Stanford Excavations at Monte Polizzo, Sicily Project handbook 4th edition, 2004 Table of Contents 1 Introduction (PDF Document) 1.1 The purpose of the handbook 1.2 Contact information (important!) 1.3 Timetable 2 Safety (PDF Document) 2.1 General concerns 2.2 Hygiene 2.3 Consideration 3 Maps and plans- Part I (PDF Document) 3 Maps and plans - Part II (PDF Document) 4 Project aims (PDF Document) 5 A very brief history of Sicily (PDF Document) 5.1 Earliest prehistory 5.2 Bronze Age Sicily 5.3 Colonial/archaic Sicily 5.4 Classical Sicily 5.5 Hellenistic and Roman Sicily 5.6 The end of the Roman Empire 5.7 Medieval Sicily 5.8 Modern Sicily 6 The excavation so far (PDF Document) 6.1 Project history 3.2 Summary of results (2000-2003) and goals for 2004 7 Excavation Part I (PDF Document) 7.1 Teaching goals 7.2 Digging 2.1 Site formation processes 2.2 Stratigraphy 2.3 Organization 2.4 Tools 2.5 Sampling 2.6 Interpretation Part II (PDF Document) 7.3 Recording 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Recording sheets 3.3 Notebooks Part III (PDF Document) 3.4 Profiles 3.5 Plans 3.6 Elevations 3.7 Triangulation 3.8 The Harris matrix 3.9 Working with Total Stations 3.10 Photography Part IV (PDF Document) 7.4 On-site finds handling 7.5 Schedule 5.1 Calendar 5.2 Daily schedule 7.6 Project staff 7.7 Organizational structure 8 The lab (PDF Document) 8.1 Finds processing 8.2 Finds from Monte Polizzo 9 Preparation for publication (PDF Document) 10 Practical matters (PDF Document) 11 Glossary of archaeological terms (PDF Document) 12 Bibliography (PDF Document) 13 Recording sheets (PDF Document) 14 Harris matrices (PDF Document) 14.1 A1-A4 area 1.1 Key 1.2 Reverse key 14.2 A5 area 2.1 Key 2.2 Reverse key Illustrations Artifact 2423, an incised dipper found in place on the bedrock in area A1/4, sealed by layer A1.111. Cover Probably made in the late 7th century BC, but in use till nearly 550 BC. Restoration and photos Anne Haabu 3.1 Map of modern Sicily 3.2 Map of Salemi 3.3 Major ancient sites in western Sicily 3.4 Aerial photograph of Monte Polizzo 3.5 Monte Polizzo site plan (contour interval 20 meters) 3.6 Acropolis plan Plan of period II (6th-century BC) structures in zone 3.7 A 3.8 West terrace, building A5, c. 600-550 BC 3.9 West terrace, c. 550-525 BC 3.10 Area of building A1, c. 600-550 BC 3.11 Building A1, c. 550 BC 3.12 Building A1, c. 550-525 BC 3.13 Building A1, c. 525-550 BC 3.14 6th-century BC antler deposits 3.15 Remains excavated in zone D, 2002 3.16 Remains of building A3 (c. 350-300 BC) Profile drawing, west balk of trench 0X79-80, zone E, 3.17 2003 Possible Palaeolithic stone tool, found in survey in 6.1 2003 Part of a destruction deposit in room C1/1, c. 575 BC 6.2 (excavated 2002) Artifact 2309, an indigenous grayware bowl with 6.3 stamped decoration Artifact 2424, an indigenous grayware bowl with 6.4 incised decoration 6.5 Building A1, 2003 season Collapsed storage vessel in zone D, c. 525 BC 6.6 (excavated 2002) Coins and dice from around building A3, c. 350-300 6.7 BC Green-glazed bowl from building C2, dating c. AD 6.8 1100-1125 7.1 Plan of building B1 7.2 Simplified profile through B1, along line a-a in fig 7.1 Formation processes of the archaeological record: 7.3 Monte Polizzo B1 7.4 Early stages of the excavation of zone A, 2001 Stratigraphy and elevation: Wheeler's example from 7.5 Pakistan 7.6 How to label the corners of a new 5 x 5 meter trench Stanford Archaeology major Andrea Amico using the 7.7 pick in zone E 7.8 Small tools in use: excavation of trench K100, 2003 Lele Urquhart using a dental tool to clean around a 7.9 jawbone 7.10 Sweeping in building A5, 2003 7.11 Sieving in zone A, 2001, with a view towrad Mozia 7.12 Flotation in Salemi, 1999 Carbonized grape pips from Monte Polizzo, 550-525 7.13 BC 7.14 Abandoned building on the outskirts of Salemi, 2002 7.15 Erinn Evans recording in trench N107 (2002( Chris Sevara and Bengt Westergaard using the high- 7.16 precision GPS 7.17 Completed context sheet for K100 layer ± 7.18 Laying out profile drawings Kathryn Lafrenz drawing a profile in building A5 7.19 (2003) 7.20 Planning a destruction deposit BC in room C1/1 7.21 Taking elevations with the Dumpy level 7.22 Triangulating to a small find 7.23 Principles of the Harris matrix 7.24 3-D recording of Building A1, 2003 7.25 Backfilling zone A, 2003 8.1 Gautam Raghavan washing pottery, 2001 8.2 Emma Blake (University of Michigan) in the lab Bronze fibula (safety pin), early 6th century BC, from 8.3 zone E 8.4 Bone ring or bracelet from building A1 8.5 Punic stele, c. 350-300 BC Artifact 2441: East Greek B2 cup from the A5 8.6 terrace, c. 550 BC 14.1 A1 area Harris matrix 14.2 A5 area matrix Tables 1 Basic chronology 2 Salemi highlights 1 Introduction 1.1 The purpose of the handbook Welcome to the fifth season of Stanford University’s excavation at Monte Polizzo! This handbook is required reading. It contains vital practical information, and introduces the methods that we use in the excavation. Even if you’ve dug at Monte Polizzo before, read the handbook. It’s better than ever this year. If you’re taking the Stanford course Classics 150/250/Archaeology 113, “Archaeological fieldwork in the Mediterranean,” in spring quarter 2004, you should read the handbook in conjunction with it. The information in the handbook is a necessary compliment to what you’ll read in Wheeler and the other texts. When you come to Sicily in July, BRING THIS HANDBOOK WITH YOU! It contains information you’ll need as the dig progresses. Even more importantly, if anything goes wrong during your trip, the handbook tells you how to contact us, so we can put things right. A lot of people miss plane connections in Milan or Rome, and if you show up in Palermo at a different time from the one you told us and don’t have the handbook with you, you won’t be able to reach us, and we can’t come and get you. So bring the handbook with you. 1.2 Contact information (important!) These are the crucial cell phone numbers. If you run into any difficulties, CALL SOMEONE. There’s some information on p. 115 about how to make phone calls within Italy. If you call us in Sicily from the US, please bear in mind that Sicily is 9 hours ahead of California. We’re normally up by about 6 a.m. (Salemi time) on weekdays; please don’t call after 10 p.m., Sicilian time, unless there’s an emergency. If you can’t reach a team member, leave a message with Tanya Brunot, who’ll serve as contact person. When you’re calling from the US to Sicily, add 011-39 before these numbers: Emma Blake 339-824-8921 Brien Garnand 333-676-1620 Trinity Jackman 333-361-3151 Ian Morris 333-324 5369 Chris Sevara 339-224-2282 Bengt Westergaard 333-440-4214 Ufficio Turistico 924-991-320 Tanya Brunot Classics administrator: (650) 723-2582 Classics department Main number: (650) 723-2581 Police, ambulance 113 (within Sicily) One final thing: if you’re away from Salemi overnight at any point during the project, you must give Brien Garnand a list of who’s in your group, where you’ve gone, when you’ll be back, and, if any member(s) of your group have cell phones, numbers we can reach you at. 1.3 Timetable Dig calendar: Monday July 12 Arrive in Palermo Tuesday July 13 First day on site For trench supervisors: orientation For everyone: site tour Saturday July 17 Work Saturday (Saturdays and Sundays are free, unless noted) Sunday August 15 Feast of the Assumption (Ferragosto) Saturday August 21 Work Saturday: last day of digging Monday August 23 Backfill site Tuesday August 24 Clean dig house Wednesday Aug 25 Go home! Normal daily schedule: 5.30-6.00 am Get up (depending on how much time you need in the morning) 6.00-6.20 am Breakfast 6.30 am On-site team leaves dig house; lab teams clean up 7.00 am Start work 9.00-9.15 am Coffee break (though there’s no coffee on site) 11.00-11.30 am Lunch 2.00 or 2.30 pm Finish digging 3-4 or 7-8 pm Clean pottery and bones, do paperwork 3-7 or 4-8 pm Free time 8 pm Dinner 2 Safety 2.1 General concerns We’ve had very few accidents on site, and we want to keep it that way. If you follow the 25 rules, there should be no problems. 1. Never run in or around the trenches. 2. Never sit or stand on the balk (trench edge) or the top of profiles: these can collapse, causing serious injuries. 3. Don’t walk along the walls; the stones are sometimes loose.