IMTO Italian Mission to Oman University of Pisa PRELIMINARY REPORT (FEBRUARY - MARCH 2012)

Transcription

1 IMTO Italian Mission to Oman University of Pisa PRELIMINARY REPORT (FEBRUARY - MARCH 2012)

2 Salut 2012 From January to March 2012 work took place at three locations: Jabal Salut, Salut and the nearby Bronze Tower, ST1. JABAL SALUT Following the excavation and restoration conducted in November December at JS1, JS2 and JS3, the area around JS2 needed to be checked to see that no unexcavated graves remained and also to prepare the area for the preservation and replication of the small columned building/shrine that had been uncovered. The further clearing of JS2 showed that there were no additional graves to be excavated. It was, however, seen that JS2/grave3, had not been fully excavated, and so this was done. As well as indicating more clearly the outline of grave 3, this produced more examples of second millennium pottery. After the completed excavation of JS2 additional plans and elevations were drawn. As well as this, a profile was drawn to show the relative heights of Jabal Salut, Salut and the Bronze Age tower. SALUT One of the objectives at Salut was to get a clearer understanding of the main architectural phases, particularly for the Iron Age buildings, and also to understand more fully the Iron Age constructional techniques. In addition, it was necessary to complete the excavation of some areas of the burnt building and make it ready for restoration. Removal of M130 In order to clarify the plan of the earliest Iron Age buildings Wall M130 was removed. This wall, made of square mudbricks (average: 37x37x11 cms), appears to be representative of the final Iron Age building phase and could not be directly related to any other features. Beneath the wall was a bricky deposit (US564) that had acted as a footing for the wall. This lay above a softer brown deposit (US565) that contains a lot of scrap cu/bronze fragments, including some fragmentary ingots and a broken bronze hoe and arrowhead. Beneath US565 was a hard, sandy grey deposit (US594). This deposit was of interest because it appears to lie above the mudbrick wall that is a continuation of M141 (M202) but goes beneath the large stone foundations that lie adjacent to M130. This seems to indicate that there are at least two significant building phases after the earliest Iron Age building phase. Excavation in the area surrounding S/FE 21 In a previous season a bronze cauldron had been excavated. The cauldron was in a setting adjacent to several large surrounding stone flags. This area was cleaned and it

3 was seen that there was a shallow pit adjacent to S/FE 21. This shallow pit was filled with a hard grey/brown sandy deposit (US587) and found within this was a carinated cup and a bronze arrowhead. By cleaning and re-examining the area surrounding S/FE 21 it was confirmed that the surrounding stone flags are partly set in to a mudbrick wall that is part of the earliest Iron Age building phase (M78). Investigation of wall M28 and M149 In order to confirm the relationship between M149 and M28 a trench (US588) was excavated alongside M28. It was revealed that the continuation of M149 had at some point been cut in to. The base of the wall was, however, preserved, and the section revealed that M28, characterised by the use of very large stones, was later than M149. It was further confirmed by a section (US593) cut through M28. The latter section also confirmed that walls M23 (continuation of) and M24, both parts of the earliest building phase can be linked directly to the burnt building. Investigations in the Burnt Building The investigations inside the Burnt Building has the mainly aim of exposing the original foundation layer of three rooms (rooms 1, 2 and 3). Moreover, it concerned the stratigraphic analysis of the compartment delimited by walls M117/M143/M42/M201 by exposing the early phase structures. As we supposed, in the three rooms of the Burnt Building there was a single compact mud-brick fill below the floors. However, inside room 1 a more interesting situation was present. Room 1 The original floor US396, which was hardly burnt, was cut by an elongated ovalshaped pit located in the middle of the room, which extended from wall M56 to wall 129. The pit cuts also through other layers: on the north side of the room, the floor preparation layer US562 (soft loam mixed with lumps of mud and mud-brick fragments) and below, the compact mud-bricks fill US563; on the south side the medium compact US475, which may be considered equal to US562. We have to remember that this part of the room was cut by the late phase large wall M138, investigated and removed during the previous campaigns. That s why part or the first phase layers were not present. The pit, which was named Structure/Feature 39, was 1,55 m long, 1,10 m large and 0,50 m deep. The walls were hardly burnt. An underground channel on its SW part was cut through the compact fill US475. The filling (US561) was composed mainly by ash deposits mixed with rare charcoal fragments, mud-brick fragments, scattered medium size squared block of stones (white in colour because hard burnt), pebbles and a few Iron Age coarse sherds. A big wadi pebble with traces of hammering was also found. The Struct./Feat.39 has to be considered a sort of oven. Unfortunately, no more specific material than the fill US561 has been found to indicate the kind of activities that were carried out or which kind of materials were burnt inside the oven.

4 Nevertheless, we can now state that this feature was the former cause of the burnt layer inside room 1. In the south side of the room the foundation filling has also been exposed. US475 covered the medium compact and deep fill US566, composed by loam mixed with lumps of mud and rare pottery sherds. On the south side US566 is contained by a four row stone wall, only partly exposed. North west part of the Burnt Building The compartment delimited by the wall M143/M117/M201/M42 was investigated during the last campaign. Nevertheless, in order to expose the early phase of the building, the wall M143 has been removed. In fact this wall belongs to a later phase, when the small compartment was closed on the west side. A burnt wooden beam, which was visible in both west and east sections of M143, clearly defined the layer up to which the wall was added. More, the investigation was carried out in the small room delimited by walls M117 and M181. Once removed the compact and thick filling US468, a mud surface (US579) few centimeters thick was exposed. The latter covered a mud-bricks and mud-brick fragments intentional fill (USS580) which covered the bedrock. On the south side of the compartment US581 was a compact fill composed by loam mixed with lumps of mud. Its south limit goes below wall M117. Investigation in the compartment north of M117 The decision to investigate across the small compartment located north of wall M117 was prompted by the different orientation of the mud-bricks. This small and almost square area (1,60x1,70m.) is delimited by wall M78 on the west side and by a mud-bricks filling on the other sides. The compartment was intentionally filled with different rows of mud-bricks and loam (from top to down): - two rows of mud-bricks separated by a thick mud layer (US567). The removed mud-brick has two different sizes: 36x36x11 cm, 36x18x11 cm cm thick (south east side) soft brown layer composed by loam mixed with rare mud-brick fragments and rodent bones (US568). A complete copper/bronze cup has been found, together with some copper/bronze scraps. - Mud-bricks surface/fill (US569) made by four parallel rows of rectangular mud-bricks (70x35 cm). Not removed. Nevertheless the primary sense of the compartment fill is unclear (it is tempting to attribute it to a ritual sphere), we can affirm that it was intentional and related to an unique action. Investigations across the filling of the external wall The investigated area is delimited by wall M56, wall M170 and the external stone wall. The area, which was partly excavated during the past campaigns, represents the massive and elaborated filling contained by the external stone wall of the site. It

5 deeply slopes from north of wall M83 to the external stone wall. In order to expose the original fill, in view also of the restoration of the area, the washed deposits which obliterated it have been removed. The deep washed deposits US570 and US572 hardly disturbed the stratigraphy, also creating a height difference of level (more than 2 metres) between the top of the site and the external wall. The large amount of pottery sherds - both Iron Age than Islamic (included Early Islamic, Late Sgraffiato and Bahla wares) confirms the strong inhabitation of the site during these periods; moreover, it is important also to take into consideration the presence of several possibly Iron Age III sherds. The removal of the medium compact washed deposit US570 has exposed a mud-brick wall (M200), running N/S and covered by the wall M56 (east limit of the pillared room). Wall M200 has the same orientation of M56 and, besides representing its foundation, it is also part of the foundation filling of all the area, i.e. a retaining wall. It was cut by US570, both in its north than south part. The washed deposit US570 covered a mud foundation layer (US571), which has been exposed and not excavated. The removal of US572 on the eastern side of the area showed the south portion of a stone containment wall M169 and the mud-brick fill which covered it. Another investigated part of this area was located immediately outside the external wall. During the restoration of the external wall, a deep ash deposit was found (US573) at the bottom of the wall, extending also towards the south (in correspondence with the current path). Several animal bones and a large amount of Iron Age pottery were also present. The accumulation US573 was mainly covered by the external stone wall but not from the original Iron Age foundation wall. In fact, there was a clear gap inside the original wall which has to be related to a later phase rebuilding, most probably during the Islamic phase. Consequently, the accumulation US573 was contemporary covered on the main top part by the Islamic remaking and, on the east part, by the first row of the original Iron Age wall. US573 covers the bedrock. Investigation on the top south part of the site (removal of the path) The removal of the path on the summit of the site has allowed to show the area delimited by walls M140/M141 to the north west and M47 to the south east. The area is badly disturbed by three deep and circular-shaped Islamic pits, where the southeast two (US582 and US577 pit fills) are possibly related to the Islamic hut Struct.28. They cut the Iron age walls M202, M204, M71, M80. The third pit (pit fills US583, US589) cuts walls M71/M46, M47/M92. The excavation has mainly exposed and clarified the top part of the filling contained by the external wall. We can state now that the stone wall M71 is the extension of wall M46. This wall was built on the bedrock - which clearly appears on the surface and represents the top and northern most containment wall of the massive filling. Nevertheless, badly disturbed by the Islamic cut, also the stone walls M92 and M47 can be considered part of the same structure (considering a right angle). In-between walls M46 and M47 a medium compact intentional fill of lumps of mud and fragmentary mud-bricks (US591) was also exposed. On the south part of the investigated area the mud-brick walls M202 and M204 represent the top and south containment wall of the massive filling. On the top part they were covered by a thin (10-5 cm.) layer of soft and sandy loam mixed with

6 ashes, animal bones, scattered charcoals and copper/bronze scraps (US575). The same walls were covered on the north face by a soft ashy fill, brown-greyish in colour, with the presence of yellow-green small size chips (US576). Area 4. In Area 4 part of the unexcavated surface was excavated as a preliminary to future work in this part of the site. Immediately below the surface the outline of two Islamic huts was revealed. Structure 37 This construction consists of a single circular space, whose diameter is about 2,30 m, bounded by a wall made up by irregular rows of big sized stones jointed with a compact grey loam. The wall is badly preserved, but in its north-western part, where 3 courses of stones are still existing. Because of his proximity and his stratigraphic position, the more ancient wall M151 could have been reused as foundation. Inside the structure, a bad preserved surface of use has been detected. This surface consists of a light grey, compact layer of few millimetres, including some charcoal remains, and it can be interpreted as the inner floor associated to this structure. The floor was covered by a light brown stratum of loose sand (US1), in which a large amount of pottery dating from the Iron age to the Islamic period has been found. Structure 38 Situated immediately south east of the Structure 37, Structure S38 consists of a rectangular space of 2,20 x 1,50 m delimited by a stone wall, whose building construction is identical to the previous one. No evidence of foundation trench has been revealed and the structure seems to insist directly on a yellow-greenish layer, including stone chips. Inside the structure, the remains of a thin and compact layer have been exposed in the central part. As in structure 37, this surface can be identified with the inner floor of the construction. The filling covering this floor has composed by loose sand mixed with small stones (US1), but differently from S37, here, the archaeological materials were very few.

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14 Fig.1. Jabal Salut2: grave 6 (foreground), Salut (background) Fig.2. Jabal Salut, view from the Burnt Building

15 Fig.3. The mud-bricks wall M130 Fig.4. Early phase stone feature after the removal of the mud-bricks wall M130

16 Fig.5. The early phase struct./fe. 21 inserted inside wall M78 Fig.6. The mud-bricks and stone wall M28.

17 Fig.7. Burnt Building, r.1, Str./Fe 39 Fig.8. Burnt Building, r. 1, the massive fill Fig.9. Burnt Building, r. 2, foundation fill Fig.10. Burnt Building, r. 2, foundation fill

18 Fig.11. Compartment between M117/M181: the US580 covers the bedrock Fig.12. Compartment north of M117: the mud-bricks fill US567

19 Fig.13. Compartment north of M117: the mud-bricks fill US569 Fig.14. Compartment north of M117: complete bronze cup inside US568

20 Fig.15. The area east of wall M56, view from the top Fig.16. The area east of M56, view from the bottom Fig.17. The fill US573 and the external wall Fig.18. The fill US573 covered by the first stone row of the external wall

21 Fig.19. Area 1: mud-bricks wall M201 Fig.20. The wall M46/M71 and the bedrock Fig.21. The compact fill (US591) in-between the walls M46 and M47

22 Fig.22. Example of compartment delimited by stone and mud-brick walls Fig.23. General view of the area after the removal of the path

23 Fig.24. Islamic hut Struct. 37, view from the south-west. Fig.25. Islamic huts Struct. 38 (foreground) and 37 (background), view from the south