We just returned from Lebanon and are trying to get back into our daily routine. Soon I hope to have a blog post or two on the trip, but for now its time for the weekly dissertation sentence. Before leaving for Jordan I finished my Late Bronze chapter, so a sentence from it seems appropriate.
Locus 18 is described as a “white hard packed surface” (Peterson 1982: 5).
Despite its simple nature this sentence is of monumental importance. Locus 18 is a floor with material on top of it dating to the Late Bronze Age II. This floor is located in B5 and I was able to determine 3 walls that are associated with it, along with objects associated with ritual (including a bronze deity figurine, ceramic chalice, and burnt grain).
I have my first architectural phase! So, after writing my Middle Bronze and Late Bronze chapters (and currently working on my Iron Age I) chapter I can give a brief summary of the beginning phases at Safut.
- MBIIC – Phase 1 only pottery
- LBIIB – Phase 2 sanctuary room in B5
- 13th-12th century BCE – Phase 3 transitional pottery on floor level in B4
- Iron Age I – Phase 4 floor level in B6 with associated whole pottery forms
Roses and Razorwire 
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