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"","","North of Nezi, 2010: Green Session II Final Report (Dominic Galante, Christina Trego); ; The following summarizes Green Team’s excavations in two rooms in the Byzantine house north of Nezi field during the second session of the 2010 excavation season at Corinth. These are the rooms north and northwest of the courtyard of the house. Excavations took place from 4 May to 21 May 2010. Supervising these excavations were Guy Sanders (director) and Martin Wells (field director). The excavation team included Dominic Galante (recorder), Christina Trego (recorder), Athanasios Sakellariou (pickman), Pavlos Senis (shovelman), Panos “Junior” Stamatis (barrowman), and Vangelis Kollias (sieveman).;  ; For the first week of the excavation (4-7 May), work was done in the room north of the courtyard ( N 1035.70-1039.30, E 265.40-270.60); from 10-21 May, work was pursued in the room northwest of the courtyard (N 1035.00-1038.70, E 260.70-264.90).  In the room north of the courtyard, our goal was to trace periods of usage and abandonment, especially in regards to the construction phases of walls (e.g. 5562, 6016, 6526, 6321).  In the room northwest of the courtyard, our goal was to excavate two tile-built pithoi and their surrounding contexts in order to understand the usage of the room in the Frankish and Byzantine periods, as well as take the room down to the middle Roman levels excavated by Scott Gallimore in the room west of the courtyard in the first session of 2010.; ; ROOM NORTH OF THE COURTYARD; ; During the first session of the 2010 season, Scott Gallimore excavated a ramp abutting the southwest junction of walls 6526 and 6016 (6491), which was covered by a dumped fill (6516, excavated in May 2009). The ramp is dated to the the 9th-10th centuries.  Gallimore believes that these two contexts could represent a period of post-abandonment for this space prior to its reorganization as part of the Byzantine house.  Second session work in this room concentrated on the southern half of the room, with some work being done in the NW.; ; LATE ROMAN; ; The earliest activities encountered in the room north of the courtyard in the Byzantine house were fills in the southern half of the room (6869, 6871, 6872, 6874). These fills are dated to the Late Roman (5th-6th century CE) and contain ash, iron, bronze, and nails. One item, parts of which came from 6872 and 6874, is particularly intriguing. It needs cleaning for more exact study, but it may be a lamp stand comprised of a central iron shaft connected to arms by means of a wooden joint; the arms appear to have iron hooks at their ends that may have been used to hang lamps. ; Rubble wall foundations (6876) were revealed during excavation of 6842 and 6850, running E-W on the southern side of the room. A block appeared under contexts excavated to the north of this wall, and perhaps represents a robbed out wall that joined with 6876 and ran N-S. The foundations were not excavated, and neither superstructure nor foundation trench was found; however, stratigraphically we might date 6876 to the 5th century CE.; Previous excavations had discovered Late Roman pottery in a pit fill on the northern side of this room, between (and disturbing) walls 6526 and 5562 (cf. cut 6536 and associated fills 6539, 6543, 6459, and 6460). This cut goes deeper than was excavated and possibly fills a cistern.; ; EARLY BYZANTINE; ; Little from the Early Byzantine period remains in the northern half of the room, although we did not do extensive excavation in this area. A cut dated to the 7th century CE (6836 and its fill 6835) may be a robbing trench for wall 6526, indicating that the wall was in existence by this time period.; There appears to be something of a gap in activity in this room from this robbing trench until the tile-built grave discussed below. There is one context dated by pottery to the 8th-9th centuries, 6846; however, this context stratigraphically is above a 10th century deposit (6868) and therefore must be updated. As explained below, we believe that the construction of the grave caused some disturbances in the stratigraphy.; ; MIDDLE BYZANTINE; ; A tile-built grave was discovered at the SW junction of walls 6526 and 6016. Four tiles were placed on top of the tile-lined grave on an E-W orientation in the corner of the two walls. The structure itself was 1.09m long, and contained the burial of a child. The skeleton was well-articulated and missing the left leg below the knee and all foot bones. Water sieving the grave fill revealed no grave goods. The fill inside the cut for the grave (6865 in cut 6859) can help date this grave: it is dated to the Middle Byzantine period (NPD). This fill is above 6868, which is 10th century in date; therefore we suggest a 10th century date. The amount of earth moved for the construction of this grave may have contributed to the stratigraphy of this part of the room: e.g., 6868 (10th century) appears below 6850 (6th century). The existence of this grave, placed deliberately in the corner of walls 6526 and 6016, demonstrates with certainty that these walls were constructed before the date of this grave. ; ; The 9th-11th centuries saw a significant amount of activity in this room, as revealed by our excavations and 2009 excavations. The southeastern area of the room, including the grave, was covered by a ramp (6491) of the 9th-10th centuries that was used to assist in dumping material in this room. Several fills dating to the 10th-11th centuries contained high amounts of boulder inclusions (6516, 6532, 6550, 6554), which may have come from dismantling walls 6526 and 6016. It is possible that these fills were used to level the area. A foundation trench (6831 with fill 6830) of wall 5562 is dated to the Middle Byzantine period (NPD) and possibly belongs to a second construction phase of the wall. We reconstruct two phases of this wall based on the usage of larger boulders on the upper sections of the wall, contrasting with sections of the wall below. Foundation trench 6567 (with fill 6568), excavated in June 2009, was also clearly a foundation trench of wall 5562. Based on the presence of two distinct building materials and two distinct foundation trenches, we propose two phases for this wall. The first of these must have been Middle Byzantine in date and the second in the 10th-11th centuries. ; ; ROOM NORTHWEST OF THE COURTYARD; ; The room northwest of the courtyard was last excavated during the 2009 season; this work covered all areas of the room, centering around a tile-built pithos on the east side of the room (6881), another tile-built pithos on the southern side of the room (on the northern side of Wall 5725) (6991), and a rubbish dump in the northwest part of the room (6112).; ; LATE ROMAN; ; The earliest construction in the room northwest of the courtyard in the Roman period is a plaster floor and rubble wall foundations (7032), also coated with plaster (the same as the floor on the west side, and painted plaster on the east side), in the northeastern half of the room.  The floor surface continues under Wall 10111 and on the southern side of the cut of the built pithos (6881), as well on the eastern side of Wall 7031.  As these features have not yet been excavated, the date of their construction is uncertain, but they were covered and associated with a destruction debris of burnt mud brick (7015) that is dated to the 5th-6th centuries CE, most likely from the superstructure of Wall 7032.  This wall is cut by the later built pithos (6881), but continues to the south of the pithos (unexcavated, but visible in the scarp), and may be connected to the robbed out N-S wall (6817), the robbing trench only of which was excavated in the room west of the courtyard (cut 6762), and which was also associated with fallen/slumped mud brick.  The earlier phase of construction indicated by this wall perhaps dates to the Middle Roman period, and may be associated with ashlar blocks in the room north of the courtyard (underlying walls 6526 and 6016, as well as the N-S spur running from 5562 and below 6526).  The farthest south ashlar block (N 1036.00-.50, E 267.20-70) uncovered between walls 6526 and 5463 had plaster on its western face, perhaps indicating the area to west was interior space, if the block is in its original location in association with the plaster.; ; The Late Roman period is represented by a destruction debris (7015) of burnt mud brick, as noted above, and contained large amounts of burnt pottery, iron and bronze, glass, and painted wall plaster.  Again, this may be connected to the slumped mud brick uncovered in the room west of the courtyard, as it appears these two room were one large space in the Late Roman period, and walls 10111, 6321, 5725 and 6130 were not constructed until the Byzantine period. The nature/cause of the destruction is unknown, but it does appear to signal the end of the Late Roman phase of use in this structure.  The burnt mud brick layer was covered by several fills of compacted, unburnt mud brick (7030, 7013, 7011, and 7002), which in turn were cut by 7012 (filled by 7005). Although the purpose of this cut is unknown, the odd wave pattern at the western bottom of the cut suggests perhaps it was used to remove something from the destruction and subsequent layers of mud brick.  A floor was constructed atop these mud brick fills (7000), most likely a compaction of the topmost mud brick layer, and was truncated by a foundation trench for a later phase of Wall 5562 (6970, cut 6971), an earlier version of which seems to date to the same period as the plaster floor and Wall 7032, as indicated by plaster on the lowest visible blocks in association with the floor and 7032.  ; In the southern half of the room, a leveling fill (6983) at the northwestern juncture of wall 5725 and 5724 and what may be the foundation trench of Wall 10111 (fill 6978) represent the Late Roman period.  More excavation is necessary to determine if the Late Roman phase has actually been reached (as indicated by 6983), and if the 6978 does indeed represent the fill of the foundation trench of 10111, and if it should be dated by the pottery (dated tentatively to the 5th century CE), or if it dates instead to the Early Byzantine period (since it was covered by fills dating to the 7th century CE, see below), and the fill represents earlier fills cut into and redeposited with the construction of 10111.  More excavation is necessary to securely date this, as 6978 was taken about 75 cm farther down than the fills to the south of it before excavation was terminated.; ; EARLY BYZANTINE; ; As with the room north of the courtyard, the Early Byzantine period is not very well represented in this room.  There are several dumped/leveling fills (all in the southern half of the room, 6969, 6925, 6932, 6905) that may date to this period.  6969 and 6932 were dumped fills, extending over a large portion of the room south of the east pithos (6881), and cut by both pithoi.  6925 and 6905 were deposited against  walls 10111 and 5724 and may represent leveling fills.  It is unclear if these fills should be taken to indicate use of the site in the Early Byzantine period (although 6925 and 6932 overlaid fill 6983, the possible foundation fill for Wall 10111), or if there was a period of abandonment from the end of the Late Roman period, until the Middle Byzantine (9th-10th century), as suggested by the lack of Early Byzantine remains in the house overall.; ; MIDDLE BYZANTINE; ; The Middle Byzantine period sees the resumption of construction and use of this area, with several foundation trenches for Wall 5562, the E-W wall extending along the northern boundary of the rooms north and northwest of the courtyard (cut 6959, 6957; cut 6945, 6951), Wall 6130 (cut 6947, 6946), and several dumped fills.; ; In the northern section of the room, under floor 6600, several leveling fills were excavated (6604, 6935, 6941, 6944), which all indicated activity in the 10th-11th centuries, and were cut by foundation trenches for Walls 5562, 6130, and 6321.  The earliest trench appears to be that for Wall 6321, and may be part of the original foundation trench (6973, fill 6965).  7030, the fill that contained mud brick and was associated with the destruction layer, appears to run under wall 6321, and also underlies the fill of this foundation cut.  It would appear that Wall 6321 (under which Wall 10111 also runs, perpendicularly) dates to the 10th century, although the construction of the east pithos (6881), as well as the robbing trench for Wall 6375 make the stratigraphy in the area directly abutting the western face of 6321 somewhat confusing.   A foundation trench for an earlier phase of Wall 5562 in the Byzantine period, 6959 (fill 6957), which was later cut by 6945 (fill 6951), cut these leveling fills.  A similar pattern emerged along the south face of wall 5562 in the room north of the courtyard, and seems to be on equal elevations and have similar dimensions (6568, 6831).  This would seem to indicate at least two phases of construction of Wall 5562 in the Middle Byzantine period – the first (associated with 6957, 6831), uses smaller, unworked stones with tile used to level the courses, and the second, later phase (associated with 6951, 6568) uses larger, roughly squared blocks.  ; A foundation trench for Wall 6130 (6947, fill 6946) also cut these leveling fills, and appears to be a bit high for the original foundation of the wall, but may relate to a second phase of use/construction (much like with Wall 5562), occurring the 11th century.  ; In the southern half of the room, much disturbed by the two pithoi, several fills extending across the entirety of the southern half of the room were uncovered, dated to the 10th century.  These may have been leveling fills for the construction of the rubble foundations (6100), removed in the 2009 season of excavation.  These fills were characterized by moderate amounts of animal bone, charcoal, and seem to confirm the hypothesis that this area was used for cooking/a tavern in the Byzantine period.  ; ; LATE BYZANTINE; ; The Late Byzantine period in the room NW of the courtyard is dominated by the presence of two built pithoi. The first of these, structure 6991, was located in the southern part of the room and had been built over by wall 5725; half of it lies in the room W of the courtyard. It was built of corbelled tile with a tile bottom over a leveling fill. No plaster was used in the construction and it was bonded with mud.  The fill inside this pithos (6512) was first excavated in May 2009, and on the basis of pottery the associated cut (6513) was dated to the 12th century. However, excavations of this season revealed fill of the 10th-11th centuries (6880, 6897) within the pithos and excavation of the structure yielded pottery of the 11th century. We therefore propose a construction date of the 11th century, with use of the pithos extending into the early 12th century and terminating with the construction of wall 5725 in that period.;  The second pithos is structure 6881, which has been identified by previous excavations as a well. Work of previous seasons excavated parts of this structure: a stone “well head” (5876) and tile corbelling lined with plaster (6493). Our excavations of 6881 and its fill also yielded tile corbelling lined with plaster. Therefore we reconstruct two construction phases, the later stone head and the tile corbelling. The former is dated to the third quarter of the 13th century, in the Frankish period. 6493’s pottery is 10th-11th century, the same as 6881. Two holes in the tile and plastering were observed on opposite ends of the interior of the structure, approximately 10cm wide; we believe these were to allow access (perhaps during the pithos’ construction), which was about 2m deep in this first phase. Excavation of the tile revealed some reused material, including a terracotta sima with egg and dart moulding from the South Stoa. Wall blocks, probably from wall 10111, were also reused in the construction of the pithos. Blocks were observed on the west side of the interior, repositioned to the curve of the structure (but still generally aligned with wall 10111) and with plaster applied to them. Similar blocks were observed on the east side of the interior of 6881, and more stone blocks were observed on the north and south sides of the scarp left from the excavation. These latter may represent yet another wall, and the northern projection of these blocks has been opened as context 7032. The pithos had a cement and plaster bottom, which was built over a leveling fill of tiles (6889).; ; CONCLUSIONS; ; The rooms N and NW of the courtyard in the Byzantine house represent different spaces, perhaps differently oriented in various time periods and not all of which were strictly domestic in use throughout the periods excavated this session. One of the most complicated aspects of these spaces is the number of walls that have been found. Just within the confines of the room N of the courtyard, there are three walls (6016, 6526, 6876) and there could be yet another. Because these walls have not been excavated and not precisely dated, it is difficult to say anything about their chronology and use with any certainty. However, it is probably that 6526 was built in the 7th century, and we do not believe that wall 6321 existed at that point.  Furthermore, ashlar blocks were found under parts of 6526, apparently in a N-S line towards wall 5562. Some plaster was found on these blocks. These may have formed a room in conjunction with 7032. The area of the room north of the courtyard may also have been used as a workshop during the Late Roman period, based on finds recovered from 6872 and 6874. ; ; In the room NW of the courtyard during the Late Roman period there was a destruction, as evidenced by 7015. This seems connected to slumped mud brick and robbed out N-S wall excavated in Session I of 2010 in the room W of the courtyard. This is further evidence that these two rooms were connected before the construction of wall 5725 (early 12th century), a supposition also supported by the existence of pithos 6991 directly under 5725. The destruction fill 7015 probably extended over most of the room, and certainly under wall 10111. This destruction may have contributed to the decline in use of this space during the Early Byzantine period.; ; The Early Byzantine periods sees a noticeable slacking of activity in these two rooms. There is some pottery from the 7-9th centuries, but these were all found in stratigraphically later contexts. Therefore, the actions these contexts represent must be Middle Byzantine in date. This may represent an abandonment of these areas, and this may be as a result of the Late Roman destruction (fill 7015) found in the room NW of the courtyard. ; In the Middle Byzantine period, we believe that pithos 6991 may be contemporary with the floor and white ware kettles (6145) and that it may have been built to service a cooking or tavern area. Pithos 6881 was constructed close in date with wall 5725 (which marks the end of use of pithos 6991), and that 6881 was a replacement for 6991. At this point, then, the room NW of the courtyard was divided from the room W of the courtyard. ; In the room N of the courtyard, the tile-lined grave of a child of the 10th century marks the resumption of activity in this room after little evidence of the 7-9th centuries. By this point both walls 6016 and 6526 have been built. It is likely that wall 6321 is built during the Middle Byzantine period and separates the room N of the courtyard from that NW of the courtyard. The 10th-11th century sees dramatic changes in the space, with a ramp (6491) being constructed over the area of the grave to facilitate dumping boulders from the superstructures of surrounding walls for leveling fill. These actions have been interpreted by previous excavators as part of the effort to organize the spaces around Nezi into a house.","","Report","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","Corinth","","2010 Session 2 Green Team Final Report: Rooms North of the Courtyard of the Byzantine House","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2010 by Dominic Galante, Christina Trego (2010-05-03 to 2010-05-21)","","Nezi Field 2010 by Dominic Galante, Christina Trego (2010-05-03 to 2010-05-21)","",""
"","","Corinth Excavations 2010 Session II; North of Nezi Room A; We, Cameron Pearson and Lincoln Nemetz Carlson, continued the excavation in the area north of Nezi opened by Rob Nichols and Martin Wells in the first excavation session of 2010. During the first week of the second session of the 2010 Corinth excavation season, May 4 – May 7 we excavated primarily in the northwest room of the Byzantine house—the ‘well room’ (6288)—bounded by walls 54, 5631, 6426, 10086, 10081, 10087, 55 and 6333 (E. 273.95-283.00; N. 1026.9-1034.78). Generally, current excavation in this area continues the work carried out during the 1960s by Henry Robinson (director) and William Berg III (supervisor).  Our objectives were to continue the work of the previous session and expose the drain structure 6727 in order to see if there was any evidence of a Roman north-south road in the area.; The following is a summary and interpretation of the first part of the second session of excavations. The director was Guy Sanders, the field director was Marty Wells, the pickmen were Thanasis Notis and Panos Stamatis, the shovelman and barrowman Sotiris Raftopoulos, and the dry sieve was operated by Iannis Senis ; Late Roman/Early Byzantine (300-801 CE); These layers are concentrated primarily in the center of the room in and around drain (structure 6827). In the Late Roman period, a sewer drain (structure 6827) was in existence, which has been dated to the late 4rd- 5th c. B.C.E. on pottery (6931, 6939, 6943) found between it and the cut for the drain (6737). It is oriented NW-SE, under the phases of the later Byzantine room and continued under wall 10086 to the east. It is unclear if it continued to the west. It is possible that it connected to the north-south drain associated with the Roman road east of room. The drain consisted of a combination of building materials: worked fieldstones, marble pavers and a collection of weathered and/or badly carved architectural members: two geison blocks, three half-columns cut lengthwise, and two unfluted (so far as is visible) cylindrical blocks, one with an offset empolium.  At some point the drain went out of use, and an extensive fill of re-deposited 8th c. material (6788) was deposited over it, followed by subsequent Middle Byzantine activity 6686 and 6682 in later periods.; Excavation west of the built part of the sewer revealed that there were no more covering slabs despite the walls of the drain curving southwest. The cylindrical rough-hewn block (not a column) with the offset empolium to the south was fully uncovered along with a badly carved half column and some worked fieldstones to the north.  They all lined the drain. It is unclear whether this part of the drain was ever covered or if it was robbed out at some point. One of the half columns was revealed lying near the bottom of the drain (cf.6867).; Based on the contexts (6931, 6939, 6943), between the drain (6827) and the cut (6737) the date of the drain’s construction is 4th-5th c. AD. It is unclear which roads or other drains it was connected to but it is likely linked with the unexcavated sewer next to the Roman road just above it to the east. It then goes out of use in the middle 6th -7th c. The top layer (6856) of the small mound that formed the western end of where the covering slabs had lain over the drain dates to the 7th c. but it could have fallen in from above as the slabs were not sealed by any means (the drain continued to the west but with no covering slabs). The rest of the fill  (6854, 6860, 6861), which was clearly from the wash inside the covered portion of dates to the middle of the 6th c.; One explanation for the different layers and types of soil inside the area where the drain was covered is that it was plugged up some time in the 7th c. The small mound toward the west of the covered area would have been created by the blocking. The half column found during the removal of the bottom fill (6867) for the drain (6827) could have served this purpose. The covering slabs to the west and any evidence of the dark silt (6854, 6861) not found outside of where the drain was covered (6832) would have been removed during this stopping up operation. The problem with this explanation is that there is no clear evidence that the soil (6867) at the bottom of the covered eastern section of the drain is earlier than the fill that hypothetically would have been used to fill up the western part (6832). Furthermore, in order for the stopping up theory to be validated, there would have be a good explanation as to why a century or two after its construction such trouble would be taken to plug it up.; A second idea is that the drain simply went out of use. However, this explanation has to account for why the soil in the covered portion of the drain contained layers of dark silt and wetter soil (6854, 6860, 6861), which were not found outside to the west (6832).  If it clogged up on its own there should be traces of this silt to the west as well. It is possible that the silt was removed while the covering slabs to the west were robbed out, perhaps in connection with the building of wall 6421 or its repair.; A third solution would have the drain simply never containing covering slabs to the west. James Herbst has suggested that there would have been a need for such drains to funnel out water before it flooded the forum to the south but it is doubtful that the drain would have been able to function without covering slabs. ; Of important note is that during a cleanup defining the edge of one of the Frankish piers (6841), a piece of Roman sculpture, most likely from a relief, was found. It consists of the right side of the face (S 2010).  ;  Conclusion; We have dated the drains (6827) construction (4th-5th c.) and the end of its use (7th c.) Notably, we did not find evidence for a Roman north-south road in or around the drain. It remains to be explained why the drain was built at such a late date. It if is associated with the road’s construction to the east it should be early (ca. 1st c.). For a clearer picture of why and for what purpose the drain was built at this time, comparanda from other Roman drains in Corinth will need to be studied. ; ; ; ; Corinth Excavations 2010 Room B; North of Nezi; We, Cameron Pearson and Lincoln Nemetz Carlson, continued the excavation in the area north of Nezi opened by Sarah Lima, Mark Hammond, and Kiersten Spongberg in session II 2009.  ; During the second week of the second session of the 2010 Corinth excavation season, May 10 – May 19 we excavated primarily in what we are calling Room B (the second room we dug this session which was called the East Room by the previous excavators) south of the courtyard in the Byzantine house— Bounded by walls 5403  to the south, 6300, 6027,  (threshold) 6285 to the east, 5483 to the west, and to the north 6267,  (threshold) 5671, and (foundation) 6245. Our objectives were to continue the work of the previous session and to search for any trace of a North-South Roman road. ; The following is a summary and interpretation of the second part of the second session of excavations. The director was Guy Sanders, the field director was Marty Wells, the pickmen were Thanasis Notis and Panos Stamatis, the shovelman and barrowman Sotiris Raftopoulos, and the dry sieve was operated by Iannis Senis.; Hellenistic 3rd Century; A series of ash pits were found in the southwest (6901, 6906, 6917) and one in the north (6924). All of these dated to the Hellenistic period with one late Roman contaminant in 6906 and three in 6926. Despite the contaminants, which probably entered these ash contexts because we mistakenly dug them before later contexts or due to overdigging, it seems most likely that in the Hellenistic period the whole area covered by Room B was an ash dump for some sort of industry. ; Late Roman 3rd C.; A large cut, as of yet undated, appears to run east-west through the center of the room. It could have been for a Roman wall along the south side of the east-west road. There is evidence for this cut in the rooms to the east and west of Room B. A small wall bit, most likely a foundation, (6968) might be what is left of the robbing out of this Roman east-west wall. The pottery on top of this wall bit (6968) dates to the 3rd c. AD (6966). Another possible small foundation for a wall (6937) runs north-south under wall 5403. The relationship between these two hypothetical wall foundations is unclear as they have not been excavated. We are also unsure if the tile dump 6916 is a structure at all (whether a furnace or another wall foundation?).  However, we can postulate that sometime from the 6th-8th c., the Roman wall was robbed out and filled with deposits 6967, and possibly 6982 and 6888 as well. Another problem left for future excavation is the relationship if any of wall 6933 to wall 6120. We had originally thought that wall 6120 was associated with paving stones 6190, which reached the wall. But since the Hellenistic ash is visible just below wall 6120 it is possible that this wall is earlier than the paving stones which are associated with threshold 5285 to the east, which the previous excavators had concluded was earlier than threshold 6261 on the north side of the room but has no precise date.   ; Conclusions; In Room B we hypothesize that a Hellenistic ash layer was probably cut for a wall of an east-west Roman road.  We exposed the cut which should be explored by the next team.  They should begin at the north west of the cut and try to decide what the relationship is between the cut and walls 6968 and 6933. We could not see evidence for the cut continuing on the area just east of wall 6933. There was a clear greenish layer passing form the western to the northern scarp of 6967, implying that the cut does not continue between walls 6933 and 6968. However, the paving stones at the bottom of fill 6967 appear to end at the northern edge of the cut, indicating that it does indeed continue along the lines of wall 6968 to the west. Other questions to answer are what is 6915. Is it a structure of a dump? Also it could be that wall foundations 6937 and 6968 formed a corner where the north south road met. What is their relationship?  ; Room C ; ; In the third week of Session II, we turned out attention to the room directly to the South of Room B, referred to here as “Room C.”  Room C was last investigated by Anne Feltovich, Catherine Persona and Emily Rush during the 2008 season. Room C, referred to as Room E by Feltovich, Person and Rush during the 2008 excavation, is bounded by walls 5403 to the north (formerly W 32), Wall 5435 to the west (formerly W 22), Wall 5435 to the South (formerly W 23) and 5346 to the east.  ; We were interested in looking into the relationship between the Room B and Room C, which appeared to be terraced above Room B, and for looking of signs of the N-S Roman road that may have ran through both rooms.  ; During the 2008 session, the previous excavators established that the wall dividing the room, Wall 5446, was the first wall in the room and the other walls in the room were built in this order.; ; a) Wall 5446 ; b) Wall 5403; c) Wall 5435; d) Wall 5434; e) Wall 5346.; Early on in the excavation, we discovered a wall (Wall 7001) running parallel with 5446 to the west of 5446.  Wall 7001 also seems to have been cut by the foundation trench for wall 5403 and thus is one of the earliest features of the room.  At this time, however, it is hard to say whether wall 7001 predates, postdates or is contemporary with wall 5446.  Two overlying early Roman Contexts (6997 and 7003) deposited between Walls 7001 and 6997 would seem to indicate that both walls predate the 2nd century AD.  Walls 7001 and 5446 also seem to be aligned with Structure 6916 (the furnace or tile dump) and Wall 6937 in Room B, but this might be coincidental.  Further investigation of Structure 6916 is recommended in order to establish its relationship, if any, to Wall 7001.; ; It seems that during the late 1st/early 2nd century AD, the area between Walls 7001 and 5446 and the area to the east of Wall 5446 (between 5446 and wall 5346) were filled with leveling deposits (6997/7031 and 7010/7021) which brought the surface of the room to the current extant height of the two walls (7001 and 5446).  At the present time, however, we do not have enough information to understand the intentions behind this action.; ; In the late 3rd/early 4th century AD, a pit (Cut 7020) was cut into the 1st/early 2nd century deposit (7010/7021) up against and to the east of Wall 5446 and a large amount of charcoal and ash was deposited (Deposit 7019).  The top of this pit of charcoal was cut by the construction of another pit above it during the 6th century AD (Cut 5380).  Fill to the west of wall 5435 (7003)  dates to the same period (3rd/early 4th century AD) as the charcoal and ash deposit, though it is unclear if the two deposits are related.  ; ; Excavations and cleaning also revealed a partial Greek inscription on the southern face of a block in Wall 5446.  Although we were able to make out and transcribe a couple of letters (as documented on Structure 5446 Context Sheet), the fragmentary nature of the inscription inhibits any further conclusions as to the nature of the writing.","","Report","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Nezi Field","Corinth","","2010 Session II Blue Final Report: Well Room (A), Room south of Courtyard (B), and Room South of the Byzantine House ( C )","Corinth:Report:Nezi Field 2010 by Cameron Pearson and Lincoln Nemetz Carlson (2010-05-27 to 2010-05-28)","","Nezi Field 2010 by Cameron Pearson and Lincoln Nemetz Carlson (2010-05-27 to 2010-05-28)","",""
"","","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.","","Report","Corinthia | Ancient Corinth | Central Area | Temple E, Temenos | Temple E, Southeast","Corinth","","Sessions 2-3 of 2014: Church Nave, Unit 2 of the Frankish Quarter","Corinth:Report:Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Larkin Kennedy and Jody Cundy (2014-05-06 to 2014-06-27)","","Temple E, Southeast 2014 by Larkin Kennedy and Jody Cundy (2014-05-06 to 2014-06-27)","",""