Dr. Mark Schuler

It has been very hot on the mountain this week.  Three times we had to shorten our work day to avoid dangerous conditions. And after a day in the heat, a shower doesn’t seem enough.  Just ask Zach and Dr. Schuler.

When Darryl began to unearth this object from a collection of crushed pottery, we were excited that the item was essentially intact (and thus restorable). Initially, we thought it was the cover for a casserole.

But when we taped the pieces together and showed it to our ceramic expert, he identified it as a Byzantine funnel (like this Roman kitchen funnel).

We have one more hint about the usage of the space!

Oil lamps were part of the daily life of ancients.  One lamp could give light to a whole room.  Even more, could two.

While exposing the remains of the plaster floor on DQ41, David Kluth uncovered two oils lamps together in a crevice just to the right of the north doorway to the room.

When cleaned and identified, these lamps may be helpful in dating the space we are excavating. David is rightly pleased with his find; so are we…

DQ41, DP41, and DP40 on 30 July
by Dr. Mark Schuler
on Sketchfab