zincirli field manual 2010

8/8/2019 Zincirli Field Manual 2010

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The Oriental Institute of the University of ChicagoNeubauer Expedition to Zincirli

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FIELD MANUAL OF THE NEUBAUEREXPEDITION TO ZINCIRLI

by David Schloen

with contributions by Robert Mullins

[revised June 2010]

HIS manual describes the excavation and recording methods used at the site ofZincirli Hyk (ancient Samal) by the University of Chicagos Neubauer Expedition

to Zincirli. To ensure consistency, accuracy, and efficiency during excavation andpostexcavation analysis, all members of the Zincirli field staff are required to study thismanual and to follow the procedures it describes. There will be regular staff meetingsduring the field season in which field supervisors and specialists can share informationabout the current excavations and long-term research goals. Staff members should alsostudy the Neubauer Expeditions website and become familiar with its content.

Site Formation

A Near Eastern ruin mound (called a hyk in Turkish or tell in Arabic) is anartificial hill that is the product of a series of settlements built one on top of the otherover a long period of time. Zincirli has an upper mound about 8 hectares in area that wasfirst settled in the third millennium B.C., if not earlier. Zincirli also has a lower moundencircling the upper mound (40 hectares in all). The lower mound was occupied duringthe first millennium B.C., at a time when the upper mound was made into a specializedroyal citadel.

Near Eastern mounded sites are formed by successive cycles of construction, occupation,and then destruction of buildings that were made mainly of unbaked mudbricks. After alonger or shorter period of use, ancient buildings were destroyed by fire, earthquake, orconquering armies, or perhaps were intentionally torn down in order to make way for

new structures. When mudbrick buildings collapsed or were torn down, their wallsgradually dissolved and created a soil layer if they were left exposed to the elements foreven a few years. The builders of the next architectural phase broke up any remaining

wall stumps and raked them flat to prepare the ground for the new buildings; in somecases, they reused the wall foundations in their new walls. Uneven areas or pits wereartificially leveled using fill material that was normally dug up from elsewhere on the site.

The stumps of walls, or at least their stone foundations, are usually preserved in thisleveled debris, which allows us to reconstruct the architectural plans of successivebuildings.

In many cases, the debris produced by the collapse of roofs and walls buried the floorsand courtyards, sealing the artifacts and occupational debris left behind on these surfaces.For sociohistorical purposes, it is this occupational debris in its primary context which is

most informative about the activities of the inhabitants of the buildings. The pattern ofdistribution of faunal remains, botanical remains, pottery, stone tools, and other artifactscan reveal the function of rooms and buildings and the economic and social roles of theirinhabitants.

For chronological purposes, datable material that had accumulated on a surface gives aterminus ante quem for the surface, which must have been laid down before the materialfound on it. Datable material sealed beneath a surface gives a terminus post quemfor thesurface, since it cannot have gotten there after the surface was made.

T


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Digital Globe (Quickbird) satellite image of Zincirli


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Period and Phase versus Stratum or Level

A single major cycle of construction, use, and destruction over a period of decades isoften referred to as a stratum or a building level. But episodes of construction, use,and destruction are not necessarily site-wide phenomena, so it is misleading to think ofthe site as a layer cake of uniform strata or building levels. Strictly speaking, anarchaeological stratum is not an observed physical entity but rather an inferred temporal

construct pertaining to the architecture in use on a site in a particular period.

An observed cycle of construction, use, and destruction of contemporaneous buildings ina particular excavation area will be referred to as a phase at Zincirli, not a stratum,and such phases will not be assumed to continue across the site beyond the area in whichthey were observed. This means that each contiguous area of excavation will have itsown independently numbered sequence of directly observed architectural phases. Theselocal phases will eventually be correlated with one another in terms of broader culturaland political periods, keeping in mind that one area of the site might have more buildingphases than another. But we will avoid the use of the ambiguous terms stratum orlevel in favor of phase and period.

Subphases refer to the raising of floors or other minor additions and alterations made

to one or more buildings in a local architectural phase during its lifetime. The construc-tional fills brought in to level up an area for new buildings can also be considered asubphase. The goal of stratigraphic excavation is to identify the various stratigraphicunits (remnants of walls, floors, etc.) that give evidence of phases and subphases ofconstruction, use, and destruction or abandonment, and to remove them in the reverseorder of their construction and deposition.

Grid System

Zincirli is a circular site around 40 hectares in area (720 meters in diameter). Ourexcavation grid is one square kilometer (1,000 meters 1,000 meters) in size. The grid isoriented northsouth and encompasses the entire site. The grid is divided into onehundred smaller units, each of which measures 100 meters 100 meters (10,000 squaremeters = 1 hectare). These 100-meter grid units are simply called grids in our system(e.g., Grid 1, Grid 2, etc.). They are numbered from 1 to 100 in ten rows of ten, fromnorthwest to southeast; i.e., left to right and top to bottom on a north-oriented map, asshown on the next page.

Excavation Squares

Each 100-meter grid unit is in turn divided into one hundred smaller units, each of whichmeasures 10 meters 10 meters (100 square meters). These 10-meter units are simplycalled squares in our system (e.g., Square 1, Square 2). Just like the 100-meter gridunits, the 10-meter squares are numbered in ten rows of ten, from northwest tosoutheast.

The 10-meter square is the basic unit of excavation. Its location is specified by combiningthe 100-meter grid number and the 10-meter square number within that grid (e.g., Grid44, Square 79; or simply 44.79). In each 10-meter excavation square, there is a squaresupervisor who supervises the digging and records information.

In some cases, it is necessary to use smaller excavation squares that measure only 1 meter 1 meter; for example, when excavating a floor or street on which occupational debris isfound in situ. These 1-meter squares are called finegrid squares (or just finegrids) inour system. They are numbered from 1 to 100 within the 10-meter square, in ten rows of


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ten from northwest to southeast, just like the larger grid units. As a result, any one-square-meter region on the site can be identified by a combination of grid, square, andfinegrid numbers (e.g., 44.79.52).

Square Supervisors and Area Supervisors

Each square supervisor reports to an area supervisor who oversees excavation in an areaconsisting of two or more contiguous squares. The area supervisor advises the squaresupervisor on excavation strategy and stratigraphic interpretation. The area supervisoralso assigns locus numbers to all stratigraphic units excavated within his or her area andarranges for photographs as needed. The square supervisor keeps a detailed notebook,

which contains all of the forms, plans, and section drawings that describe what has beenexcavated in his or her square (see below).


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Loci and Locus Numbering

In contrast to a grid square, which is an arbitrary division of space, a locus is a realstratigraphic unit (e.g., a wall, floor, pit, etc.), which means that a given locus may spanmore than one excavation square. The numbering of loci is thus independent of grid andsquare numbers, although we usually record the grid and square of the locus along withthe locus number in order to see at a glance where the locus is on the site.

At Zincirli, each locus number is unique within the entire site. To accomplish this, locusnumbers consist of the letter L followed by six digits (e.g., L08-1001). The first twodigits indicate the season of excavation08 for the 2008 seasonwhen the locus wasfirst uncovered. Some loci will be excavated for more than one season but they arealways referred to by the original locus number.

The first two digits are followed by a hyphen to make the six-digit number easier to read.The third digit indicates the excavation area. The last three digits range from 001 to 999and are assigned sequentially by the area supervisor to the loci uncovered in his or herarea during a given season. For example, in the 2008 season of excavation, the followinglocus numbers would be used in Area 2: L08-2001, L08-2002, L08-2003, etc.

Whenever a locus number is written it is essential to include the season prefixbecause the final four numbers are reused from one season to the next.

Separating Loci During Excavation

One of the most difficult things to do in an excavation is to distinguish stratigraphic locicorrectly and hence to keep separate the pottery and other material found in adjacentloci. It is important to think of this in terms of the distinct temporal event ofconstruction, deposition, or erosion that produced a given locus, even if that event wasin some cases actually a long process, such as the erosion of a mudbrick building or theslow build-up of a beaten-earth floor. Wherever possible, we want to distinguish materialthat is associated with separate temporal events, although there are practical limits to howfar one can carry this out. For example, we would not normally assign a separate locus

number to each thin lamination or striation in an outdoor surface that had built up overtime. Nor would we normally distinguish the digging of a pit from its subsequent filling,unless the filling of the pit occurred much later.

Note, however, that we willnormally distinguish the construction of an installation suchas a storage bin, clay oven, hearth, or pottery kiln from the subsequent accumulation ofdebris inside the installation after it had gone out of use. The latter must be given its ownlocus number. Similarly, we will normally distinguish the debris that has accumulated ontop of a surface (i.e., on an indoor floor or outdoor street that people walked on) fromthe surface itself and from the material under the surface. Each of these receives its ownlocus number. This is obvious in the case of a plastered or cobbled floor, but thisdistinction should be made even in the case of beaten-earth surfaces that are hard todistinguish from the debris above and below them.

The general rule is that whenever there is a significant change in the color or com-position of the soil, the current locus number should be closed and a new locus numberassigned. For example, when digging through fallen mudbrick debris that represents thecollapse of the walls of a house onto a floor, you may suddenly reach a thick deposit ofash. The square supervisor will close the locus number assigned to the brick debris andassign the next available number to the ash layer. Distinguishing this ash layer would be

very important, especially if it were lying directly on the floor, because the restorable


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pottery found in ash on a floor is much better for dating the last use of a building thanrandom potsherds collected from brick debris high above the floor.

Excavating Walls and Floors

Mudbrick walls usually had stone foundations to provide greater stability for the buildingand to protect the bricks from moisture. This is especially true at Zincirli, where stones

for building are abundant. The height and width of the foundations depended on the sizeof a building. Most stone foundations are two or three courses high and one or two rows

wide. Part of the original mudbrick superstructure may survive on top of the stonefoundations, but in many cases the bricks dissolved long ago into an undifferentiatedmass of debris that covers the floors and the wall foundations. The depth of thisaccumulation is unpredictable. In some cases, it is only a few centimeters. At other times,it can be a meter or more deep, depending on the size of the building.

In cases where the mudbrick superstructure survives, you must be careful not to digthrough the bricks. One way to recognize bricks is to note differences of coloration inthe soil. Most brick walls are more yellowish or reddish in color than the surroundingsoil. By scraping the surface you may eventually detect the wall line, where the line of

bricks shows up in contrast to the surrounding debris. Sometimes spraying waterorobserving the locus early in the morning when there is more moisture in the soil and thelight is indirectcan make the color of the bricks stand out better. It is important todistinguish the brick lines as soon as possible because once they are found, excavationcan proceed on either side of the wall down to the floor.

As you approach the foundation of a wall, it is imperative not to cut unwittingly throughthe floor. The goal is to identify the floor surface and trace it horizontally, so that theartifacts that were left on the floor by the buildings inhabitants can be isolated andassociated with the final period of use of the building. Unfortunately, it is not alwaysclear where the floor was in relation to the stone foundations. The foundation stonesmight have been placed in a foundation trench entirely below the floor level, or the topof the foundation stones might have protruded above the floor. If you encounter intact

bricks still in place on top of the foundation stones, it is likely that the floor will be foundnot far below the preserved top of the bricks. But if no bricks have survived, there is no

way of knowing whether you will reach the floor first or the stone foundations.

For this reason, excavation proceeds in thin horizontal swathes (510 cm deep) acrossthe excavation square, keeping a sharp lookout for evidence of a floor, rather than simplyprobing to locate stone foundationsby the time the foundation stones are located, youmay well have dug right through the floor. This careful excavation technique is especiallynecessary in cases where the walls had no stone foundations at all, which sometimesoccurs. In such a situation, the walls must be located by searching for remnants of intactbricks, which may be shaved down to thin stubs only a few centimeters high. In the

worst case, when no bricks are detectable, the walls can be located by finding the edgesof floors, even though the walls themselves have disappeared.

Floors in elite buildings may be plastered, cobbled, or flagstoned and thus easy to detect,but most ordinary buildings had floors made of beaten earth. Dirt floors are the samecolor as the surrounding soil, so they are usually detected indirectly, by the presence ofmaterial that was deposited on the floor when the building was in use. Beaten earthsurfaces often have ashy patches or organic residues (greenish or yellowish in color) fromhuman and animal activity. Flat-lying potsherds are another indication of a surface on

which people once walked. In some cases, however, the only indication is a slightly more


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compacted soil layer found at a level where a surface is expected on the basis of otherarchitectural indications.

Sometimes a floor is well preserved and is still attached to a neighboring wall, with a clearlipping-up of the floor against the wall that establishes their relative stratigraphicsequence (i.e., that the floor is deposited later than the wall). At other times, a floor ispreserved only in small patches, with the result that you might dig through a floor level

without realizing that there was a preserved patch only a short distance away. This isanother reason why it is important to excavate in thin horizontal swathes across theentire square, as noted above, in order to minimize the chance of missing a floor due topoor preservation. How a surface looksand what kind of material was left on itoftendepends on whether it was inside a building or located outside in an open courtyard orstreet. Keep in mind that a later wall foundation might have cut through an earlier floorsurface, so if there is a visible break between a floor and an adjacent wall, the floor mayactually be earlier than the wall and may belong to an earlier building (or an earlier phaseof the same building).

Excavating Pits

The process of stratigraphic excavation is complicated by the tendency of ancient peopleto dig pits at unpredictable locations in order to bury garbage or store food. By diggingpits, they disturbed earlier deposits on the site and introduced material of a later date intoearlier levels of the mound. It is important to detect pits in the course of excavation,assign them their own locus numbers, and excavate their contents before proceeding todig the earlier material into which the pit was cut. If a pit is not identified and isolated inthe course of excavation, the material within it will be incorrectly mixed with the materialin the surrounding locus.

Some pits are easy to detect because they are lined with stones, clay, or plaster. But manypits are unlined and can be hard to identify. You may see a tell-tale outline in the soilcaused by the slight difference in color between the pits contents and the surroundingdebris. Another clue is that the soil within a pit is usually softer and less compacted than

the surrounding soil. An unusual jumble of pottery, stones, and other rubble in one spotin the square may also indicate the presence of a pit or some other disturbance.

Delineation and Labeling of Architectural Spaces: Rooms, Complexes, Streets, Plazas, and Buildings

Groups of adjacent loci are often interpreted as architectural spaces bounded by wallsand connected by doorways and open areas. In the Zincirli recording system, a room isa walled space that may be roofed or unroofed (note that a walled courtyard is defined asa room). A complex is a physically contiguous collection of rooms that are bounded byopen exterior spaces (streets and plazas); thus a complex is similar to what might becalled an insula or block elsewhere. A street is a linear open space between complexesthat clearly functioned as a travel route or passageway (an alley is simply a small street). Aplaza is a larger open space, usually at the intersection of streets.

A building is an architectural unit within a complex that consists of one or more roomsthat have been interpreted as constituting a single dwelling unit or functional unit on thebasis of doorways, abutting walls, and other criteria. A complex normally contains one ormore buildings, but it is not always possible to demarcate specific buildings within acomplex of rooms. The interpretation of which room belongs to a particular building isoften debatable, hence the labeling of buildings is independent of the labeling ofcomplexes and rooms. Rooms and complexes are directly observable, whereas buildingsare a matter of interpretation.


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The labeling conventions for architectural spaces, which should be marked on phaseplans, are as follows:

Complexes are labeled using upper-case letters (e.g., Complex A, Complex B,Complex C, etc.) with letters assigned from left to right and top to bottom on theoverall site plan (i.e., west to east and north to south), wherever possible.

Rooms are labeled within complexes using Arabic numerals (e.g., Room 1, Room2, Room 3 within Complex A, or more briefly, Room A1, Room A2, Room A3,etc.). If rooms within a complex were removed, inserted, or rearranged fromphase to phase, new room numbers are assigned in each phase or subphase; i.e.,if a room was partitioned into two smaller spaces, each new walled space receivesa new number in the plan for that phase.

Streets and plazas are labeled independently of complexes using Arabic numerals(e.g., Street 1, Street 2, etc.), from left to right and top to bottom on the site plan.

Buildings are labeled within complexes using Roman numerals (e.g., Building I,Building II, Building III within Complex A, or more briefly, Building A/I,Building A/II, Building A/III, etc.).

Excavation Technique

The basic digging sequence is (1) pick, (2) scrape, (3) level, (4) brush. First,pick to adepth of 510 centimeters using a large pick in order to loosen the dirt; then scrapetheloosened debris into a bucket with a large hoe and levelthe area as you go. When nearinga floor, dig with a small hand pick and scrape the debris into a dust pan with a trowel inorder to find small items that could be missed using a large hoe. The final step is to brushthe entire area with brush and dustpan in order to get a good look at it before proceedingto excavate the next 510 centimeters.

Pottery Pails

Potsherds found within a given locus are placed in pails to be taken away for washing,sorting, and analysis. Each pail is labeled with the grid, square, and locus number. If thelocus is being excavated in 1-meter finegrid squares (see below), the finegrid number willalso be included. In all cases, a pottery pail number will be included. Pail numbers areassigned by the square supervisor in sequential order as pails are filled, regardless of

which locus the pail is from, starting with pail number 1 at the beginning of the season.

If several loci are being excavated at once, the pail numbers associated with a given locusmight be quite random, since pail numbers are assigned as needed in the course of theday. The square supervisor therefore keeps a running list of pail numbers using theDaily Worksheet form (using as many sheets as necessary). On the Daily Worksheetis recorded the locus number for each pail, the top and bottom elevations of the volumeof soil from which the contents of the pail were collected, and other information about

the pail. Although each pottery pail comes from one and only one locus, the pail numberingsystem is tied to grid location and so is independent of the locus numbering system.Furthermore, the pail numbering sequence is reset to 1 at the beginning of eachexcavation season to avoid long and unwieldy pail numbers that would be required afterseveral seasons of excavation.This means that both the grid square location and theseason of excavation must be indicated in order to identify a particular pottery pail,using the format Pyy-gg.ss[.ff]#nnn, where


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P indicates a pottery pail yy is the year of excavation gg is the 100-meter grid number ss is the 10-meter square number ff is the 1-meter finegrid number (if applicable) nnn is the pails serial number within the 10-meter square

For example, P08-44.79#123 is the pail number for the 123rd pottery pail excavated in2008 in Grid 44, Square 79.

The locations of pottery pails should be noted on the daily top plan. Pottery tags must befilled out using a black fine-point Sharpie and attached firmly to the handle of the pail.

They should contain the following information: grid, square, pail, finegrid (if applicable),locus, initials of the area and square supervisors, and date of excavation. On the back ofthe tag should be written the number of buckets (8-liter pails full of debris) that wereremoved to produce the pottery in the pail. As a backup in case the original tag is lost orbecomes unreadable, an abbreviated duplicate tag should be filled out and placed insidethe pottery pail. This duplicate tag should list the grid, square, pail, and locus.

Intact or Restorable Pottery Vessels

Intact pottery vessels and pots that are smashed in situand are clearly restorable shouldnotbe placed in a pottery pail but should be drawn on the daily top plan, photographed,and then bagged and tagged like artifacts and delivered directly to the object registrar (seebelow). Such items are treated as registered objects and they bypass the potsherd washingand sorting process.

If a concentration of sherds appears to contain joining sherds but is not obviously from asingle vessel, the sherds should be collected in a separately numbered pail and the wordRESTORE should be written on the back of the tag. The pail will then be deliveredfor pottery washing as usual.

Excavation Using Finegrid Squares

Loci consisting of occupational debris lying immediately on top of surfaces on whichpeople once walked (floors, courtyards, streets) will normally be divided into 1-meterfinegrid squares, with a separate pottery pail for each. The compacted soil makeup belowa beaten-earth surface might also be excavated using finegrid squares, to a depth of a fewcentimeters, at the discretion of the area supervisor, even if it belongs to a differentlocus, in cases where there is material trodden below the surface whose spatialdistribution is thought to be significant.

Pottery and other small finds must be tagged separately within each finegrid square.These likely represent the discard of items in the immediate context in which they wereused and thus are important for determining patterns of ancient activity. Wall stumps,

wall and roof collapse, erosional layers, and leveling fills containing debris in secondary

or tertiary contexts (i.e., debris that has been dug up in antiquity and moved once or eventwice from its original context) will not normally be fine-gridded.

Normally, all of the soil within a finegrid square that belongs to a single locus will beexcavated all at once and sent in as a flotation sample in one or more extra-large plasticbags (see below). However, in cases where the locus is very thick or is horizontallyextensive, a more limited, yet systematic, selection of 1-meter finegrid squares may beexcavated at the discretion of the area supervisor (e.g., alternating squares in acheckerboard pattern, or one square in four, etc.).


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Handling of Excavated Artifacts

Potsherds are placed in a pottery pail that has been tagged by the square supervisor withthe grid, square, locus, and pail numbers and the date of excavation (see above). Bonesare placed in a paper bag that is similarly labeled, and other small finds are given to thesquare supervisor to be tagged and boxed. Charred grain or seeds should not be touchedbut must be collected by the area supervisor using the correct technique to avoid

contamination (see below), so that radiocarbon dating can be done on them. Charred wooden beams must be carefully wrapped in string to preserve them for dendro-chronological analysis.

Intact pottery vessels or obvious restorable vessels (e.g., vessels found smashed onfloors), inscribed potsherds (ostraca), and unusual sherds should be handled as objects tobe registered. Their findspots should be indicated on the daily top plan, they should bephotographed, if possible, and they should be placed in a plastic bag or pail and deliveredto the object registrar in the same way as other objects. In the case of a restorable vesselthat has been broken into several pieces, the 1-meter finegrid square(s) in which the

vessel was found should be recorded on the tag.

Soil Samples for Flotation and Recovery of Botanical RemainsIt is important to remember that a pottery pail represents a particular volume of soiland its contents. In some cases, there is no pottery. This occurs when a pottery pailnumber is assigned to a soil sample to be used for flotation (to recover botanical remainsand microartifacts) or for wet-sieving (to recover small artifacts and bones). Each soilsample sent for flotation or wet-sieving is given its own pail number.

A soil sample for flotation must be taken from each 1-meter finegrid square. Do notpick out obvious pottery and bone from the finegrid squares but leave everythingexcept registerable small finds in the soil sample. This results in systematic samplingofthe occupational debris layers found on floors, courtyards, and streets (all of which willnormally be finegridded). All of the soil in the finegrid square should be placed in one ormore extra-large plastic bags. Three identical tags must be created for each bag of soil:one tag should be tied to the bag and the other two placed inside the bag. The lettersFS (for flotation sample) should marked on the upper right corner of each tag. Notethat only one pottery pail number is assigned for the soil taken from a given 1-meterfinegrid square, even if the soil fills more than one plastic bag. In that case, add alowercase letter (a, b, c) to the pail number on the tag and indicate on each tag how many8-liter buckets were used to collect the sample. The pail number, locus number, and thetotal volume (in liters) of the flotation sample must be recorded on a Daily Worksheet.

In addition to systematic sampling according to finegrid squares, a flotation sample mustalso be taken from within each oven, hearth, storage bin, trash pit, or other feature that islikely to contain botanical remains. Flotation samples may be taken from secondary ortertiary deposits such as leveling fills, but here a judgmental samplingstrategy is employed,

meaning that a sample should be taken wherever a substantial concentration of botanicalremains is observed. Such a sample should be quite large, consisting of four buckets ofsoil (ca. 32 liters), or all of the soil in the locus if fewer than four buckets are available,because the density of botanical finds is low and large volumes are needed to achieve arepresentative sample suitable for archaeobotanical interpretation. Flotation samples arenot normally taken from topsoil, which contains many modern plant remains.

Carbonized grain or seeds found in primary contexts should be collected for possibleradiocarbon dating. Such seeds must be preserved intact, if at all possible. They shouldbe handled only with metal tools, wrapped immediately in aluminum foil, and then


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placed in a box. Charcoal fragments of significant size suitable for dendrochronology ortree species identification (ca. 3 centimeters or larger) should also be collected andcarefully placed in a box padded with toilet paper. Larger wooden beams must be

wrapped in string in order to keep them intact. When charred wood or seeds are broughtin from the field, they should be given to the object registrar for registration.

For archaeobotanical purposes, a full flotation sample might also be taken from the

location where a seed or charcoal fragment is foundnot just in primary loci but also insecondary and tertiary loci (in which case the seeds or charcoal can simply be included

within the flotation sample). Details concerning a flotation sample must be carefullyrecorded by the square supervisor on the Flotation Sample from Locus form, includinginformation about the context of the sample, whether it is systematic or judgmental, and

what is known about its chronology. This is crucial for organizing the laboratory workschedule for archaeobotanical analysis and for getting a quick overview of theinterpretive potential of the samples.

During the process of flotation, the archaeobotanist will keep the heavy fraction fromevery soil sample for later study by other specialists. The heavy residue, which mayinclude lithic debitage, small artifacts, and remains of microfauna, must be dried, bagged,

and tagged, just like the organic remains in the light fraction. Both the organic remainsand the heavy fraction are registered as objects by the object registrar.

Soil Samples for Wet-sieving and Recovery of Small Artifacts and Faunal Remains

Soil samples must be taken from each debris-layer locus to be sent for wet-sieving inorder to recover small artifacts and faunal remains. The samples for wet sieving shouldbe taken each morning, or at the beginning of the excavation of a new locus, at verticalintervals of approximately 10 cm. A sample consisting of from one to five buckets ofexcavated sediment (8 liters per bucket) should be taken, depending on the size of thelocus. Do not overfill the buckets. If a registerable small find is found in the process ofcollecting the sample, it should be separately bagged and logged as usual, following thenormal procedure for small finds.

In the smallest loci, one bucket of soil should be taken from the center of the locus. Forlarger loci, more buckets are required, taken from evenly spaced locations within thelocus. In horizontally extensive layers that occupy most, if not all, of the square, arepresentative sample of five buckets of soil should be taken, alternating daily between an pattern, in which one bucket is filled from each corner of the locus and one from itscenter, and a + pattern, in which four buckets are filled from the midpoints on each sideof the locus and an additional bucket is taken from its center. This superimposition of an and + sampling strategy forms a Union Jack pattern of sampling during the courseof excavation of a large locus, making allowance for the spatial variability in the densityand character of the finds while keeping the task of wet-sieving and subsequent sortingof the sieved material logistically manageable.

In addition to the systematic sampling described above, in which a sample consisting offrom one to five buckets of soil is taken from each locus in an evenly distributed pattern,judgmental samplescan be taken at the discretion of the area and square supervisors. Unlikesystematic samples, from which pottery and bones should not be removed in the field,obvious sherds and bones should be removed from judgmental samples and collected asusual. This is because judgmental samples will not be sorted carefully by a specialist but

will be examined quickly after wet-sieving only by the square supervisor during theafternoon work period. The purpose is to retrieve small artifacts that might otherwise bemissed from locations that are deemed particularly promising.


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A pottery pail number is assigned to each bucket of soil with the letters WS (for wet-sieve sample) marked on the upper right corner of the tag, or WSJ for judgmentalsamples. The pail number, locus number, and the abbreviation WS (or WSJ) must berecorded on a Daily Worksheet. The location from which each bucket was filledshould be marked on the daily top plan using a triangle symbol with the pail number andthe letters WS (or WSJ) written beside it. The elevation of the locus at the time of

sampling should also be recorded as the top elevation of the pail on the Daily Worksheet (in most cases it will be the opening height for the day). Two tags arerequired for each bucket: one tied to the bucket and the other inserted into the sediment.

It is important to be clear about the relationship between wet-sieve samples, which donot retrieve botanical remains, and flotation samples, which are intended to retrievebotanical remains. In the case of a non-finegridded locus, the two kinds of samples aresimply taken from different parts of the locus. But in the case of a fine-gridded locus(e.g., a primary floor context), wet-sieve samples will not be collected as for other typesof locus. Instead, the soil in each 1-meter finegrid square will be collected as a flotationsample in the usual way (described above). After flotation, the heavy fraction will besorted as for a wet-sieve sample.

Wet-sieving Procedure Wet-sieving will normally be done by a hired worker, but it is important for fieldsupervisors to understand the procedure. The buckets containing the soil samples arefirst filled with water and the sediment is allowed to soak for half an hour. Then a lengthof flexible mesh (mosquito netting) is laid over the frame of the sieve and the contents ofthe bucket are poured into the sieve. The sediment is washed using gentle water pressure(e.g., by means of a hose) while the large pieces of mud are carefully broken apart byhand. When the sample is as clean as possible (i.e., all the mud has been washed away,

which should take no more than 5 minutes), the sediment is wrapped up in the mesh onwhich it was washed and the mesh is tied up so that nothing spills out of it. The tag thatwas originally inserted into the sediment in the bucket remains inside the mesh with thesieved residue, and the tag that was tied to the bucket is tied to the mesh.

The mesh bundles are eventually brought to the processing yard where the mesh isopened up flat on the ground and the moist residue is spread out on the mesh to dry. It

will be spread out to dry by square supervisors or square assistants, who should carefullyexamine the residue for registerable small finds and remove those if they see them. Afterthe residue is totally dry (this will take one or two days), it is transferred to plastic bags.

These bags are punctured to prevent the build-up of moisture. One tag is placed insidethe bag and the other is tied to the bag.

The wet-sieved residues will eventually be examined by specialists. Normally, half of eachsample will be studied by a microfaunal specialist and the other half will be sorted byhired workers who will separate the residue into the following categories using brushesand the pincers: (1) bones, (2) pottery, (3) flint, (4) shells, (5) botanical remains, and (6)

miscellanea. These sorted finds will be placed in individual Ziploc bags and taggedseparately. Each tag must contain the complete information found on the original tag,plus the name of the find-category (Bone, Pottery, Flint, etc.) followed by theletters WS for wet-sieve sample. These finds will then be given to the registrar.

The heavy fraction resulting from flotation should be handled in exactly the same way aswet-sieved residue because the flotation samples taken from 1-meter finegrid squares inprimary floor loci serve as substitutes for systematic wet-sieve samples in those loci. Theheavy fraction should be examined for registerable small finds. After drying, half of itshould be set apart for the microfaunal specialist and the other half sorted.


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Pottery Sorting and Registration

Pottery serves four main purposes: (1) it helps the excavators control the stratigraphy ofthe site by indicating when material from different loci is being mixed; (2) it tells us aboutthe lifeways of the ancient inhabitants; (3) it tells us about the local pottery-makingtraditions, outside influences on those traditions, and trade with the outside world; and(4) it helps us to date occupational phases to particular historical periods via comparisons

with the pottery found at other well-dated sitesalthough this mode of dating should byno means be allowed to override the local chronological sequence derived from the sitesown stratigraphy or the absolute dates obtained via radiocarbon or dendrochronology.

Pottery registration at Zincirli is a three-tiered system: (1) initial sorting, with the discard-ing of body sherds from non-primary loci; (2) typological description and labeling of alldiagnostic sherds and vessels; and (3) analysis of the diagnostic pottery chosen fordrawing, photography, and publication.

1. Initial Sorting

After pottery is collected in the field, it is washed and dried. Pottery should be sortedonly after it is completely dry. Plastic bags into which the sherds are placed after sorting

should have holes punched in them; otherwise, condensation may build up and damagethe pottery.

The initial sorting of the pottery is done during the afternoon work period by the squaresupervisors and square assistants. Two forms are used during this process: the PotteryBody Sherd Summary and the Daily Worksheet (these forms are filed in the squaresupervisors field notebook). After dumping the pottery on the sorting table, the relevantfield context information must be transferred from the pottery pails tag onto these twoforms. The number of buckets of dirt excavated to produce the pail of pottery shouldhave been recorded on the back of the pottery pails tag; this number must be copiedonto the Daily Worksheet if this was not done previously.

The first step in sorting is to create three piles, one ofdiagnostics(rims, handles, bases, and

any decorated sherds, e.g., those with slipped, painted, incised, or plastic decoration), oneofbody sherds, and one ofobvious imports(e.g., Cypriot, Aegean, Anatolian, Mesopotamian).

The body sherds should be counted first since additional diagnostics or imports may befound when examining the sherds more closely. There are only two cases in which abody sherd should be added to the pile of diagnostic sherds: when the sherd is decorated,or when enough of a body profile survives that the pottery specialist can discern whatkind of vessel the sherd once belonged to. Otherwise, body sherds are not very usefulbecause they can belong to any number of vessel classes or types.

During sorting, body sherds should be inspected to see if they have been used as ostracaand bear an inscription that has been incised or written in ink. If so, the sherd is a

valuable find. It should be separately bagged and tagged and given immediately to theobject registrar for registration.

Body sherds should be sorted into five groups: (1) plain body sherds (PB), i.e., commonwares; (2) fine body sherds (FB), i.e., those with well-levigated clays and a higher firingtemperature; (3) cooking pot sherds (CP); (4) storage jar sherds (SJ); and (5) clay oven(tandr/tabun) or crucible fragments (T). The code for each group goes under theType/Class column in the Pottery Body Sherd Summary form. The total number ofsherds in each group and their total weight are recorded. Two sherds are selected thatshow the minimum and maximum body thicknesses of the group [but note that weceased measuring thicknesses in August 2008]. For most loci, the body sherds should be


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discarded once this information has been recorded. If the body sherds come from afine-gridded locus, however, or from another locus that is designated by the areasupervisor as a primary locus, then all the body sherds should be kept. Body sherdsthat are retained from such a locus go into a large plastic bag with holes punched in it,together with a pottery tag that duplicates the original tag.

At this stage, the diagnostic sherds and the obvious imports should simply be counted

and their total number recorded as the Number of diags. on a Daily Worksheet formfor the relevant grid-square. The imported pottery should be placed in Ziploc bags (onebag for Cypriot, one for Aegean, etc.) for later study by the relevant regional specialists.

A pottery tag that duplicates the original tag must be placed inside each bag. The numberof imported sherds separated out in this way should be recorded on a blank tag that isthen placed in the bag with the main group of diagnostics.

Diagnostics should always be bagged separately from body sherds. The original potterytag should be placed inside the bag of diagnostics and the bag tied shutbut looselyso itcan be reopened easily. In the case of finegridded loci and other primary loci for whichall sherds are to be kept, the bag of diagnostic sherds should be placed (without a tag)inside the bag of body sherds, in which the original tag should be placed.

When the initial sorting is completed, the pottery bags are placed in a storage bin, from which they will be moved to the storeroom for storage by locus and for furtherprocessing at a later date.

2. Typological Description and Registration of Diagnostic Sherds and Vessels

The decision about which pottery is to be studied is based mainly on the quality of itscontext; i.e., whether the pottery comes from a primary, secondary, or tertiary locus. Allpottery from primary loci will be studied and, if time permits, pottery from secondaryloci will also be examined. Pottery from tertiary loci may be examined on occasion, sinceunique pieces are sometimes found even in disturbed or unreliable contexts; but in mostcases, pottery from tertiary contexts is not registered and is simply left in the bag forfuture reference.

The area supervisors will give graded lists of loci to the pottery specialists so they knowwhich pottery to remove from storage for registration and analysis. There will be regularstaff meetings in which the area supervisors will present photographs and plans ofimportant loci to the rest of the staff, with comments on the nature of the contexts andtheir stratigraphic relationships.

The pottery specialist will select sherds for registration and assign a unique number toeach sherd. Each registered potsherd is assigned a unique number prefixed by the letterC. The first two digits of the number indicate the season during which the registrationnumber was assigned (which may not be the season when the item was excavated), after

which is a hyphen and a serial number that starts at 1 at the beginning of each season(e.g., C08-1, C08-2, C08-3, etc.). The letter code and season prefix are an essential part of

the registration number and must be included whenever the number is written. Theregistration number is recorded in the Pottery Register form with the associated grid,square, pail, finegrid (if applicable), and locus number.

Each registered sherd is placed in a Ziploc bag together with a tag on which is written thegrid, square, pail, and locus numbers (and finegrid, if applicable), and the sherdregistration number (e.g., C08-123) in the top right portion of the tag.

Any mending or vessel restoration should be done before this stage. The sherds of arestored or partially restored vessel do not need to be registered individually; instead, the


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vessel is given an object registration number beginning with R (see below) and islabeled with that number, except in the case of just two or three joining sherds, which arenot assigned an object number but are registered individually with C numbers.

After registration, the diagnostic sherds from a given locus are laid on a table (in theirZiploc bags) and sorted by class: bowl, krater, cooking pot, lamp, etc. The potteryspecialist then records information about each diagnostic sherd or vessel on the Pottery

Typology form, using the codes defined in the Pottery Typology Codes. In caseswhere there is more than one sherd of the same type, these can be recorded together,indicating the total number of sherds of that type. This cannot be done, however, if thereis something distinctive about the individual sherds. For example, there may be threesherds from the same type of bowl, but one may have no decoration, another a red-painted rim, and another an incised rim.

After a sherd or vessel has been recorded on the Pottery Typology form, a green dotshould be marked on the upper right corner of its tag next to the sherd registrationnumber (or the object registration number, in the case of an intact or restored vessel) toindicate that its typological description was completed.

3. Analysis of Diagnostic Pottery Chosen for Drawing, Photography, and PublicationOnce the typological description of diagnostic (including imported) sherds and vessels iscompleted, a decision is made about which pottery is to be drawn, photographed, andpublished. In most cases, this decision is made on the basis of the degree of preservationof the vessel. Whole forms and those with relatively complete profiles are alwayspublished. If a particular type is not adequately represented in a particular phase, theneven quite small sherds may be published to ensure that there is a comprehensiverepresentation of the pottery types from each phase of occupation. This is why it isimportant to check secondary loci, since some types may be absent in primary contexts.

Pottery chosen for publication goes through a third stage of analysis in which the potteryspecialist records details about the clay fabric, production technique, and firing. Thisinformation is recorded on the Pottery Analysis form, which is appended to therelevant Pottery Typology form. The pottery is then drawn. When a drawing isfinished, a red dot is marked next to the green dot on the tag indicate that the sherd or

vessel has been analyzed and drawn.

Finally, pottery selected for photography (which does not necessarily include all potterythat has been drawn) is either photographed by the pottery specialist or given to theobject photographer. A blue dot is marked on the tag to indicate that the sherd or vesselhas been photographed. Photographs of individual sherds are named using the sherdnumber (e.g., C08-123.jpg), whereas photographs of intact, restored, or partially restored

vessels are named using the object registration number (e.g., R08-321.jpg).

To repeat: (1) a green dot means typologically registered, (2) a red dot means analyzedand drawn, and (3) a blue dot means photographed.

Small Finds and Soil Samples Associated with Pottery Pails

The term pottery pail has an extended meaning, referring not just to a group ofpotsherds but to the entire volume of soil or debris in which those sherds were found.Bones and bone tools, metal artifacts and slag, lithic artifacts and dbitage, terracottafigurines, beads and other jewelry, seals and sealings, cuneiform tablets, and many otherkinds of items that are found in the same volume of soil are labeled in the same way asthe associated pottery, using the same kind of tag and specifying the grid, square, pail,


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finegrid(s), locus, initials of the area and square supervisors, and date of excavation.Information about each find must also be recorded on a Daily Worksheet, where aunique sticker number or findspot point ID is recorded for each item (see below).

Each type of material is placed in a separate bag, together with its tag. Bones should beplaced in paper bags with a tag inside the bag and the tag information written with ablack Sharpie on the outside of the bag. After washing and drying in the processing yard,

the bones will be transferred to plastic bags, which should be perforated to avoid thebuild-up of moisture within the bag. Note that human bones should not be washed,in order to avoid damage to them; they should just be brushed gently to removethe soil.

Special finds should be placed individually in paper bags with a tag inside the bag and thetag information also written on the outside of the bag with a Sharpie. Small or delicateitems should be put in a plastic box of a suitable size, padded carefully with tissue paperboth above and below (i.e., not rolled up in the paper) and covered with a close-fittinglid, in such a way that the item is not crushed but at the same time is held securely in thebox and cannot rattle around inside it. The box is then placed in a paper bag, with a taginside the box (if there is room) or else inside the bag and the tag information written on

the outside of the paper bag with a Sharpie. Large and sturdy items can be placed in apail or in a large plastic bag instead of a paper bag, with a tag inside the pail or bag and aduplicate tag on a string tied securely to the pail or around the mouth of the bag.

The findspots and elevations of special finds must be recorded on the daily topplan beside the sticker number or point ID of the item.

Articulated Human and Animal Remains

Disarticulated bones and teeth found in the course of excavation will be tagged andbagged like other material associated with pottery pails, but articulated or partiallyarticulated skeletons receive special treatment. Depending on whether the skeleton isanimal or human, either the faunal specialist or the human remains specialist will becalled in to examine it and to decide how it should be excavated. In many cases, thespecialist will excavate it herself. The associated sediments should be wet-sieved in orderto recover small bones.

If the skeleton (human or animal) was buried in a pit, grave, or tomb, this is given a locusnumber as a discrete stratigraphic unit. Not all corpses were buried, however, in whichcase the associated locus is the floor or street surface on which the skeleton came to rest.

The area supervisor is responsible for having photographs taken and drawings made (at1:10 scale) of skeletal remains, in consultation with the relevant specialist. This isespecially important for articulated or partially articulated remains.

In the case of human remains, a Human Remains in Locus form must be filled out bythe excavator and placed in the square notebook with the other forms pertaining to the

same locus. Each human skeleton or partial skeleton (if sufficiently preserved) is assigneda unique number by the human remains specialist, either at the time of excavation orduring subsequent processing of the remains. This number is prefixed by the letter H.

The first two digits of the number indicate the season during which the registrationnumber was assigned (which may not be the season when it was excavated), after whichis a hyphen and a serial number that starts at 1 at the beginning of each season (e.g.,H08-1, H08-2, H08-3, etc.). The letter code and season prefix are an essential part of theregistration number and must be included whenever the number is written. The


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registration number is recorded in the Human Remains Register with the associatedgrid, square, pail, finegrid (if applicable), and locus number.

In the case of an articulated or partially articulated animal skeleton, there is no specialform to be filled out by the excavator, but a unique number is assigned to the skeleton bythe faunal specialist, either at the time of excavation or during subsequent processing ofthe remains. This number is prefixed by the letter A. The first two digits of the number

indicate the season during which the registration number was assigned (which may notbe the season when it was excavated), after which is a hyphen and a serial number thatstarts at 1 at the beginning of each season (e.g., A08-1, A08-2, A08-3, etc.). The lettercode and season prefix are an essential part of the registration number and must beincluded whenever the number is written. The registration number is recorded in theFaunal Remains Register with the associated grid, square, pail, finegrid (if applicable),and locus number.

Individual skeletal elements (bones or teeth) that are to be drawn, photographed, oranalyzed separately will also be registered by the relevant specialist, using the samenumbering system (e.g., H08 followed by a serial numberfor a human bone and A08followed by a serial number for an animal bone). If a registered bone is part of a

registered skeleton (or partial articulation), the specialist will note the association betweenthe bone and the skeleton and this relationship will be represented hierarchically in theZincirli database.

When samples are taken from human remains, an additional numerical suffix is added toidentify the sample (e.g., H08-15#1 for the first sample taken from bone H08-15). Thesample number and the date the sample was taken are recorded on the relevant HumanRemains Analysis form.

Registered Objects

After excavated material is processed in the expedition compound, items that are to beillustrated or analyzed further will be assigned unique registration numbers. In the case ofpotsherds, faunal remains, or human remains, the registration is done by the relevantspecialist using registration numbers that start with C, A, or H, respectively. Allother registered items are registered by the object registrar using numbers that areprefixed by the letter R. The first two digits of the number indicate the season during

which the registration number was assigned (which may not be the season when the item was excavated), after which is a hyphen and a serial number that starts at 1 at thebeginning of each season (e.g., R08-1, R08-2, R08-3, etc.). The letter code and seasonprefix are an essential part of the registration number and must be included whenever thenumber is written. The registration number is written in the upper right-hand corner ofthe object tag and is recorded in the database with the associated grid, square, pail,finegrid (if applicable), and locus number. Colored markers are used to make dots onobject tags to indicate that registered items have been processed by the registrar (greendot), the conservator (red dot), and the photographer (blue dot).

Although potsherds are registered by the pottery specialist with a C number, all intact,restored, or partially restored ceramic vessels and certain special potsherds (e.g., ostraca)are registered by the object registrar with R numbers. Likewise, special bones canreceive object registration numbers, although the majority of faunal and human remainsdo not.

In general, if a particular item is to be photographed, drawn, or subjected to instrumentalanalysis, it must receive a registration number. Thus, carbonized seeds or charcoal to beused for radiocarbon dating are given an R number by the object registrar. Items


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selected for illustration or instrumental analysis after the excavation season, in the courseof a specialists study of exported material, must be registered in the same way as itemsthat are registered during the season.

In order to connect registered objects with their findspots, a sticker number system isused. Each square supervisor will be given sheets of adhesive stickers on which serialnumbers have been printed. A numbered sticker is placed on the tag that is included with

the bag or box of material sent in for processing (not on the bag or box itself). Thesquare supervisor will record the sticker number for that bag or box on the Daily

Worksheet form and on the top plan. The sticker should be placed on the front side ofthe tag, in the bottom right corner.

The object registrar will periodically distribute to the square supervisors computer-generated reports for each locus that list the pottery pails and small finds in each locus.

These reports will include the original sticker number of each find and its registrationnumber or a note that it has been discarded. The square supervisors will place thesereports in their square notebooks behind the relevant Locus Information (or LocusInformation for Wall or Feature) sheet, and they will use them to update the Daily

Worksheet forms, recording the registration numbers or writing the word DISCARD

beside the original sticker number.

Samples for Instrumental Analysis

Samples taken from registered objects for instrumental analysis are numbered by addinga suffix to the object registration number. This suffix consists of # followed by 1, 2, 3,etc. (e.g., R08-123#1 for the first sample taken from object R08-123). The object shouldbe photographed before a sample is taken from it. The date the sample was taken and thesample number(s) should be recorded by the object registrar on the Object Analysisform. All such samples should be given to the object registrar.

Likewise, samples taken from registered potsherds, human remains, or faunal remains arenumbered by adding a suffix to the registration number. This suffix consists of #followed by 1, 2, 3, etc. (e.g., C08-123#1 for the first sample taken from sherd C08-123;H08-541#3 for the third sample from human bone H08-541; A08-765#5 for the fifthsample from animal bone A08-765).

Registered Photographs

There is a distinction between (1) field photographs, (2) object photographs, and (3)candid photographs. Field photographs should be requested by the area supervisors fromthe expedition director, who will then schedule them with the photographer. Fieldphotograph numbers are assigned in sequence by the photographer as the photographsare taken and are recorded on the Field Photograph Register form. Field photographnumbers are prefixed by the letter F. As with object registration numbers, the first twodigits of the number indicate the season of excavation (e.g., F08 for 2008), after which

is a hyphen and a serial number that starts at 1 at the beginning of each season (e.g.,F08-1, F08-2, F08-3, etc.). The letter code and season prefix are an essential part of thefield photograph number and must be included whenever the number is written.

Photographs of registered potsherds, human bones, animal bones, and other objects donot have their own numbers but are identified using the relevant registration numbers(prefixed with C, H, A, or R). Multiple views of the same object aredistinguished by lower-case letters (e.g., photographs labeled R08-123a, R08-123b, andR08-123c are three different views of registered object R08-123). Object photographs areregistered in the Object Photograph Register.


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Candid photographs include photographs of expedition staff members, the expeditioncompound, and work in progress at the site. Candid photographs will often be inter-mingled with field photographs, so candid photographs are also recorded in the FieldPhotograph Register, but their photograph numbers will be assigned later, after it isdetermined which ones will be kept.

At Zincirli, we use a digital camera for both field photographs and object photographs.

The photographer is responsible for keeping track of the digital image files and renamingthese files using the correct photograph number (e.g., F08-123.jpg, R08-456.jpg, etc.). Atthe time a field photograph is taken, the photographer will give the photograph numberto the relevant square supervisor, who will enter it in his or her Field PhotographSummary form, which is kept in the front of the square notebook. The photographer

will subsequently print a Field Photograph form for each registered field photograph.The photographer will give this form, which contains a color print of the photograph, tothe square supervisor, who will annotate the photograph and file the form in his or hersquare notebook. The photographer will give three versions of each numbered field andobject photograph to the computer database manager: (1) an uncompressed, high-resolution image file in TIFF format; (2) a compressed high-resolution JPEG file; and (3)a compressed, low-resolution JPEG thumbnail image file.

In addition to registered field photographs taken by the expeditions photographer, thearea supervisors are responsible for taking daily progress photographs with their owndigital cameras. These photographs are intended primarily for their own use as aids in

writing their area reports at the end of the season; they are not replacements for theofficial field photographs, which should be taken by the photographer for every locusand important find, at the request of the area supervisor. The image files for the dailyprogress photographs should be named according to the following convention: (1) sitename and excavation area; (2) date taken, in year-month-day order; and (3) a lower-casesequence letter (a, b, c, etc.), in case of multiple photographs taken on the same day. Forexample, Zincirli Area 2 2010-07-15 a.jpg is the first photograph taken in Area 2 on

July 15, 2010. Information about what is in the photograph should be written on a white

board and a meter stick and north arrow should be used whenever possible. The areasupervisors are responsible for giving copies of their photographs every day to thecomputer database manager, who will add them to the expedition archive.

Registered Drawings

There is a distinction between (1) field drawings and (2) object drawings, so there is aseparate register for each. Like field photograph numbers, field drawing numbers areassigned in sequence as the drawings are made. They are recorded in the Field DrawingRegister. Field drawing numbers are prefixed by the letter D; as usual, the first twodigits of the number indicate the season of excavation (e.g., D08 for 2008), after whichis a hyphen and a serial number that starts at 1 at the beginning of each season (e.g.,D08-1, D08-2, D08-3, etc.).

Like object photographs, object drawings are identified using the relevant objectregistration numbers. These are recorded in the Object Drawing Register. The drafts-person may also assign working numbers for individual drawings and pages containingmultiple drawings.

Profile drawings of individual potsherds are identified using the relevant pail and sherdnumbers (e.g., P08-44.79#123-7), whereas drawings of restored or partially restored

vessels are identified using the vessels object registration numbers.


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Summary of Staff Responsibilities for Numbering

1. Locus numbers (e.g., L08-3001) are assigned byarea supervisors.2. Pottery pail numbers (e.g., P08-44.79#123) are assigned bysquare supervisors.3. Potsherd numbers (e.g., C08-123) are assigned by thepottery specialist.4. Registered object numbers for other small finds (e.g., R08-123), including restored or

intact pottery vessels, special potsherds, etc., are assigned by the object registrar.

5. Human remains numbers (e.g., H08-123) are assigned by the human remains specialist.6. Faunal remains numbers (e.g., A08-123) are assigned by thefaunal specialist.7. Field photograph numbers and candid photograph numbers (e.g., F08-321) are

assigned by thefield photographer.8. Field drawing numbers (e.g., D08-37) are assigned by the surveyor.

Forms and Square Notebooks

All of the information for a seasons excavation within a given 10-meter square (e.g.,locus information, daily journal entries, top plans, etc.) is kept in a looseleaf binder. Thissquare notebook is labeled with the appropriate grid and square numbers, and thestandardized forms in it are kept in order by locus number. Binder hole reinforcers are

used to prevent sheets from falling out of the binder. Notebooks will be checked weeklyby the area supervisor. It is imperative that square notebooks be kept up to dateduring the course of excavation and that the forms and top plans in them be doneneatly and accurately.

In the square notebooks, the following forms are used for each locus. Loci must be filedin numerical order, with the forms for each locus arranged in the following sequence:

Locus Information for each locus excavated in the square. Locus Information for Wall or Other Feature for loci that are not debris layers. Daily Worksheet (one or more sheets) to record pottery pails and small finds. Flotation Sample from Locus for recording information about a flotation

sample taken from a given locus or from a particular finegrid square in the locus. Human Remains in Locus for recording information about human burials. Field Photograph given to the square supervisor by the field photographer for

annotating photographs. Daily Journal for Locus in which is written a diary of excavation activities,

strategies, and interpretations pertaining to a given locus.

At the front of the notebook, the square supervisor will place two other forms (or asmany pages of each form as are needed):

Locus Summary listing all of the loci excavated in the square during the season. Field Photograph Summary listing all of the photographs taken in the square

during the season.

All forms are to be filled out legibly using black ink, not pencil or colored ink.

Dates must be written in month-day-year order (American style).Supervisors must make photocopies of their Daily Worksheet forms everyafternoon and give the copies to the computer database manager.

Top Plans and Surveyors Plans

Daily top plans are drawn by the square supervisor to show the progress of excavation inhis or her square. These must be carefully measured drawings, not mere sketches, drawn


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at 1:50 using a scale ruler (i.e., 2 centimeters on the plan represents 1 meter). The areasupervisors will give advice and instruction about preparing top plans and taking levels.

The locations and elevations of registered objects must be plotted exactly on the relevantdaily plan using the registration numbers assigned by the object registrar (note that a localsticker number is used on the plan temporarily to mark the location of an object until anobject registration number has been assigned). For loci that are not fine-gridded, pottery

pails and flotation samples should be similarly plotted. Spot elevations at various pointson walls and floors should also be noted on the plan, including spot elevations showingthe daily progress in excavating loci that take more than one day to complete.

The square supervisors top plans are to be done with a 0.5 mm mechanical pencil usingmillimeter graph paper. They must be numbered in chronological sequence (i.e., TP#1,

TP#2, TP#3, etc.) and annotated with the site name (Zincirli), date, scale (1:50), grid andsquare numbers, north arrow, supervisors initials, height of instrument, and benchmark.

All loci present in the plan should be labeled and the locus numbers should also be listedat the bottom. When completed, the top plans are placed in chronological order in theback of the square notebook.

The expedition surveyor will independently draw the main architectural loci of the site at

a scale of 1:20 (or 1:10 for special features) and will produce publishable plans, adheringto the drafting conventions included at the end of this manual. But this does not obviatethe need for square supervisors to prepare careful plans because many loci (e.g., filllayers) and small finds will not appear in the surveyors plans. The daily top plans are anessential component of the square notebook. Area supervisors are responsible forreviewing their square supervisors notebooks to ensure that they are accurate and com-plete.

Balks and Section Drawings

A 50-cm-wide strip of earth is left unexcavated around the edges of each 10-m square.This means that the actual area of excavation is 9 9 meters and that the balk leftstanding between squares is 1 meter wide. Balks must be trimmed carefully to provideclear vertical sections to aid stratigraphic analysis. At the end of the season, the squaresupervisor will draw the sections on the north, south, east, and west faces of the squaresbalks with the assistance of the area supervisor. Sections are drawn at a scale of 1:20.Datum strings with line levels can be used to facilitate section drawing.

Many loci will run through a balk into a neighboring square. It is the responsibility of thearea supervisor to determine whether it is indeed the same stratigraphic unit, and thus toassign it a single locus number to be used by both square supervisors, or to assigndifferent locus numbers to the parts on either side of the balk. When in doubt, separatelocus numbers should be assigned.

Supervisors Reports

At the end of the season, each square supervisor must write a detailed report about what was found in his or her square. This report should mention every locus by number,explaining the stratigraphic relationships among the loci and giving reasons for theconclusions obtained. The report should also describe the most significant registeredobjects (citing object registration numbers) and their contexts.

At the end of the season, each area supervisor will also write a detailed report that repeatsmuch of the information in the relevant square reports but provides a more compre-hensive discussion of the stratigraphic and architectural situation in the entire area in


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relation to the results obtained by the pottery specialists and other specialists who havestudied the material found in the area. Area supervisors will also prepare stratigraphicdiagrams and phase plans that illustrate the conclusions stated in their reports. Thesereports constitute the first draft of the expeditions final report on the area, so it isimportant that they be written in a professional manner with a thorough, clear, andconcise presentation of the area supervisors evidence and interpretations.

A square or area report should be in the form of a stratigraphic narrative that describesthe sequence of events (e.g., construction, use, rebuilding, destruction, erosion, etc.) thatproduced the observed remains. The narrative should proceed chronologically from theearliest to the latest loci in the square or area. Locus numbers should be shown inboldface. Every locus number should be mentioned at least once. The most significantsmall finds should also be mentioned by their registration number (in boldface) anddescribed in relation to their stratigraphic position, especially those artifacts that mayindicate the date of the locus.

A square or area report should include a detailed discussion of the evidence that supportsthe conclusions that are given, with reference to the relevant plans, section drawings, andphotographs. If more than one interpretation is possible, all interpretations should be

presented, with some indication of which one is thought to be more likely. If an areasupervisor disagrees with a square supervisor, or vice versa, the disagreement should benoted and an argument given in favor of the opinion that is presented.

List of Forms

The following forms are used at Zincirli. Samples of these forms are attached to thismanual. The staff member responsible for filling out each form and the ultimate recipientof the form (if different from the originator) are indicated in each case.

Daily Journal for Locus (square supervisor)Daily Worksheet (square supervisor)Faunal Remains Register (faunal remains specialist)Field Drawing Register (surveyor)Field Photograph (field photographer square supervisor)Field Photograph Register (field photographer)Field Photograph Summary (square supervisor)Flotation Sample from Locus (square supervisor archaeobotanist)Human Remains Analysis (human remains specialist)Human Remains in Locus (square supervisor)Human Remains Register (human remains specialist)Locus Information (square supervisor)Locus Information for

Wall or Other Feature (square supervisor)Locus Summary (square supervisor)Object Analysis (object registrar)Object Conservation (conservator object registrar)Object Drawing Register (illustrator)Object Photograph Register (object photographer)Object Register (object registrar)Object Register Corrections (object registrar)Pottery Analysis (pottery specialist)Pottery Body Sherd Summary (square supervisor pottery specialist)Pottery Register (pottery specialist)Pottery Typology (pottery specialist)


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Work Schedule

During most field seasons, there are seven weeks of excavation. The junior staff (squareassistants) will leave the expedition once the digging is completed. The area and squaresupervisors are expected to stay for an additional week to write their reports and assist

with packing up.

There are five days of digging each week (normally Sunday to Thursday), from 5:30 a.m.until 1:30 p.m. On those days there is also an afternoon work period from 4:30 p.m. to6:30 p.m. to process the finds in the expedition compound. On the morning of the sixthday (normally Friday), there is a staff tour of the excavation areas at 5:30 a.m., followedby work in the processing compound or on the site (e.g., to draw plans or sections) until1:30 p.m. Following that, there is free time for a day and a half each week (normally fromFriday afternoon until Saturday evening).

Staff Management

Area supervisors and specialists report directly to the expedition director and associatedirector. Each area supervisor is responsible for supervising the square supervisorsand square assistants who work in his or her area, not only while excavating in

the field but also during the afternoon work period. The afternoon work period from4:30 to 6:30 p.m. is not free time for area supervisors, nor is it intended for them to dotheir own research. It is imperative that area supervisors devote considerable time andeffort to staff supervision and training, both during morning fieldwork and during theafternoon work periods, which are intended for updating notebooks, drawing daily plans,and washing and sorting excavated material. Area supervisors must pay close attention toall of their staff to ensure that all necessary tasks are done correctly and efficiently and to

verify that field notebooks and daily plans are complete, accurate, legible, and up-to-date.Although square supervisors are responsible for the day-to-day supervision of their ownsquare assistants, it is the area supervisors who are ultimately responsible for both thesquare supervisors and the square assistants who work in their areas. If all of the areastasks are finished early during an afternoon work session, square assistants and square

supervisors should report to the expedition director or associate director to be assignedtasks that will benefit the expedition as a whole.


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TURKISHDIGVOCABULARY(compiledbyVirginiaHerrmann)

PronunciationGuide

aisashortvowelliketheainstar

eispronouncedehliketheeinsend

i(dotted

i)is

pronounced

ee

as

in

see

(undottedi)ispronounceduhliketheuinfuss

oispronouncedliketheoinphone

ispronouncedlikeGermanorlikeBritish(notAmerican)urinthewordfur

uispronouncedooasinmoo

ispronouncedlikeGermanorFrenchuintu

cispronouncedlikeEnglishjasinjam

ispronouncedlikeEnglishchasinchurch

gisalwayshardasingo,neversoftasingentle

isnotpronounced;itlengthenstheprecedingvowel

jispronouncedlikeFrenchjorlikethesecondginAmericangarage

sisalwaysunvoicedlikethesinsorry,notthevoicedzsoundintease

ispronouncedlikeEnglishshinshow

vhasasoftvsound,halfwaytow

(Notethateveryletterispronounced;eachletterhasonlyonesound;andtwoormore

letters arenever combined tomake a new sound, unlikeEnglish ch and sh. See

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/details/LanguageGuide/Pronunciation.html.)

Conversation

hello:merhaba

goodbye:hoakaln

yes:evet

no:hayr

maybe:belki

please:ltfen

thanks:sa olorteekkrler

how

are

you?

nas

ls

n

z?

Imfine:iyiyim

soso:ylebyle

O.K.:tamam

kolaygelsin(nicethingtosay

tosomeoneworking)

again:tekrar

slowly:yava

this:bu

that:o(oru)

Pronouns

I:ben

you(sing.):sen

he/she/it:o

we:biz

you(pl./polite):siz

they:onlar

Questions

what?ne?

who?kim?

where?nerede?

wherefrom?nereden?

whereto?nereye?

when?nezaman?

why?niin?

how?nasl?

howmany?ka?

ExcavationNouns

excavation:

kaz

square:kare

breakfast:kahvalt

restbreak:mola

water:su

MaterialsandFeatures

pottery:mlek

bone:kemik

stone:ta

flint:akmakta

shell:kabuk

mudbrick:kerpi

plaster:sva

dirt:toprak

ash:kl

sand:kum

charcoal:kmr

pebble:akl

glass:cam

metal:metal

wall:duvar

pit:ukur

oven:frn

floor:zeminortaban

house:ev

street:sokak

building:bina

Tools

brush:

f

ra

bucket:kova

shovel/dustpan: krek

pick:bykkazma

hoe:apa

handpick:kkkazma

trowel:mala

wheelbarrow:elarabasor

araba

sifter:elek

shadecloth:adr

dump:p

pen/Sharpie:kalem

tag:etiket

bag:torba

string:ip

nail:ivi

stake:kazk

transit(level):nivo

meter:metre

centimeter:santim(etre)

plan/map:harita

line:izgi


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The Oriental Institute of the University of ChicagoNeubauer Expedition to ZincirliInstructions

please:ltfen

dig:kaz

sweep:spr

clean:temizle

straighten:dzle

collect:topla

fill:doldur

empty(v.):boalt

bring:getir

takeaway:gtr

becareful!:dikkatet!

stop!:dur

work!:al

job(work):i

leaveit(itshouldstay):kalsn

takeitout:ksn

wherediditcomefrom?

neredenkt?

diditchange?deitimi?

look:bak

wait:bekle

continue:devamet

shortbreak:mola

fromheretohere:

buradan,burayakadar

uptothestring:ipekadar

uptotheline:izgiyekadar

tothislevel:buseviyeyekadar

Adjectives

good:iyi

bad:kt

beautiful:gzel

hard:sert

soft:yumuak

quick:hzl

slow:yava

same:ayn

different:farkl

separate:ayr

mixed:karak

straight/flat:dz

notstraight/flat:dzdeil

itshouldbemorelevel:

dahadzolsun

vertical:dikey

hot:scak

cold:souk

ill:hasta

long:uzun

short:ksa

deep:derin

shallow:s

clean:temiz

easy:kolay

another:baka

more:daha

less:az

new:yeni

old:eski

closed:kapal

open:ak

Colors

color:renk

black:siyah

white:beyaz

gray:gri

brown:kahverengi

red:krmz

orange:portakal

yellow:sar

blue:mavi

green:yeil

Directions

up:yukar(ya)

down:aa(ya)

inside:iinde

outside:darda

left:sol

right:sa

atthebottom:altnda

ontop:stunde

here(thisplace):buras

tohere:buraya

here(inthisplace):burada

there(thatplace):oras

tothere:oraya

there(inthatplace):orada

Measurements

kilometer:kilometre

meter:metre

centimeter:santim(etre)

little:az

alittle:biraz

much:ok

big:byk

small:kk

tomeasure:

lmek

Time

now:imdi

later:sonra

hour:saat

minute:dakika/dakka

late:ge

day:gn

week:hafta

month:ay

year:ylorsene

today:bugn

yesterday:dn

tomorrow:yarn

whattimeisit?saatka

nineoclock:saatdokuz

Numbers

1:bir

2:iki

3:

4:drt

5:be

6:alt

7:yedi

8:sekiz

9:dokuz

10:on

20:yirmi

30:otuz

40:krk

50:elli

60:altm

70:yetmi

80:seksen

90:doksan

100:yz

1,000:bin

zincirli field manual 2010

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