An Unexplored Realm in the Heartland of the Southern Gulf ... - Famsi

Level I throughout the site is consistent. This uppermost layer is made up of semi-
compacted dark grey humus (Munsell 7.5YR3/2) that, for the most part, contains little
cultural material. Mechanized tilling over the past three decades has effected whatever
artifacts were present in this upper level and all are small, broken, or highly eroded. The
colors used in the computer generated profiles do not portray the true color of the soils,
and were employed to more clearly differentiate changes in the stratigraphy.
River Cut Profile 1A
This segment is located on the southeast perimeter of Field 1 and is representative
of several locations along the river cut bank in Fields 1 through 7. Level I is a natural
layer of soft to semi-compacted humus (Munsell 7.5YR3/1) (Figure 5.8). The few
ceramics present in this level are small and diagnostically unrecognizable due to damage
caused by repeated agricultural cultivation, cattle grazing, and natural erosional effects.
This situation is true of Level I in all profiles. There is evidence of insect and rodent
activities and effects of plant and tree roots. Gravel fill is present, but well dispersed from
repeated manipulation of the surface.
The presence of gravel anywhere on the site within the top 2 m is significant.
River gravel (~0.5 to 5 cm in size) is ubiquitous, but natural sedimentary deposits only
appear at levels that are more than 3.5 m below the present surface. Any occurrence of
this gravel near the surface is a result of intentional human activity that is generally
associated with the construction of architectural features.
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