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| Area: North |
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| Dug in Year: 2014 |
| Feature Type: fire installation |
| Feature Subtype: hearth |
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| Location: Against N wall of B.114, F.3681 |
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| Grid X: 1049.15 Grid Y: 1183.54 |
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Fire installation found under infill sediments (U.21162) and contained by cut U.21163. This hearth has an ovoid shape and is located against the N wall of the building (F.3681) and therefore postdates its construction. Signs of burning (black staining) are visible on this wall's plaster. The position of this hearth within the building (N wall), is extremely unusual, as this type of fire installations are normally found towards the southern half of buildings.
The hearth has a double clay lining, probably designed to contain the fire's heat while in use. This feature lies within F.7343, a shallow cut that extends longitudinally along the wall F.3681 and comprises half the width of B.114.
It seems plausible that the inhabitants of this small building cut through the clean grey plaster floors to create a shallow ditch in which to install a hearth. The S half of the building has a very steep S inclination (ca.30º slope), which makes this area a dust trapper. The constructional cut F.7343 would have kept all the ashes, as well as other combustion by-products, within the vicinity of the hearth, thus aiding in keeping the plaster floors clean. Remains of charcoal and ashes against the S edge of cut F.7343 support this hypothesis, as they were probably deposited through constant cleaning/sweeping of the hearth area.
This feature is a clear evidence of the resourcefulness of te Neolithic inhabitants of this house which, despite its small size (ca. 4x1.5m), shows most of the chracteristics of larger buildings.
The base of the hearth has been destroyed by a large rodent burrow. |
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| In situ Conservation: No |
| Lifted: No |
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| Feature Relationships: |
| contained by: (Click to view the record) 7343 |
| cuts: (Click to view the record) 7607 |
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| Number of Related Diary Entries: 0 |
| Conservation Recorded: No |
| Related Photos: 10 (Opens as a group in a new window) | Buildings: (Click to view the record)
| Spaces: (Click to view the record)
| | No. Of Units in this Feature: 8 (Click here to view unit list) |
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