2002 TRENCH PC 23 Robert Vander Poppen, Field Supervisor Josh Moran, Assistant Supervisor Week 4: Robert Vander Poppen examines a find from Trench PC 23. Week 4 has been an exciting one atop Poggio Colla, and especially in Trench PC 23. The numerous finds along with the rapidly revealed stratigraphy within the trench have begun to help piece together a narrative for the activities which took place there. At the beginning of the week, we were still wondering about the nature of the mudbrick spill that lay across the two western-most loci of the trench. Now, at week's end, I can clearly say that the mudbrick is indeed a fallen wall rather than a floor packing. Definitive evidence came midweek in the form of a number of finds. Josh, Sarah and Tamee excavated a scatter of sherds belonging to a pair of vessels that were smashed when the mudbrick wall fell onto the floor. Occasionally, when digging, a rock or a piece of dirt is removed that allows an excavator to clearly picture the events which occurred in the formation of an archaeological deposit. The discovery of these vessels was one such moment. As they lay in the earth it was possible to imagine them sitting on the floor level when the wall collapsed and broke them into pieces, trapped underneath the mud brick until we uncovered them. Liz and Lyn, a volunteer from the University of Pennsylvania Museum, uncovered a further piece of evidence both for a floor level and for the vessels having stood upright at the time of their destruction in the form of hundreds of seeds scattered in the soil near the smashed vessels. These finds are incredibly important, as we have been looking for evidence of the floor level of the building for numerous seasons, and now we have definitive proof. Sarah Titus, Liz Wallace, and Tamee Bollinger in PC 23.   Josh Moran excavating in PC 23. In the other end of the trench we have learned a great deal as well. Nat and Mike have now expertly removed the deposit surrounding our large blocks in the eastern portion of the trench. The deposit was comprised of dark, greasy black soil, indicating that some kind of burning of organic material had been a part of the creation of the layer. This layer surrounds the blocks and penetrates all the way down to the depth of the bedrock in this area of the trench. In addition, the bedrock immediately surrounding the blocks is a bright red color instead of the typical golden-green. This too is indicative of a heat related formation process. All of these signs point to the interpretation of the blocks as an altar or central fire pit within the monumental building atop Poggio Colla. If we had only discovered this much about the blocks it would have been a great discovery. However, in addition, Nat and Mike discovered that Stratum 3 does indeed cover the dark soil surrounding the blocks, a fact not yet clearly ascertained. This means that the event which formed the burned deposit was occurring before the deposition of the third stratum. What exactly that tells us will have to be sorted out in the coming weeks. Further definition of the large blocks in Trench PC 23.   Mike Glover (back) and Nat Kerr excavating in Trench PC 23. Overall, the last week in PC 23 has made for very exciting excavation. We are now beginning to answer some of the questions which were not answered at the end of excavation last season. Hopefully, the weeks to come will tell us more about the nature of the deposit around the clandestino pit, and further refine our understanding of the chronology of the strata within the trench. Left: Liza Wallace excavating in PC 23. Right: Nat Kerr places small finds in a bag to send to the lab.   Tamee Bollinger and Sarah Titus digging in PC 23.   Mike Glover excavating near the scarp in Trench PC 23.   Left to right: Nat Kerr, Josh Moran, and Tamee Bollinger sifting.   View of PC 23 from the east. At work in the background: Liz Wallace and Josh Moran. In the foreground: Nat Kerr and Mike Glover.   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. Excavation house phone: 055-844-9834, or, when calling from the US: 011-39-55-844-9834. Introduction | 2004 Field Season | Poggio Colla Field School | What’s New | Staff | Students Site History | Directors' Diaries | Student Diaries | Excavation Friends | Facilities | Conservation | Surveys Robert Belanger | Katherine Blanchard | Josh Moran | Caitlin Vacanti | Ivo van der Graaff | Robert Vander Poppen QuickTime VR | Site Set-Up | Dig Daily Life | Excavation Process | Field Manual | Lectures | Season's End Archives | Finds | Research Projects | Publications | Bibliography | Mugello Area | Home