2004 TRENCHES PF 5, 6, 9, & 14 Robert Belanger, Field Supervisor Brad Schneider, Assistant Field Supervisor Week 4: Field Students: Krishawna Brown Virginia Lewis Ludo Zywczak Vounteer: Giuseppina Marras Krishawna Brown and Virginia Lewis working in Trench PF 5. Excavation has moved swiftly over the past week due to the enthusiasm of my field crew and the near perfect excavation conditions in the Podere Funghi. As previously reported, the previous few weeks concentrated primarily upon the isolation and definition of particular architectural features and in the process yielded new information about the structure's internal stratigraphy. The more numerous material finds of the past week complement this information by providing a more intimate look into the function of the structure by its occupants. View of Podere Funghi Trenches PF 5, 6, 9, & 14 from the south. Robert Belanger sits behind the hearthand in front of the kilns. In Trench PF 5, a number of interesting discoveries were made in the final pass through the structure's later Hellenistic habitation level. In the lowest levels of floor packing, especially in the southwest corner of the building, a high yield of bone was discovered amid a thick layer of scattered carbon. These finds included two large animal teeth set in a partially preserved jawbone, a long bone with the socket joint still preserved, and several sections of decayed bone unable to be positively identified. The location of these finds amid a rich carbon deposit mere centimeters from the edge of the hearth lends further credence to thinking that this section of the structure was dedicated, at least in part, to a more domestic rather than workshop role. The absence of bone finds in such quantities, if at all, in other excavated trenches of the Podere Funghi provides an equally compelling case from a depositional perspective as well. Robert Belanger working on his field notebook. View from the west with hearth at far right. The material finds of the same pass in Trench PF 5 tend to support this assessment as well. Although a large quantity of fineware and coarseware fragments have been unearthed which are typical of the floor packing level, several diagnostically important sherds indicate a more domestic context. Earlier today, several fineware sherds with equidistantly spaced drill holes were discovered which share characteristics to cheese, mead, and wine strainers from other locations. These sherds, combined with the several highly degraded, lipped coarseware sherds unearthed in the same corner as the bone, suggest an area of food production and/or consumption. Whereas the strainer suggests refinement of various staple foods in the Etruscan diet, the thick coarseware sherds find parallel with medium sized cooking and food storage vessels from Poggio Colla and Poggio Civitate, among others. Regardless, the presence of these wares are an indicator of a complex economy involving the growth, preparation, consumption, and storage of both simple and complex foodstuffs. Above and below: Krishawna Brown holds the fineware sherd with drilled holes which she found in PF 5. Finally, work in Kiln 1 was completed a few days ago after the southern, unexcavated portion reached the lowest documented level of the 2003 excavation year. With the discovery of a mud brick parallel to that removed at the end of last season, and subsequent stratigraphic information from the kiln walls themselves, a firing level seems to have been established for this anomaly. This may possibly lead to the discovery of the original ground level for the kilns upon subsequent excavation of the surrounding levels later on this year or in the years to come. The final discovery of the lowest level was another fragment of the black glaze kylix excavated at the end of last year. Such finds literally and figuratively help to provide for a better understanding of the role of both the kilns and their materials, and fit them into the overall framework of the Podere Funghi and ultimately its role in the ancient Mugello Valley. For this I owe a thanks to my excavation crew for their hard work over the past week, and the constant excavation and administrative assistance of my assistant along the way. Podere Funghi Kiln 1 Level 8 with vertical mud brick.   Ludo Zywczak, Giuseppina Marras, Virginia Lewis, and Krishawna Brown.   Assistant Field Supervisor Brad Schneider. Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 - Final Report Director, Gregory Warden gwarden@mail.smu.edu Director, Michael Thomas michael.thomas@tufts.edu While the team is in Italy during the summer field season, send e-mail to: mvap3@dada.it To email an individual on the team, enter the person's last name in the subject heading. 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