The week began with a short tour of the site, focusing primarily on the Temple and the bath complex. We then moved to the Upper Acropolis where many of the students would be working. At first glance, the site contained several standing walls, composed of mortar, stone, and pottery sherds. While several students travelled back to the Temple to work on trenches, a large number stayed at the Upper Acropolis. We began by removing loose plant debris and small rocks off of what became the interior of two buildings on either side of a small street. By day two, we were removing larger pieces of wall fall and a large amount of roof debris. On day three we were able to discern the building outlines and were able to plan out trenches for the work teams.
In the clearing layer, we found a number of small artifacts, including several amphora toes and a large number of roof tiles. Worked stone was less common but had become less rare as we removed more and more wall fall. Unfortunately, finds in the clearing layer cannot be dated by stratigraphy and are therefore of significantly less use.
On another note, the climate is hot and often humid, although coupled with dry soils. Water is a must and we drink a huge amount of it every day on the site. That said, the food is amazing and I could not be happier with the breakfasts and lunches prepared by Aisha, the wife of the site security, Rami.
As fun as removing large rocks and wall fall has been, I am excited to be moving forward into trench excavation. The questions I would like to explore are centered around the history of the site: how long has the site been inhabited, how did the use of the upper Acropolis change as it become part of a larger city, and what work were the earliest inhabitants engaged in?