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Structure 16-S, masonry surface structure
Features
General description
Plugged doorway in masonry room (Structure 16-S).
Use history
Provided access between this room and the space to the north, which is part of the D- or C-shaped building; doorway was taken out of use when it was plugged and remodeled into a niche.
Associated features
F-2; niche inside doorway.
Excavation procedure
Not excavated, only recorded; part of standing architecture.
Portion excavated
Entire feature visible.
Horizontal location
Located in the north wall of Structure 16-S.
Vertical location
Top of doorway is 41 cm from modern ground surface. Because the room floor and the base of the doorway are not visible, measurements were not taken.
Construction
Built as part of the north wall. Sides = masonry blocks; most are pecked on both exposed faces; top = wooden lintel that spans the width of the doorway and rests on the sides of the feature; in addition, two tabular stones on top of lintel that provided additional support; base not visible.
Remodeling/ modification
Yes. Doorway was plugged and a niche was built inside of the doorway.
Thermal alteration
No
Sooting
No
Sealed
Yes. Sealed when plugged
Preservation
Excellent.
Degree of preservation
Shape in plan view
Actual:
unknown.
Inferred:
Inferred:
Shape in cross section
Actual: rectangular.
Inferred:
Inferred:
Shape comments
Dimensions
Actual
Complete?
Inferred
Comments
Length
56
Yes
Side-to-sde; east-west.
Width
No
Unknown; doorway was plugged.
Height
41
No
From modern ground surface to the lintel; distance from room floor not recorded because floor is not visible.
Depth
No
Stratigraphy
Stratum
Interpretation
Inclusions
Disturbance
Color
Texture
General description
Niche built in a room (Structure 16-S), inside of doorway (Feature 1).
Use history
The construction of this niche inside of a doorway took the doorway out if use and cut off an access point to the area north of the room and inside the D- or C-shaped building. Unclear what the niche was used for since it is empty. May have been used for storage. This is one of three niches found in Structure 16-S; it is unusual to find niches in rooms and their presence may indicate that this room had a special use.
Associated features
Niche is built within a doorway (F-1).
Excavation procedure
Not excavated, only recorded; part of standing architecture.
Portion excavated
Entire feature exposed.
Horizontal location
North wall of Structure 16-S; inside a doorway (Feature 1).
Vertical location
Base of niche is 14 cm above modern ground surface. Measurements were not taken from the floor; because it is not visible.
Construction
Niche was built inside of a doorway (F-1). A course of three stones was laid for the base. The sides were created by placing two stones on top of the lowest course and leaving a space between them. A large capstone was placed on top of the sides of the niche. Two upright stones were laid on either side of the capstone and adjacent to the edges of the doorway. The faces of all the stones were pecked.The construction of the back of the niche is not observable, however, the back is defined by the flat side of a stone. Sediment adhering to the back of the niche appears to be a natural deposit rather than construction fill.
Remodeling/ modification
No
Thermal alteration
No
Sooting
No
Sealed
No
Preservation
Excellent.
Degree of preservation
Shape in plan view
Actual:
rectangular.
Inferred:
Inferred:
Shape in cross section
Actual: rectangular.
Inferred:
Inferred:
Shape comments
Dimensions
Actual
Complete?
Inferred
Comments
Length
26
Yes
Side-to-side; east-west.
Width
No
Height
13
Yes
Depth
19
Yes
Front-to-back; north-south.
Stratigraphy
Stratum
Interpretation
Inclusions
Disturbance
Color
Texture
General description
Niche in masonry room, Structure 16-S.
Use history
This is interpreted as a niche; it is too close to bedrock to be a beam socket; unclear what the niche was used for since it is empty; may have been used for storage; this is one of three niches found in Structure 16-S; it is unusual to find niches in rooms and their presence may indicate that this room had a special use.
Associated features
Niche to the south (F-4).
Excavation procedure
Not excavated, only recorded; part of standing architecture.
Portion excavated
Entire feature exposed.
Horizontal location
In west wall; 38 cm from the north edge of the niche to the northwest corner of room; 71 cm north of another niche in the west wall (Feature 4).
Vertical location
24 cm from modern ground surface to base of niche. Measurements were not taken from the floor because it is not visible. Rests directly below a T-shaped doorway (Feature 5).
Construction
Feature was constructed as part of the west wall; base = two horizontally-laid blocks; sides = cornerstones pecked on two faces; back = horizontally-lying stone; top = rectangular stone that spans the width of the niche and rests on the sides of the feature.
Remodeling/ modification
No
Thermal alteration
No
Sooting
No
Sealed
No
Preservation
Excellent.
Degree of preservation
Shape in plan view
Actual:
rectangular.
Inferred:
Inferred:
Shape in cross section
Actual: rectangular.
Inferred:
Inferred:
Shape comments
Dimensions
Actual
Complete?
Inferred
Comments
Length
12
Yes
Side-to-side; north-south.
Width
No
Height
10
Yes
Top-to-bottom.
Depth
15
Yes
Front-to-back; east-west.
Stratigraphy
Stratum
Interpretation
Inclusions
Disturbance
Color
Texture
General description
Niche in a masonry room, Structure 16-S.
Use history
This is interpreted as a niche; it is too close to bedrock to be a beam socket; unclear what the niche was used for since it is empty; may have been used for storage; this is one of three niches found in Structure 16-S; it is unusual to find niches in rooms and their presence may indicate that this room had a special use.
Associated features
Niche to the north (F-3).
Excavation procedure
Not excavated, only recorded; part of standing architecture.
Portion excavated
Entire feature exposed.
Horizontal location
West wall; 1.21 m from the north edge of the niche to the northwest corner of the room; 71 cm south of another niche (Feature 3).
Vertical location
27 cm from modern ground surface to the base of the niche. Measurements was not taken from the room floor because it is not visible.
Construction
Feature was constructed as part of the wall; base = one horizontally-laid stone; sides = upright blocks; top = tabular stone that spans the width of the niche and rests on the sides of the feature; back = horizontally-lying stone.
Remodeling/ modification
No
Thermal alteration
No
Sooting
No
Sealed
No
Preservation
Excellent.
Degree of preservation
Shape in plan view
Actual:
rectangular.
Inferred:
Inferred:
Shape in cross section
Actual: rectangular.
Inferred:
Inferred:
Shape comments
Dimensions
Actual
Complete?
Inferred
Comments
Length
14
Yes
Side-to-side; north-south.
Width
No
Height
12
Yes
Base-to-top.
Depth
20
Yes
Front-to-back; east-west.
Stratigraphy
Stratum
Interpretation
Inclusions
Disturbance
Color
Texture
General description
Possible T-shaped doorway in masonry room (Structure 16-S).
Use history
T-shaped doorway that provided access into a masonry room from the west. The space to the west may or may not have been bounded by the curved wall of a D- or C-shaped building (Structure 17-S) when this doorway was in use. Doorway may have been blocked if the wall (outer west wall) west of the doorway was built later in time. However, there is a vertical alignment of stones in the outer west wall that is flush with the north side of this doorway. This alignment may represent the edge of another doorway. The limited exposure of the wall makes it impossible to ascertain if a doorway is present. If a doorway exists, this doorway was not blocked by the wall.
Associated features
None.
Excavation procedure
Not excavated, only recorded; part of standing architecture.
Portion excavated
Portion visible.
Horizontal location
West wall; 98 cm from the northwest corner of the room to the north side of the feature.
Vertical location
39 cm from the base of the doorway to modern ground surface; measurement not taken from the room floor because it is not visible.
Construction
Constructed as part of the wall; base = at least two stones (one block, one tabular); north side = blocks with most being pecked on two faces; an offset was created after four courses were laid on the north side; the remaining courses were laid north of the lower courses; the stone just below the offset is part of a course of thin, tabular slabs that may have helped to distribute the weight of the overlying stones or may have been a design element of the wall that coincided with the offset; top and south side have collapsed.
Remodeling/ modification
No
Thermal alteration
No
Sooting
No
Sealed
Yes. See use history
Preservation
Poor.
Degree of preservation
Entire south side and top have collapsed, probably as a result of natural deterioration.
Shape in plan view
Actual:
unknown.
Inferred:
Inferred:
Shape in cross section
Actual: unknown.
Inferred:
Inferred:
Shape comments
Inferred frontal view is T-shaped because of the offset on the north side of the doorway.
Dimensions
Actual
Complete?
Inferred
Comments
Length
23
No
Since the south side of the doorway has collapsed, it was impossible to obtain a complete length; the recorded measurement is the length of the offset on the north side of the feature that distinguishes this as a T-shaped doorway.
Width
35
Yes
Front-to-back.
Height
86
No
Measurement taken from the base to the top of the north side of the doorway.
Depth
No
Stratigraphy
Stratum
Interpretation
Inclusions
Disturbance
Color
Texture