The Kuwaiti-Italian mission to
Failaka 2011
Al-Qurainiyah site
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Weekly Report
fourth Week
th
From 29 of January to 3th of February
Trench 1
Trench 1: ( Plan 1) In the fourth week of work, we finished removing the layer SU 48, placed on
the entire surface of the hall and we identified an additional ground floor, (SSUU 89, 79, 92, 93)
SU 89
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SU 89
made with a series of mud-brick placed on top of a compact layer of earth (SSUU 96, 86),
SU 86
positioned on the entire surface of the hall 1. The brick have different dimensions and are not
placed with a specific order.
In Part E of the structure was possible to clarify the presence, in relation with this phase , of a wall
(SSU 91, 94), made of a single row of mud bricks, which divided the structure into two rooms of
different sizes: a larger one on the W part, and a smaller in E part.
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SU 91 on the left, SU 94 on the right
Between the two sides of the wall was probably recovered a threshold (SU 80) that allowed the
passage from one room to another.
At the same time we began to excavate the exterior part of the structure , removing the layer in
relation with the last phase of life (SU 78) identifying a second layer (SU 88) in which there was a
posthole, (SU 90) placed in front of the threshold SU 55.
SU 88 1
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Trench 2: (The design of this part of the excavation is in progress). In the fourth week of
excavation we continued to remove the big layers of sand, ashes and charcoal positioned on the
entire surface of the trench;
Below this layer has been identified a plan of compact sand with no trace of ash (SU 208) that
covered the entire surface of the trench.
The removal of U.S. 208 has permitted to identifie an accumulation of stones (SU 209) and the top
of a wall with EO orientation (SSU 210);
SU 209 and SSU 210
Between the layer of stones and the top of the wall was a layer of burnt, located in the N part of
the trench ( SU 216)
SU 216
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The collapse has been documented and removed in its entirety and below that it was possible to
recognize a second wall (SSU 215), with NS trend, perpendicular to SSU 210 and abutted to this in
a second phase.
SU 215
The two walls thus creating an angle, probably attributable to a room (mostly under the NE section
of the trench) with a sandy floor (SU 211) in which was placed a vase ( a jar), found in very good
condition. (SU 213)
SU 211
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SU 213
Outside the room, in connection with the inside floor, was found a second layer of compacted
sand (SU 217), probably interpreted as the plane of life outside the building.
Trench 3: The complete removal of the walls collapses has allowed us to identify the floor plane of
the structure and the latest floors inside and outside the rectangular hall.
Inside room 2 (NE) we identified a series of overlying floor plans, with clear tampering, arranged
with layers of packed heart. For now we identified and excavated two layers; the first one, just
below the collapses, ( SU 342)
SU 342
was made by a compact layer of sand and shells, and is preserved only in the central part of the
room. The second ( SU 354), made by smoothed clay, was probably reconstructed by a second
layer of compact heart (SU 345) positioned in the middle part of the room.
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SU 354
SU 345
In connection with two of this floors, (probably the last two before the last phases of the structure)
along the wall SSU 306 we identified è cut, (SU 336) probably a gate, made by removing the stones
of the wall, that allowed to enter the room after the construction of the wall SSU 305.
SU 336
In the last phase this gate was closed by a series of stones put in place without mortar. (SU 326)
SU 326
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Outside the structure in the NW side, we finished to remove the layer of sand that covered all the
area and we identified part of three floors, (SSUU 334, 352, 349) in relation with the different
phases of life of the hall.
SU 334
Trench 4: This week we decided to open a new trench in the upper part of the site in the area
between the trenches 2 and 3.
Geo-electric exploration shows in this area two long and narrow structures, that have no comparison
in the rest of the site. We opened two trenches with 5x5 m. size and we started to remove the
modern structures found in this area.
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Plan 1
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