Daily log, Tue 08.Sep.2015

• Author: Toby C. Wilkinson

Security and safety day

The field team was NS, TCW, ÇÇ, BK, ML and HE today. First tract was at 06:55. Lunch at 12:30, continued again at 13:00 and left field at 13:40.

Weather report

It was far too hot (reportedly 37 degrees C!) and humid but with a pleasant breeze.

Work report

Today we worked in the area to the west of the main road (i.e. to the west of Bim), on a hill overlooking the necropolis valley and in the valley immediately underneath (through which the main street to western Mavişehir runs).

The day started with an inspection by the police half an hour after we started tract walking. They had obviously been called by some concerned locals who thought we might have been involved in some kind of illegal activity, traipsing around at such an early hour. A friendly discussion and production of the relevant official permit quickly reassured the officers, but it did lose us about 30 minutes of tract walking.

Nice finds of the day included a foot of a fine glass vessel (which turned out later to be 1st millennium BC), and a whole pithos rim (original context unclear).

Unfortunately, we also found another apparent illegal excavation at the top of the hill near a water tower. The excavators seem to have tried to hide the trench by filling with vegetation. No finds identified from the inside the excavation itself (too much vegetation and backfill), but some finds in the nearby area suggest the possibility there might be an ancient grave in the vicinity, perhaps disturbed by this excavation.

Snake

Michael spotted a snake sleeping in a hole shortly before we left the field. We hope not to encounter him again.

[image1]: images/2015-08-31/.jpg “”