorporates all three graves into a use sequence extending north to south along the narthex cross wall (Wall 21) during the Turkish I period. ; ; Graves 2014-03 and 2014-10 ; ; During the same time period as these burials, Graves 2014-03 and 2014-10 were cut side by side and parallel to each other through the decorative cosmati flooring in the center aisle of the church. Grave 2014-06 also appears to be contemporary as it cuts into fill from the same depth in the north aisle in the nave (Context 506). Grave 2014-10 (Cut 528, 1072.52-1070.45 N, 124.81-124.28 E, filled by deposit 508) was an oval pit grave (L 2.07 m, W 0.52 m, Depth 0.70 m) containing one primary inhumation. Skeleton 516 (Bone Lot 2014-19), an adult female of as yet indeterminate age at time of death, was laid in an extended, supine position with the head to the north, facing south. The mandible was not propped in place with stones or tiles. The head and shoulders were elevated on tiles and fill and the arms were crossed over the abdomen, right over left, with the palms down and resting on the body. The legs were extended, knees slightly to the west though mostly straight out from the body. Green staining on the anterior and dorsal surfaces of the mandible most likely indicate that this individual was buried wearing a bronze chain or pendant which has not preserved. The grave fill deposited on top of the burial gives a terminus post quem of the late 13th, early 14th century and includes sherds from unslipped metallic ware as well as glass fragments. However, the presence of cosmati flooring fragments and the fact that this grave cuts the bedding for the decorative flooring, much as does Grave 2014-04, indicates a later date for this grave contemporary with Grave 2014-04. ; ; Grave 2014-03 (Cut 126, 1072.68-1070.59 N, 125.75-125.00 E, filled by deposit 112) was an oval pit grave (L 2.09 m, W 0.75 m, Depth 0.74 m) excavated during Session 1. As the fill of this grave indicated a terminus post quem of Byzantine date, this grave was initially dated by stratigraphic relationships to the Frankish period. As this grave is clearly aligned parallel to Grave 2014-10, and both appear to have been marked by columns likewise placed parallel to each other, these graves should be considered to have been cut as part of the same burial activity. The orientation of Skeleton 127 (Bone Lot 2014-03) was moreover identical to that of Skeleton 516, with the head to the north, facing south and with the head and shoulders elevated on earth and tile and the arms crossed over the abdomen.; ; CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER STUDY; ; Excavation completed during Sessions 2 and 3 of this season revealed evidence for major changes in understanding the sequence of human activities in this building. Completion of excavation on Graves 2014-04 and 2014-10 suggests amendments to the chronological placement of the cement bedding for the later floor (47) which was first exposed during the 1990 field season (NB 835, B43-B44, p.78-81) and portions of which were removed during Session 1 of this field season. As the farthest east extent of the grave cut for Grave 2014-07 cuts this cement bedding, the flooring supported by this bedding is therefore assumed to date to the Frankish period but earlier than the graves themselves, which presumably punched through this flooring after this space was no longer in use or in need of beautification. Fragments of decorative Cosmati-style flooring were recovered in multiple contexts in the previous session, as well as in all of the graves excavated in Sessions 2 and 3, and are assumed to represent part of the original flooring supported by this bedding. Completion of excavation on Grave 2014-10 confirms that this grave also cuts through the subfloor, and the similarities in burial morphology and skeletal orientation suggest that the other graves cut in the church nave away from the walls date similarly late and should likewise be considered to have been cut after this space was no longer in use as a church. This changes the chronological assessment of how this space was used, as it is based on evidence that was not available after completion of Session 1 this year. As the construction of the cosmati floor is dated to the early 14th century and the fill from the graves dates to the mid-14th and later, this supposes that the decorative flooring in the church was protected as an extension of the space being enclosed and the building being in use for at least a fifty year time period before the space came into its final use as a cemetery.; ; Graves 2014-03, 2014-04, 2014-07, 2014-10, and 1990-41A-C form evidence for the latest clear use of this space as a burial area, possibly after the church itself was no longer recognizable as they were not succeeded by a clear floor. Grave 2014-06 probably dates similarly late as its fill contained fragments of the decorative cosmati flooring which was likely cut into by graves constructed in the central aisle of the church. As the fill overlying the unexcavated possible osteotheke in the northwest corner of the nave and the unexcavated subadult grave along the robbing trench for Wall 20 contained fragments of cosmati flooring and other late context pottery, it is probable that these graves will likewise date to the same period of use.; ; Graves 2014-07, 2014-04, and 1990-41A-C form a sequence of pit graves cut along the east face of wall 21, disturbing earlier grave cuts or structures in the case of Graves 2014-04 and 2014-07, and reusing a similar, earlier structure in the case of Grave 1990-41A-C. The child burial (NB 835, B62, p. 111-112; burial episode recorded as Grave 1990-41C) might represent the inhumation originally associated with the built stone cist in the grave furthest south. This sequence, first starting in the northwest corner of the nave and progressing to the south, is dated by stratigraphic relationship to Grave 2014-07, which contains fill with pottery from the mid-14th century AD and later, and the fact that Grave 2014-04 cuts the cement bedding for a floor dating to the early 14th century. Each grave in this sequence contained primary, extended burials over the top of which disarticulated skeletal elements were piled. In Grave 2014-07, this secondary burial appears to mainly consist of one, fairly complete, individual, while in Graves 2014-04 and 1990-41A-C, a number of commingled individuals make up the disarticulated bone pile, possibly indicating that during their lifespans of use, primary burials were removed from the grave while a new body was interred, with the disarticulated skeletal elements from previous burials then placed back, commingled in the grave. Small differences in mortuary behavior accompany the construction and use of each consecutive grave pit. Grave 2014-07 included only one episode of reuse wherein the previous inhumation appears to have been covered with grave fill prior to exhumation. Grave 2014-04 was left open for an extended period of time and went through at least five episodes of reuse.The adult primary inhumation in Grave 1990-41 (1990-41A) was buried with the head to the south end of the grave, while the heads of primary inhumations in the other two graves are in the north end of these graves. ; ; This disruption in burial behavior could be a further indication of slow, small diachronic changes in burial practices. Initial stages of these changes separate this burial sequence chronologically from the burials excavated in 1995 and 1996 in Room 4/D (Williams et al. 1998; NB 880, 895) -which are earlier than the graves excavated this year-and the burials excavated in 1990, 1995 and 1996 which cut into the sterile red layer in the narthex and to the south of the church-which are later than the graves excavated this year (Williams and Zervos 1991; NB 829, 831, 864). Graves 2014-03, 2014-10, 2014-04, 2014-07 and 1990-41A-C lacked propping tiles next to the skulls and under the mandibles of primary inhumations and showed no signs of coffin usage, separating them from the other two burial groups. These graves along the narthex cross wall furthermore show signs of consistency in the reuse of the same grave cut or even the same grave for these burials rather than cutting a new, possibly overlapping and truncating, pit for every burial episode (Williams et al. 1998; NB 864, 880, 895).As the paleopathological analysis of the inhumations in Room 4/D identified that many in this population suffered from debilitating illnesses, it was suggested that these burials date to the Frankish period along with the hospital complex identified in Unit 2 (Barnes 2003; Williams et al. 1998). The orientation of the interred bodies in these earlier graves are likewise E-W or NE-SW with heads to the west rather thanN-S, though two skeletons excavated in 1990 were buried N-S with their heads to the south (Williams and Zervos 1991) and a number of subadults buried in Room 4/D were likewise buried along the east wall of the room (Williams et al. 1998). These aberrations were assumed to take their orientation from their proximity to the building (Williams and Zervos 1991). This could suggest that the grave sequence along the narthex cross wall similarly takes its orientation from proximity to architecture, though the shared orientation of the inhumations in Graves 2014-03, 2014-06 and 2014-10 in the church nave throws this hypothesis into question.The N-S skeletal orientation, together with the lack of propping tiles for the head or mandible, and the elevation of the head and torso above the rest of the body with the legs extended straight and the arms crossed over the abdomen, indicate instead that these graves form a temporally distinct grouping.; ; The majority of skeletons excavated in the sterile red layer overlying the south end of the churchand therefore dating to later than the grave sequence along the narthex cross wall were single inhumations laid in coffins in non-overlapping grave cuts, and did not appear to be individually marked. Those burials not interred in coffins appear to have had stones propping the head much as the graves in Room 4/D. This area is suggested to have been used as a cemetery into the early Turkish period as coin 1990-91 (Ottoman issue, 1481-1512 AD) was discovered in Grave 1990-34 and another coin 1990-145 (AD 1603-1617) was in Grave 1990-08 from this area.; ; At the end of the excavation season, the relationship of the bench-like structure to the cement bedding remains uncertain, and further excavation in the northwest corner of the nave may clarify their chronological placement. Excavation in this area during Session 3 had exposed the tops of at least two skulls (529), and the excavation of a possible osteotheke so late in the excavation season was deemed unwise. This grave will need to be removed before any subsequent contexts can be excavated in the church nave.; ; Recommendations for future work in this area:; ; 1.     Remove the remaining balk of the cement bedding (47) (left during Session 1) cut by Graves 2014-04 to the west and 2014-10 to the east. This has the potential of resolving the chronological placement of the plaster surface below the cement bedding for the floor.; 2.    The grave (possible osteotheke) in the NW corner of the nave needs to be removed prior to further excavation in this area.; 3.     Further excavation in the northwest corner of the nave may clarify the relationship of the bench-like structure (302) to the cement bedding for the floor (47).; 4.    The subadult grave, partially exposed during cleaning of the south scarp of the robbing trench (Context 524) needs to be removed after its grave cut becomes better defined during excavation. This grave may be associated with a gold and possibly silver gilded bronze pendant (MF 2014-56) recovered during cleaning this area.; 5.     As an even lower floor for the church was potentially identified in the south profile of the robbing trench for Wall 20, it is likely that another section will be opened in the church floor to gain a better understanding of the earlier use phases of the church.; 6.     Osteological analysis is currently underway for these graves and other burials excavated this season, and may provide further information as to the cemetery demographics and the life ways of the individuals buried in the church during this time period.","","Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Larkin Kennedy and Jody Cundy (2014-05-06 to 2014-06-27)","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","",""
"","","","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2016 by Kaitlyn Stiles (2016-05-04 to 2016-06-25)","Corinth","Session II and III Final Report: Interior of the Church in Unit 2 of the Frankish Quarter","Report","Introduction: ; ; This is the finalreport of the second and third sessions for the excavation of the interior of the church in Unit 2 of the Frankish Quarter of the Temple E, southeast area. Guy Sanders (Director) and Danielle Smotherman (Field Director) supervised. Kaitlyn Stiles was the area supervisor and contributed as pickwoman when possible alongside AngelikiStamati (shovel and sieve), Sula Anastasopoulou (shovel and sieve) and KostasArberores (pickman).; ; The excavation area was bounded in the north by the north wall of the church (Wall 20, 1075.11 – 1074.52 N, 129.51-122.06 E), to the east by the east wall of church comprised of three sections, including two straight sections and an apse (North section: Wall 925, 1075.65-1073.90 N, 130.40-129.75 E; Apse: Wall 926, 1073.95-1070.7N, 131.70-129.70; South section: Wall 927, 1070.30-1068.95N, 131.05-120.5E), to the south by the south wall of the church (Wall 929, 1069.00-1067.6 N, 131.15-123.25E), and to the west by the west wall of the church (Wall 21, 1074.44-1067.99 N, 123.52-121.98 E) and the later threshold (Structure 22, 1072.09-1070.55 N, 123.31-122.25 W) built into Wall 21. ; ; The nave of the church was previously excavated in 1990 (NB 831, 835) down to a cement subfloor. The 2014 field season continued excavation in the NW quadrant of the church during which time portions of the narthex and nave were recorded down to the Frankish period (A.D. 1210-1458) revealing the bench-like structure (302) aligned with Wall 21 north of the later threshold (Structure 22), which was dated to the early 14th century. The excavations also recovered a large amount of human skeletal material which was common in the fills used in the late 13th and early 14th century phases of the church. Excavation was not continued within the church in the 2015 season, but was concentrated in Corridor North and Rooms 3, 6 – 9 in Unit 2. ; ; The 2016 Sessions II and III field work resumed the excavation of the interior of the church,primarily focusing on the eastern two-thirds covering the north and south aisles, the nave, and the transept. The subfloor revealed by the 1990 season and excavated in the NW quadrant of the church was completely removed from the nave, the transept, and the SE corner of the church. In Session IIwe worked toward understanding relationships of the surface under the cement floor with joining areas containing overlapping fill deposits and grave cuts throughout the entire interior of the church. Numerous fill deposits associated with various stages of flooring and floor repair, a threshold structure (Structure 924), and six graves (2016-01, 2016-02, 2016-03, 2016-04, 2016-05, 2016-06) were excavated during Session II. In Session III, we continued excavation in the church, but focused primarily on the south aisle. Mostly burials were excavated including three large graves (2016-07, 2016-08, 2016-09), which each contained a complicated series of burials.; ; The overarching purpose for excavating the church area at this time was to bring down the level of the interior church to a period consistent with the rest of the Frankish area so that it can be preserved and opened to the public. Because the church was used as a burial ground throughout many phases, one of the main goals of these sessions was to understand the chronological sequence of burials in relation to the use of the church as well as record information pertaining to grave usage and burial practices. ; ; Frankish Period (1210-1458); ; Grave 2016-09; ; Grave 2016-09 (Cut 1023, 1068.95-1068.40 N, 126.60-124.05E, filled by Deposits 1020 and 1024, Structure 1016, and Skeleton Contexts 1022, 1025, and 1027) is located in the southwest quadrant of the church, parallel to Grave 1990-40 on its south side, and truncated by Grave 2016-08 on its east side. This grave was discovered during the course of excavating Grave 2016-08 in which the eastern portion of the tile covering (Structure 1016) within Grave 2016-09 was found. Grave 2016-09 contained the remains of at least 3 individuals represented by one primary inhumation (Context 1025), and a jumble of bones (Context 1027). This grave evidently cuts an as yet unexcavated grave directly to the north as a cranium (Context 1022) was found essentially within the cut (1023) for the grave, indicating the burial of another individual beneath or beside it. The primary inhumation (1025) of Grave 2016-09 was enclosed by a covering (Structure 1016, L 1.69 x W 0.52 x D 0.11) made of ceramic and marble tiles, which also lined the north side of the grave. The original burial and burials prior to the inhumation of Skeleton 1025 are represented by the bone jumble (Context 1027) exposed beneath and to the south side of Skeleton 1025. These remains were stacked on the south side of the jumble and beneath the lower limbs of the inhumation. Very few bones were found directly on top of the primary inhumation (Skeleton 1025), including both in the fills above (Context 1020) and below (Context 1024) the covering (1016). One disarticulated infant femur was found under the covering, but on top of the inhumation. This bone indicates that the grave may have also been used for infant burials in addition to adult burials.; ; The primary inhumation (1025) was that of an elderly woman, oriented W-E, laid supine with her head elevated facing east and turned slightly to the south. The head was framed by a worked stone to the north and tiles to the west and south. The mandible was likely supported by a rock, which later fell out of place and came to rest on the sternum. The shoulders were elevated and the humeri drawn in so that they rested directly against the anterior-lateral aspects of the rib cage. The forearms were bent at the elbow and crossed over the chest with the left forearm over the right. The legs were straight but positioned so that the knees and ankles were almost touching. The femora were rotated medially toward one another. The arrangement of the arms and legs suggests that this woman was tightly wrapped in something like a shroud at the time of burial. The shroud may have caused her spinal column to contract in the burial as there was a noticeable curve in the spine to the north in the thoracic vertebrae around T6. An examination of the bones will provide more information about whether this was a result of positioning or reflected the spinal column in life. The left hand was found disarticulated around the midshaft of the right humerus, which suggests that the hand was held against the body when the shroud was still in place, but likely fell apart as the body decomposed. The shroud likely also prevented bones from the jumble from becoming interspersed within the inhumation.; ; The date of the most recent use of Grave 2016-09 is in the late 13th century or later based on the pottery from the fills both above (1020) and below (1024) the tile covering (1016). Finds from this burial included an iron ring (MF-2016-62) found still around a proximal phalanx of the left hand, which was wedged against the north side of the grave. There was one small piece of lapis lacedaimoniusthat may have come from a floor disturbed in the process of burial, possibly that represented by a subfloor (Context 1029) apparent along the south wall of the church (Wall 929). The single coin (Coin 2016-170) from the grave dates from 1143 to 1180 AD. A six-pointed iron spur or decorative star was found in the fill (Context 1020) above the cover tile (Context 1016), which may have been from a previous burial and was re-deposited in the fill for subsequent burials.The grave is cut by Grave 2016-08 (Cut 1009), which dates to the 15th century or later.; ; Grave 2016-03; ; Grave 2016-03 (Cuts 144 and 146, 1074.85-1074.05 N, 127.5-125.5 E) lies south of Wall 20, in the middle of the north aisle. It was parallel to Grave 2016-02on its north side and nearly forms a 90-degree angle to the east with Grave 2014-06. This grave was both a cist and a pit grave used for multiple interments, which were split into two distinct use phases. Phase I, represented by Cut 944, was cut by Phase II, represented by Cut 946. Both phases of burials are oriented W-E and are inline or within a stone lining (Structure 950). However, the stone lining (Structure 950) was disturbed during or prior to the burial of the primary inhumation (Skeleton 961) of Phase I. Structure 950 (L 0.82 x W 0.66 x D 0.24)is represented by one rectangular stone block on the north side and two rectangular stone blocks with a medium cobble between them on the south side. The stones run parallel to one another about 0.41m apart.; ; The Phase I burials are located on the west side of the grave(1074.85-1073.80 N, 126.20-125.05). They are represented by loose bones found in the fills (Contexts 958, 969, and 962), one distinct bone pile (Context 959), and one primary inhumation (Skeleton 961). The skeletal material in the fill contexts and bone pile are the remains of individuals buried in the grave prior to the burial of the articulated primary inhumation. The bone pile (Context 959) consisted of long bones placed over and to the side of a mostly intact cranium, which were all located on the south side of the burial. A small part of the cranium was under the tile covering (Structure 960) of the primary inhumation, but the height of the other bones in the pile above the tile covering indicate that the cranium may not have been intentionally placed under the tile but settled there over time. The loose bone in the fills located above (Contexts 958, 969) and below (Context 962) reinforce the picture of multiple burial as previous burials were cleared and then later placed on top of the primary burial or included with the fill of the burial.; ; The primary inhumation (961) represents the last burial before the location of the Phase I burials in the grave was forgotten. This inhumation was truncated by Grave 2014-06 (Cut 137) on the south side and by the Phase II burial activity (Cut 946) on the east side. The skeleton was essentially divided in half with the upper half of the skeleton preserved from the ribs to the cranium in the west end of Grave 2016-03. This portion of the skeleton was mostly articulated and in situ. The individual was covered by a concave ceramic tile (Structure 960), which was damaged by the truncation of Phase II burials and later by Grave 2014-06.Many tile fragments were found lying directly east of the tile covering within Cut 946 and were used to cover the head of the primary inhumation (Skeleton 956) of Phase II. The individual (Skeleton 961) was laid in a supine position with the arms drawn tightly toward the sternum and the elbows bent at acute angles placing the left hand close to the right side of the head and the right hand close to the left armpit. The articulated right hand was exposed with the fingers curled and one phalanx bearing an iron ring (MF-2016-32) in the excavation of the fill to the north (right) of the inhumation (Context 969). Another iron ring (MF-2016-31) was found over the left shoulder in the course of excavation. The position of the arms, shoulders, and hands indicates that the shoulders were constricted by something like a shroud, a coffin, or the pit prepared for the inhumation. The head was elevated and a medium size rock was located on its left side. There may have been a stone on the other side of the head but was excavated from truncating Grave 2014-06. This would have acted as the other “cheek piece” to hold the head in place. There was a larger rock and a large tile fragment laying on the lower half of the right rib cage. Upon removal of the rock, it was evident that the right ribs were disturbed. The sternal body had also been disarticulated to the south (right) side of the body and rotated so that it was oriented in the opposite direction (E-W instead of W-E). Disarticulated remains of other burials including a skull fragment, an extra right radius, and vertebrae were laid on the lower right ribs under the rock. Because this inhumation was truncated on the south side by Grave 2014-06, it is likely that some of the remains from this section of Grave 2016-03 were included in the fill of Grave 2014-06.; ; The fills (Contexts 958, 962, 969) of the Phase I burial have been dated by pottery and stratigraphy to the 14th century. They did not contain any grave goods other than the two iron rings (MF-2016-31, MF-2016-32) which date to the first half of the 11th century based on comparanda in Corinth 12 (Davidson 1952). Other small finds included one piece of coral, glass vessel fragments, and one iron nail.; ; The Phase II burials were designated by Cut 946 which truncated the Phase I burials. This burial phase involved at leastsix burials including one primary inhumation (Contexts 943, 945, 952, and 956). As with Phase I, many disarticulated bones were found in the fill (Context 943) and there was a distinct bone pile (Context 945). There was also a layer of bones (Context 952) laid on the legs and lower torso of the primary inhumation (956). The layer and other miscellaneous bones found in Fill 943 contained elements from every part of the body suggesting that the individuals represented by them occupied the tomb prior to the primary inhumation (Skeleton 956). They would have beenexhumed to provide spacefor the new primary burial and re-deposited with or, likely, before the soil was replaced. It is not possible at this time to determine which bones belonged to the originally inhumed individual as the Skeletal Layer (952) consists of at least four individuals including three adults and one juvenile based on the presence of three right adult femora and one unfused juvenile tibia. ; ; The bone layer (Context 952) was overlaid by another bone pile (Context 945),which was located in the upper levels of the fill (Context 943). It is difficult to say when this bone pile (Skeleton 945) was deposited relative to the skeletal layer (Context 952) as the soil of fill 943 was fairly consistent throughout the deposit (dark, reddish brown with frequent red clay lumps). However, the bone pile (Context 945) was located on top of the most eastern stone of Structure 950 and seemed to be lying directly upon Cut 946. Cut 946 was likely started at the same place as Cut 944, but once the diggers hit the stone lining (Structure 950), they angled the cut inward. It is unclear why the bone pile (Context 945) would have been placed higher in the fill on top of one of the cist stones.It may be due to how the grave was filled in after the placement of the primary inhumation (Skeleton 956).; ; The primary inhumation (Skeleton 956) consists of a probable male adult, age at death to be determined, who was laid in the grave in asupine position,oriented W-E with arms crossed over thechest at the lower sternum, right arm over left, with the right hand moderately curled. The shoulders were drawn in toward the spinal column, the elbows were elevated, and the head was raised and framed by broken tiles on either side of the face, over the face, and on top of the head.The constricted position of the shoulders suggests that this individual may have been buried in a shroud, though less tightly wrapped than Skeleton 961.The broken tiles are similar to the tile covering (Structure 960) over the inhumation of Phase I; thus, it is probable that these tiles were broken in the course of creating the Phase II burials and reused as a head covering in this case. A rock was removed from beneath the mandible, but it is unclear whether it was used to prop the head up from the chest. The legs were straight, and the right foot was laid out on the plantar surface, but the left foot had fallen to the left side (north) slightly. It is apparent that the cist tomb (Structure 950) was not originally built for this individual since the right upper arm is positioned where the next stone block of the cist tomb would have been located on the northwest side of the tomb. Thus, part of the stone lining of the cist was either removed for this burial or had been removed prior for another inhumation. This was supported by the Phase I burials lacking any cist stone lining on the west side of the grave.; ; Fill 943 contained pottery, many glass vessel fragments, coins, and a number of iron nails (4 complete, 17 fragments).The pottery has been dated to the 14th century, which is consistent with the overlying strata (Contexts 923, 915, and 914) which also date to the Frankish period. Three coins were discovered in the sieve (Coins 2016-138, 2016-139, and 2016-142). Coin 2016-139 dates to the Roman Imperial period and was minted between AD 341-346 under Constantius II. Coin 2016-142 is also from the Roman Imperial period, dating to the 4th century. Coin 2016-138 is of W. Villehardouin (1246-1278 A.D.), whichcorroborates Frankish dates provided by the pottery. The iron nails may indicate the presence of a coffin in one or more of the burial events of Phase II.One silver-plated bronze earring (MF-2016-27) was found in fill 943, which looks almost identical to an earring (MF-2016-28) found in fill 923 directly above Grave 2016-03.; ; Grave 2016-06; ; Grave 2016-06 (Cut 978, 1074.10-1073.50 N, 124.95-124.05 E, filled by Context 976, Structure 979, Skeleton Contexts 977 and 981) was a pit grave andwas positioned in line with Grave 2016-03 to the west and parallel with NW Pier Base (Structure 23).It appears to have been created after Grave 2016-03 based on its placement rather close to the west extent of Grave 2016-03. Like Grave 2016-03, Grave 2016-06 was also cut by Grave 2014-06, making it earlier than 2014-06, but later than Grave 2016-03. The grave contained two individuals, both infants. The original burial (Skeleton 977) was oriented W-E, with the cranium in the west end, supported by two small rocks on either side of the head. Only the cranium, the left scapula, right fibula, and potentially left foot phalanges were still in situ beneath the later inhumation (Skeleton 981). These elements indicate a supine body position. The remaining elements were disarticulated and primarily placed on the sides of the grave, with the majority being on the south side. The primary inhumation (Skeleton 981) was fully articulated and supine. The head was elevated,slightly turned to the north, and supported on the north side by a medium sized rock and on the south side by a large tile fragment. The apex of the crown was covered by a stone tile (Structure 979, L 0.27 x W 0.145 x D 0.05). The arms were bent at the elbow and crossed over the chest, right over left, directly below the sternum. The legs were laid out straight with the left foot flexed resting against the east wall of the cut. The age of the primary inhumation (Skeleton 981) is around 1 year of age based on in situmaximum femoral length. The originally buried individual (Skeleton 977) is a little older, possibly 18 months to 2 years old, based on comparative fibula lengths.; ; The fill of Grave 2016-06 contained only pottery and one small glass fragment. The pottery (2 sgraffito IV fragments) dates the grave to the 14th century, which is consistent with the relative chronology of Graves 2014-06 and 2016-03. The excavation of the bottom of the grave revealed a stone block very similar to those making up the cist lining of Grave 2016-03 (Structure 250). The block is in line with the south side of the cist lining and may be associated with it.; ; Grave 2016-04; ; Grave 2016-04 (Cut 965, 1073.50-1073.15 N, 126.85-126.10 E, filled by Context 963 and Skeleton 964) wasan oval pit grave placed in the central area of the nave to the south of Grave 2016-03 and to the east of Grave 2014-06, oriented W-E. The grave contained a single primary inhumation of an infant, around 1-year-old based on estimated maximum femoral length. The skeleton was supine, the head was elevated, and the arms were crossed over the chest, right over left, just below the sternum. The bones were in poor condition and the cranium fairly fragmentary. The grave cuts into an as yet unexcavated fill level. However, it lies beneath the concrete subfloor (Context 909) and its leveling fill (Context 918), which date to the 14th century. The pottery from the burial provides an 11th century date. However, based on its stratigraphy and the similar top elevation of Grave 2014-06, this burial likely dates to the Frankish period. The fill (963) contained a few glass vessel fragments, iron nails, and an iron needle. There were not enough iron nails to suggest a coffin, so it is possible these nails were brought in with soil from elsewhere.; ; Grave 2016-02; ; Grave 2016-02 (Cut 933, 1074.90-1074.65 N, 127.2-126.85 E, filled by Context 932) was cut into a surface abutting the robbing trenchon top of Wall 20. Only a quarter of the burial remained intact with the spine of the skeleton (Skeleton 934) protruding from the scarp wall. The proximity of the cut and burial to Wall 20 suggests that the wall may have served as the northern boundary of the burial pit. The cut (Context 933) of the burial suggests an oval shape, but it was truncated on the north and east sides by the robbing trench over Wall 20. The presence of human perinatal bones in Fill 932 also suggests that the grave may have been used for more than one interment. ; ; If the grave was used for more than one interment, the original burial was for a younger juvenile, likely perinatal (less than 1-year-old) based on the size of rib fragments and a scapula. The primary burial excavated from the grave consisted of the upper right side of the body. The cranium and most of the cervical vertebrae were missing as were all the lumbar vertebrae and at least a quarter of the thoracic vertebrae. The individual was placed in a supine position-oriented W-E with the right arm bent at the elbow over what would have been the pelvic region. The elbow was elevated due to its resting on a stone which was part of the stone lined cist Grave 2016-03 directly south of this burial. The upper ribs had collapsed on top of the lower ribs. Based on the size of the bones and epiphyseal fusion pattern, this individual was a child at the age of death (2-3 years old, based on estimated maximum length of the right humerus).; ; Kennedy and Cundy(2014) identified this grave while cleaning the south scarp of the robbing trench (Context 524) and suggested that it might be associated with a silver gilded bronze pendant (MF-2014-56) collected during this cleaning. None of the material culture collected during the excavation of the burial could confirm this suggestion. The fill (Context 932) containing the skeleton included very little pottery, a few small pieces of glass, a moderate amount of charcoal, and large chunks of hard, whiteish inclusions similar to the material from the cement subfloor cleared as Deposit 909. This presence of cement chunks suggests that the cut of the burial went through the cement subfloor. The cement subfloor (47)from the previously excavated portion of the nave was dated to the 14th century, which indicates that Grave 2016-02 may also date to the 14th century or later.; ; Disturbed Grave 2016-01; ; Grave 2016-01 (Cut 916, 1074.90-1074.2 N, 127.10.-126.30 E) was located directly on top of Grave 2016-03 next to Wall 20. It was extremely truncated by a leveling fill layer (Deposit 914). Cut 916 was quite shallow and contained the scattered remains of at least one adult and one juvenile, designated Skeleton 917. An unfused occipital was laid with the foramen magnum oriented up against the SE corner of the cut. The shape of the cut appeared to be oval, but it may have been more rectangular and extended toward Wall 20. The small size of the cut, even if it extended to Wall 20 indicates the grave was dug for a juvenile individual. The overlying fill (Context 914) contained a notable amount of human bone material, including unfused juvenile osacoxae, which was widely dispersed and not gathered in piles or a uniform layer as in Graves 2016-03, 2016-05, and 2016-06. This suggests that leveling activities that resulted in the fill of Context 914 destroyed most of Grave 2016-01, which also destroyed the primary inhumation. The skeletal material was then mixed with the dirt used for the fill level. The fill (Context 915) of Grave 2016-01 contained pottery dating to the 14th century. The pottery and Coin 2016-132 found in the fill above (Context 914) date to the late 13th or 14th century. It is much higher than Graves 2016-07 and 2016-08, but was disturbed by the implementation of the Cosmati-style floor (likely 15th c.) Therefore, the date of Grave 2016-01 is likely in the 14th century.; ; 15th Century ; ; Grave 2016-08; ; Grave 2016-08 (Cut 1009, 1069.30-1068.20 N, 128.30-124.90 E, filled by Deposits 1003, 1004, 1013, and 1015, Skeleton Contexts 1005, 1006, 1011, and 1012, contains Cut 1014) is located in the middle of the south aisle, against Wall 929, and parallel to and cut by Grave 2016-07. The designation of the burials contained by Cuts 1009 and 1014 as Grave 2016-08 is perhaps misleading as the area contained by Cut 1009 likely represents the outer limits of multiple grave cuts that could not be distinguished in the soil at the time of excavation due to repetitive use of the soil for burials within a short period of time. However, as that is what could be recognized, the burials contained in the limits have been defined as belonging to Grave 2016-08. Differences in elevations do allow some discussion of the sequence of burials. At least five individuals were contained in Grave 2016-08, represented by two disarticulated skulls (Skeleton 1005), two partial primary inhumations (Skeleton Contexts 1006 and 1011), and the majority of a third primary inhumation (Skeleton 1012) contained by Cut 1014.; ; Skeleton 1012 is the earliest burial contained within Grave 2016-08. The cut associated with it is Cut 1012, which is within the larger Cut 1009. Cut 993 from Grave 2016-07 truncates the north side of Cut 1012, which mayhave resulted in the cranium associated with Skeleton 1012 having been disturbed by the digging of Grave 2016-07.  As such, the skull of Skeleton 1012 may be with the bone jumble(Skeleton Context 992) of Grave 2016-07. The inhumation (Skeleton 1012) is oriented W-E and consists of the right torso including ribs and some cervical vertebrae but missing the remaining spinal column. The mandible lay more or less on the present cervical vertebrae near a tile that may have been used to prop the head up. The body is not centered within the reconstructed dimensions of the cut, but rather appeared to be set against the north side of the burial space. The trunk was slightly twisted to the south, which caused the lower limbs to also twist to the south, with the left femur and knee at a higher elevation than the right and the left metatarsals and phalanges nestled in the arch of the right foot. The arms were crossed over the chest with the right forearm crossed over the left, but the left hand had somehow bent backwards so that it rested on the dorsal aspect rather than the palmeraspect, which would be expected given the position of the arms. This positioning of the left hand and the relatively constrained position of the body suggests that the individual was wrapped in a shroud at the time of burial. As with many of the other burials in this church, there was a scattering of disarticulated bones in the fill (Context 1004) above Skeleton 1012 including a mandible over the right pelvis.; ; The next burial within Grave 2016-08 was Skeleton 1006, which consists only of the articulated legs and feet of a child. The remains lay above Skeleton 1012, ca. 1.00m from the east edge of Cut 1009, at about the mid-point of Skeleton 1012. The legs were straight with the feet resting on the plantar aspect. The legs were truncated directly below the proximal epiphyses on both the tibiae and fibulae. This truncation was most probably from the construction of Grave 1990-22, which was described as an ossuary in the 1990 field season Notebook 829 in Basket 68. The excavation of the mixed deposits (Contexts 983 and 984) over Grave 2016-07 and Grave 2016-08 included soil from in Grave 1990-22 and produced a number of disarticulated bones from the pit that remained after its excavation. ; ; Grave 1990-22 also truncated Skeleton Contexts 1005 and 1011, which rested at a higher elevation than Skeleton 1005 and thus represent the latest burials within Grave 2016-09. Skeleton Context 1005 consisted of two child crania. These were positioned on either side of a third cranium (Skeleton 1011), which was articulated with some cervical vertebrae, the right clavicle, and Ribs 1-4. The two crania from Skeleton Context 1005 represent two earlier burials in the same space as Skeleton 1011. The crania were high in the most western portion of Grave 2016-08. The truncation of the burial by Grave 1990-22 and root action caused the loss of the lower portion of Skeleton 1011 and any other disarticulated bones that would have been associated with the crania of Context 1005. These burials were directly over the eastern portion of Grave 2016-09 and may have truncated the upper fill of Grave 2016-09 in that area.; ; While all of these burials occurred at different times, they all appear to have been dug through a concrete subfloor (Context 1029; L: 1.86m, W: 0.23m, D: 0.07m) that was exposed at the bottom of fill 1003. The south edge of Cut 1009 clearly cut through this concrete subfloor which is apparent along the middle of Wall 929. The concrete subfloor continues along Wall 929 to the west and was also cut by Grave 2016-09. As this subfloor might belong with the original use of this church, it provides information about the use of the church for burials. The fill (Context 1004) for Grave 2016-08 dates to the 15th century AD based on the pottery representation. Coin2016-166 from this fill dates to the Frankish period, being of William de la Roche and in circulation between 1280 and 1308, which provides a firm terminus post quem within the Frankish period. The other coins (2016-164, -167, and -168) from the context date primarily to the Roman Imperial period with one (Coin 2016-165) dating to the early 3rd century BC. This prevalence of old coins indicates that the fill of these burials was highly mixed and in use over a long period of time. The data from the pottery and the coins of Grave 2016-08 indicate that these burials date to the 15th century AD. However, it may be that the earliest burial, Skeleton 1012, is earlier than this based on its depth in the burial and the lack of a firmly associated fill.; ; ; ; Grave 2016-07; ; Grave 2016-07 (Cut 993, 1070.00-1068.90 N, 128.1-125.65 E, filled by Deposits 989 and 997, Skeleton Contexts 991, 992, 994, and 996; Cut 1000, 1070.00-1069.15 N, 128.00-126.05 E, filled by Skeleton Context 998) is located in the middle section on the north side of the south aisle of the church. This grave was used for at least six burials including one full primary inhumation (Skeleton 994), an articulated left foot with an associated fibula (Skeleton 992), a pile of bones (Skeleton 996), a disarticulated bone jumble (992), and articulated remains of two individuals (Skeleton 998). The order of these burials is complicated, but the presence of articulated remains provides a good place to begin understanding the sequence of events. Due to the number of burial events in this location, Cut 993 likely represents a series of cuts that enlarged the overall grave. The earliest of these burials (Skeleton 998) is within cut (1000) that was truncated by the burials on top of it within Grave 2016-07, contained by Cut 993.; ; The first series of burial events of the grave is represented by Skeleton 998, which consisted of a partially articulated spinal column associated with ribs, a left scapula and a left humerus. The lower portion of the spinal column had shifted south, which disturbed the ribs from that portion. The cervical vertebrae of the spine were resting on top of a curved ceramic tile with thick grooves running parallel. The skeleton was oriented with the cervical (neck) vertebrae in the west and proceeded to the east. This torso had been placed on top of the remains of another burial represented by a right scapula and both humeri. The left humerus was located directly beneath the left humerus of the articulated torso. Therefore, these lower remains probably represent the earliest burial in Grave 2016-07. These or the overlying remains are also likely associated with an articulated right foot found within Cut 1000 at the east end. The small size of the earlier remains suggests a female individual. The laterremains on top of these are more robust and may represent a male individual. These two individuals were contained in Cut 1000. Cut 1000 was defined on its north side by Structure 1002, which is a stone lining along the north edge of Grave 2016-07. However, it is unlikely that Cut 1000 was originally cut for this stone lining nor was Cut 993 (discussed below); neither of which extended beyond the northern limits of the lining.; ; The second series of burial events is represented by Skeleton Contexts 991, 992, 994, and 996, contained by Cut 993.The north side of the grave is partly defined by the stone lining structure 1002. The earliest burials are likely represented by the bones making up Skeleton Context 992, which was a jumble of bones along the east and south sides of the grave. The jumble contained at least three skulls, a number of long bones, and miscellaneous smaller elements. These bones were not as carefully placed on top of the inhumation as in other cases (such as in Grave 2016-03) but were mixed with broken tiles and not laying parallel with the W-E orientation of the primary inhumation (994). Skeleton Context 996, which included a pair of articulated feet and a cranium, represents the next burial event. These remains were found beneath the feet of the primary inhumation (994). The cranium may not be associated with this pair of feet, but it is possible. Skeleton Context 991, consisting of an articulated left foot and fibula, represents a burial that was truncated by the burial of individuals in the same space as Skeletons 992, 996, and 994. It appears to have been a much shallower burial than the other burial events. Within the west end of the bone jumble (992), excavation exposed an object made of small iron balls (pea-size) with short spikes, likely for linking them together. The material and potential reconstruction of the object indicates that it might be a belt.; ; Finally, the primary inhumation (994), was a fully articulated adult, possibly male, individual who was oriented W-E, supine with the head turned slightly to the north. The arms were bent moderately at the elbow with the hands over the pelvis. The shoulders appear to be constricted with the distal ends of the clavicles drawn superiorly and medially. The right forearm was over the left forearm with the right hand resting on the pelvis extended toward the head of the left femur. The left hand was under the right forearm. The legs were straight with the feet flexed, side by side. Three items were excavated with the inhumation including a bone spool (MF-2016-53) found near the left hip and two iron boot heel cleats (MF-2016-71A, MF-2016-71B). The cleats were found in situ essentially on the heels of Skeleton 994, which indicates that they were buried on the individual. ; ; Although the main cut for this grave was not made clear until after the excavation of two fills; (Contexts 983 and 984), the relationship of the grave cut(993) with Cut 985(filled by Deposit984) suggests that Cut 993 began at the level of Cut 985, truncating fill (Context 987) used in the remodeling of the interior church near the end of the Frankish period. The pottery of fill 989 provides a date of the late 14th or early 15th century AD for the burial of inhumation 994. Because Cut 993 truncates the cut(1009) adjacent to Grave 2016-08, which dates to the 15th century based on pottery in its fill (1004), the date for this Grave is the 15th century or later. Coins (2016-155, -157, -159, -160) from fill context 989 are mostly from the Roman Imperial period, but Coin 2016-156 dates to the early Frankish period (1204-1261). The presence of so many old coins indicates that the soil making up this grave fill had been re-deposited a number of times. As in Grave 2016-08, the earliest burials from Grave 2016-07 may date earlier than the 15th century based on their depth in the grave and their association with a different cut (Cut 1000).; ; Post-Medieval Period (Turkish I [1458-1680]); ; Double Burial Grave 2016-05; ; Grave 2016-05 (Cut 968, 1069.50-1069.00 N, 129.90-128.90 E, filled by Contexts 966 and 973, Coffins 972 and 975, and Skeletons 967, 970, and 974) is located in the southeast corner of the church, enclosed by Wall 930, Wall 927, and Wall 929. Wall 929 serves as the southern border of the cut (Context 968). This grave was used for at least three separate juvenile burials (Skeletons 967, 970, and 974). However, it presents a unique case among the graves found in the church thus far as two of the burials were seemingly contemporaneous (Skeletons 970 and 974) in coffins situated side by side in the same cut (Context 968). It is also possible that the individuals died around the same time and the grave was enlarged to accommodate the second individual. ; ; The burial on the north side of the grave (Coffin 972, Skeletons 967 and 970, overlaid by fill 966) contained the remains of a single primary inhumation (Skeleton 970) overlaid by a disarticulated layer of skeletal material (Skeleton 967). The layer of bone (Context 967) consisted of juvenile bones including a fairly intact skull, a number of long bones, ribs, and vertebrae. These bones (Context 967) were situated directly on top of the primary inhumation (Skeleton 970), primarily on the eastern half below the distal end of the femora, with the disarticulated skull sitting just beyond the feet of Skeleton 970. The lines of the coffin (972) became clear as the bone layer (Context 967) and the inhumation (Skeleton 970) were exposed. They were further attested by in situ iron nails positioned along the west, south, and east sides of the inhumation in clear lines. The disarticulated bone layer appears to be confined to the limits of the coffin, which suggests they were placed in the coffin on top of the body. The individual inhumed within the coffin (Skeleton 970) was an infant (ca. 1-year-old based on estimated maximum femoral length), oriented W-E, andlaid in a supine position with a slight twist to the right side (south). The head was turned toward the south on its right side. The arms were bent at the elbow with the hands over the abdomen, right arm over left. The legs were slightly bent at the knee and the feet had fallen to either side to the north and south. The coffin (972) appeared to be too large for the individual as the skeleton only occupied about two-thirds of the coffin space, providing ample space for the disarticulated skeletal material at the east end of the coffin.; ; The burial on the south side of the grave (Coffin 974, Skeleton 974, overlaid by fill 973) was discovered in the course of excavating the northern burial. The presence of another coffin (Coffin 975) was attested by two nails in the SE corner of the northern burial pointed in opposite directions, one to the north and one to the south. It became apparent that the southern nail belonged to a coffin that had been positioned parallel to and flush against the south side of coffin 972. The southern coffin (Context 974) fit snugly between Wall 929 on its southern side and Coffin 972 on its northern side. A series of nails in a line along Wall 929 confirmed the presence of Coffin 975. Coffins 972 and 965 were almost identical in size despite the difference in the size of the children. The inhumation (Skeleton 974) in Coffin 975 was a child(ca. 2.5-3 years old based on estimated maximum femoral length), oriented W-E, and laid in a supine position with the head turned to the south on the right side. The left arm was bent at the elbow and crossed over the chest with the hand over the sternum, but the ulna (part of the forearm) was displaced. The upper right arm was articulated at the right side, but the ulna and radius had been displaced inferiorly and did not appear to be in anatomical position. It is unclear what may have caused these odd displacements. The soil around and filling this grave exhibited a significant amount of root activity, which may have contributed to displacing some elements of the inhumation. The legs are both slightly bent at the knee and turned outwards with the feet turned out as well. Only a few disarticulated remains were found in the vicinity of this inhumation, which contrasts with the bone layer (Context 967) found with skeleton 970.; ; The fills for these inhumations (Contexts 966 and 973) are from the same burial event and were thus considered together for dating and find interpretations. There were no significant finds in the fill, but the pottery provides a Middle Byzantine date. Alternatively, Context 957, located directly above Grave 2016-05, contained a number of iron nails that were likely used for the top portions of Coffins 972 and 975, which means that at least some of the fill belongs to Grave 2016-05. The fill above Grave 2016-05 (Context 957) contained three coins (2016-143, 2016-144, and 2016-145). Coins 2016-143 and 2016-145 date to the 5th century, but Coin 2016-144 dates to 1030-1042 AD. Context 957 also held fragments of a Slipped Plain Glazed bowl and a sgraffito III vessel, which were both dated to the post-medieval period. As discussed above, one piece of rossoanticoand one piece of grey schist were found in Context 957, which may have been part of an overlying Cosmati floor extending across the church during the Frankish period. This suggests that the grave may have been dug through theCosmati-style Frankish floor, thus dating to a later, post-medieval period, as the pottery suggests. This has been further supported by the excavation of Graves 2016-07 and 2016-08 to the west in the middle of the south aisle. The pottery from their fills (989 and 1004) suggests a 15th century AD date. Given the much higher elevation of Grave 2016-05, a post-medieval date would be fitting. Previous excavation in the area from the 1990 field season (NB 828 B69) also exhibits at least one context in an “L” shape along Walls 930 and 927, which indicates that the cut mark was evident at a higher elevation than was defined for its actually excavation. Furthermore, the use of coffins and the differences in the body positions of these burials versus the other burials at lower elevations suggests a change in practice that might be associated with a later date.; ; Architectural Features; ; To learn more about the chronology of the church and its construction, a section in the apse was excavated at a greater depth than the rest of the church interior. This section revealed a number of fill deposits (Contexts 1035, 1036, 1037, 1038, 1042, and 1043) and two working surfaces (Context 1039 and an unexcavated surface). Although much of the church appears to have been used for human burials throughout and after its use as a church, the apse was free of human burial. It did, however, contain a number of animals remains, consisting primarily of sheep/goat and other smaller mammals. The earliest surface (unexcavated) was covered by a deep level of fill (Context 1043), which was 0.53 in depth. This fill had an uneven slope at the top and included a high level of orange-ish/reddish clay inclusions mixed in a clayey silt matrix. It also included large chunks of mortar adhered with limestone. The surface it overlaid was much lighter and harder with mortar around the edges of the apse along Wall 926. The inclusions in the fill level and the characteristics of the surface, suggest that it may have been a working surface on which the debris from dressing the limestone blocks making up the apse wall fell. There appears to be a later working surface (Context 1039) located above this unexcavated surface, which was laid on top of Fill 1042. Fill 1042 was likely used to level the uneven layer of Context 1043. The surface (Context 1039) is covered by Fills 1036 and 1037, which are two artificial levels of the same deposit, with a combined depth of 0.53 (the same as Fill 1043 above the unexcavated working surface). There were a few (ca. 4) flat lying tiles (Context 1038) on the surface of Context 1039. The surface itself consisted primarily of limestone, mortar and plaster, but also contained some tile fragments that may have served to level this surface. Two horizontal cuts were found within the apse wall (Wall 926) on the north (at 84.84m) and south (at 85.00m) sides, which likely represent cuts for scaffolding as the church was being initially constructed.; ; The dates for the fills (Contexts 1043, 1042, 1038, 1037, 1036, 1035) overlying these two working surfaces come primarily from pottery. The pottery from these fills dates mainly to the 12th century. As they are fills, it is likely that the soil used for the deposits had been deposited in many other places prior to the apse. The pottery from Fill 1036, above the later working surface (1039), provides the latest date as the second half of the 12th century.The coins from the fills in the apse date to either the Roman Imperial Period (Coin 2016-187) or to the early Byzantine period (Coin 2016-189). Although these fills and surfaces, provided more information about the construction of the church, it did not yield evidence of the lime-concrete subfloor (Context 1029) found along the middle of the southwall, nor any other floor level. This may indicate that the floor represented by Context 1029 and other potential preceding floors were taken out when the most recent floor, the Cosmati-style floor laid on subfloors 47, 909, 910, 911, and tile (sub?)floor 941.; ; This lime-concrete subfloor (Context 1029) was exposed along the middle of the south wall (Wall 929) of the church during the excavation of Grave 2016-08 (Context 1003). The fill is dated to the 15th century, but the subfloor is likely earlier as Context 1003 was part of Grave 2016-03.  The subfloor was cut (Cut 1014) for the burial of Skeleton 1012, which was the earliest burial of the grave. A scattering of lime-concrete patches was found at about the same elevation (ca. 85.09m) to the east of this subfloor in the southeast corner of the church beneath Context 1033, which indicates that the subfloor continued to the east.; ; Subfloors consisting of concrete, packed pebbles, flat-lying tiles, and mortar for a Cosmati-style floor that extended across the church was exposed by the 1990 field season (NB828, 829, and 835) and was partially excavated in the west nave and NW narthex in the 2014 field season (Context 47). The remainder of the subfloor in the nave (Contexts 909, 910), the transept (Contexts 910, 911, 912, and 913), and SE corner (Structure 941, Context 942) were excavated this season. Evidence of the overlying Cosmati-style flooring was found in the form of two fragments of lapis lacedaimonius in the concrete subfloor context (Context 909), two fragments of rosso antico in the fill layer (Context 918), and one fragment each of rosso antico and grey schist in Context 957. As reported from the 2014 season, the subfloor surrounding the nave likely supported marble slab paving, some of which is still in situ on the north side of the SW Pier Base (Structure 920). ; ; The subfloors were made up of two or, potentially, three layers. In the nave and transept, an upper level consisting of a harder white concrete was observed in the upper layer of Context 909 and by Context 910. The lower level of concrete was softer and included more pebbles, which is seen in the lower level of Context 909 and by Context 913. The floor may have been patched or repaired at some point as Contexts 911 and 912 have different consistencies but are at similar elevation levels. The SE corner is slightly different in that there is an upper level consisting of leveling tiles (Structure 941) and a lower level of concrete/plaster (Context 942). The tiles (Structure 941) may have been used to level the floor for an overlying surface. The pottery for Context 912 provided a date of the 15th or 16th century. The subfloor was dated to the 14th century on the west side in the 2014 season by a fragment of sgraffito IV (Context 47). Therefore, the concrete subfloors and the associated transept threshold (Structure 924) are likely 14th century or later.A cut mark (Cut 919, filled by Deposit 918) associated with the floor on the north side of the nave suggests a difference in flooring between the north aisle and nave. Graves 2016-01, 2016-02, 2016-03, and 2016-06 were excavated from the north aisle. The difference in flooring may be associated with frequent burials in the area as the floors may have been restored after the burial events in some cases (Grave 2016-03, Grave 2016-02).; ; A cement covered, concave threshold exposed in the 1990 field season is situated at the east end of the nave as one enters the transept. The threshold did not have a foundation trench and consisted of two layers of cement with one course of stone tiles between them. The upper layer of cement is concave with medium size stones used to support the concavity on the eastern side. It is likely that this concave portion held half of a column split vertically, which served as the main component of the threshold. Although the pottery excavated with the threshold places the date in the Late Byzantine period (12th century), this threshold may have been constructed during the Frankish renovation of the church which potentially include the concrete bench-like structure (Structure 302) in the NW corner and the Cosmati-style floor installed in the nave. There is no foundation trench associated with it, but a possible leveling fill for the Cosmati floor (Context 918) rested on the same level, indicating that the floor and the threshold may have been contemporaneous. ; ; The altar base (Structure 931) in the transept, across from the apse (Wall 925), may also be contemporaneous with the implementation of the Cosmati-style floor and threshold (Structure 924). The foundation fill (Context 948) was cut (Context 949) into the surface on which Contexts 912 and 913 and Structure 924 were laid. The foundation fill contained pottery dating to the Middle Byzantine period and two coins (2016-140, 2016-141) dating to the 4th and 3rd centuries AD respectively, but its stratigraphic position beneath the subfloors (Contexts 912 and 913), suggests a later date, likely 14th century or later if associated with the construction of the Cosmati-sytle floor. ; ; The threshold area in the middle of the west wall (Wall 21) of the church was excavated to explore the sequence of thresholds and thus use of the church. The earliest threshold is an unexcavated tile structure at 84.37m, which is ca. 0.60m below the earliest subfloor (Context 1029) found in the church. This tile structure was covered by mortar and tiles (Contexts 1040, 1001) which contained pottery dating to the 11th century, but most likely belong to the (early?) Frankish period based on their relationship to the rest of the church. The next, later, level of fill (Context 999) which appeared to have been mixed with mortar, dates to the 15th century based on a fragment of a yellow, slipped plain glazed bowl. The overlying level of fill (Context 995) was located directly beneath the marble threshold (Structure 22), which was in the wall (Wall 20) at the level of its preservation. Fill 995 contained pottery which confirmed the 15th century date of the preceding level (Fill 999). These fills (995 and 999) provide a terminus post quem for the construction of the marble threshold (Structure 22) in the 15th century. The construction of the threshold may have corresponded with the implementation of the Cosmati-style floor.; ; ; Conclusions; ; Excavation of the interior of the church during Sessions II and III has provided further data on the construction and use of the interior of the church (Cosmati-Style Sub-Floor: Contexts 909-913, 941-942; Lime-Cement Sub-Floor: 1029;Interior Threshold: Context 924; Altar Base: Contexts 948, 949, 951; Exterior Threshold: Contexts 22, 995, 999, 1001, 1040) during the 14th and 15th centuries as well as more information about the sequence of burials and their relationship with the interior of the church. Most of the graves discussed here are located beneath this 14th century floor, but it does not appear that they went through that particular floor level. The sequence of burials for Graves 2016-01, 2016-02, 2016-03, 2016-04, 2016-05, and 2016-06 indicate further use of the space as a burial place in the Frankish period, although the chronology is still somewhat unclear. The placement of Grave 2016-01 directly on top of Grave 2016-03 and 2016-02, to some extent, suggests that burial locations were often remembered and reused. Grave 2016-01 was destroyed in the leveling process of the floor supported by thefill of Context 914, but Grave 2016-02 and 2016-03 include cement fragments likely from the cement subfloor (Context 47 and Context 909-913) built during the 14th c. This may indicate that the floor was repaired at some point after the burial of these individuals, which would explain why Grave 2016-01 is so heavily disturbed and why the other two graves include cement chunks in their fills. ; ; The practice of multiple burials exhibited in Graves 2016-03, 2016-09, 2016-07, 2016-08, and 2016-06 seemssimilar to that described for Grave 2014-04 (Kennedy and Cundy 2014) and Grave 1990-41A-C (NB835 B41, 51, 52, 58, 61, 62), which were both located next to the west wall (Wall 20) of the church. Kennedy and Cundy (2014) suggest that the deposition of disarticulated, relatively unbroken bones on top of the primary inhumations may indicate that a particular grave was left open for a certain period of time during which it was reused multiple times for subsequent burials. The unbroken nature of the bones laid directly on top of the inhumation suggests that they were not constantly being covered with fill that might have caused them to be more fractured. There are layers of bones deposited over and/or around the primary inhumations in Graves 2016-03, 2016-06, 2016-07, 2016-08, and 2016-09, but it appears that only Grave 2016-03, Phase II burials might have followed this practice. The bone layer (952) above the inhumation (956) were relatively intact and were laid in a fairly orderly fashion with the long bones laid parallel to the inhumation. However, in Grave 2016-06, the bones of the previous burial appear to have been pushed to one side or not moved at all, which indicates that this grave was not left open. The child burials at the top of Grave 2016-08 similarly appear to not have been left open but reopened for each burial. Grave 2016-07 also exhibits a different practice in that the bone layers/jumbles (Skeleton Contexts 991, 992, and 996) associated with the primary inhumation (Skeleton 994) are much less orderly (i.e. not laid parallel to the orientation of the body) than those of Grave 2016-03 and 2016-09. The articulation of some of the skeletal material from the skeletal contexts of Grave 2016-07 also suggests that the grave was not left open but reopened multiple times. The disorder of the bone jumble (992) supports the argument that the bones were potentially placed in the grave with the fill albeit primarily at the bottom of the fill rather than mixed in with the rest of it. There were a number of bones recovered that had been mixed in with the fill (989). Grave-2016-09 deviates from the other graves in that most of the disarticulated bones were found beside or beneath the primary inhumation, rather than on top of it. This also indicates that the grave was not left open for a period of time for a series of burials.; ; The graves containing adults (2016-03, 2016-07, 2016-08, 2016-09) do appear to be similar in the potential use of a shroud as the arrangement of the skeletons suggests a constrained position within the burial.The burial positions of all of the primary interments mostly concur, with the arms crossed at the chest below the sternum or at the abdomen and the legs laid out straight. There are differences in head position, but these are related primarily to the coffin burials in Grave 2016-05. Every other primary inhumation had either an elevated skull held in place by props on either side of stone or tile. The heads of the burials in Grave 2016-05 are not propped in any way, but are turned southward, to the right side. Many of the graves excavated contained only juvenile remains including Graves 2016-02, 2016-04, 2016-05, and 2016-06. Grave 2016-03, 2016-07, 2016-08, and 2016-09 contained adult remains with most having juvenile bones included in the bone layers of the grave, excepting Grave 2016-08, which contained articulated remains of two juveniles. The peculiarities of Grave 2016-05 cause chronological issues with the relatively high elevation of the grave compared to the other graves, the use of coffins, the side-by-side burials, and the bone layer (Context 967) on top of only one of the inhumations (Skeleton 970). However, the further excavation of the SE corner of the church and an examination of previous excavation in the area does indicate that the burials were established at a later date, likely post medieval,than most of the other excavated burials in the church.; ; The burial of individuals within the church appears to span the currently known period of use of the church (Mid-13th to early 15th c.) (Graves 2016-01, -02, -03, -04, -06, -07, -08, -09) and after it was no longer used (Graves 2016-05). This means that people may have been actively using the floor of the church as a burial place while the church was in use as a place of worship. However, this may also suggest that the church went through at least two periods of use and abandonment. There is evidence that one grave (2016-08) went through an early subfloor (Structure 1029) of the church, which does not appear to have been repaired after the creation of the grave. Grave 2016-09 represents the earliest excavated(this season) primary inhumation of the church, dating to the late 13th century or later. However, this primary inhumation was only the last of many. The skeletons represented in Context 998 are likely earlier than inhumation 1025 but were disturbed by subsequent burial activity in Grave 2016-07. The latest burials are represented in Grave 2016-05. The continuity of the practice of multiple burial is evident throughout the use of the church as a burial area. However, the use of coffins over shrouds and/or tile coverings in Grave 2016-05 also indicates changesin burial practices over time.; ; Recommendations for Future Work in the Area:; ; 1.    Continue the excavation of the osteotheke in the northwest corner of the church nearby Grave 2016-05. It cuts into Context 982, excavated in Session II, identified by Cut 44 and filled by Contexts 32 and 529, excavated in Session I of 2014.; 2.    Determine the nature of the stone block found at the bottom of Grave 2016-06 and whether it is related to Structure 150.; 3.    Determine the nature of the stone lining (Structure 1002) in the north scarp of Grave 2016-07.; 4.    Continue excavation in the south aisle, as there are more articulated burials evident in the bottom of Grave 2016-08 and in the west scarp of Grave 2016-07.; 5.    Excavate the remnants of Grave 2014-04 along the west wall (Wall 21) along with the short wall built specifically for the burial (Wall 1032). This will also allow for completing the excavation of the fill between the threshold and Wall 1032.","","Temple E, Southeast 2016 by Kaitlyn Stiles (2016-05-04 to 2016-06-25)","","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","",""