Unit 1955
Category: skeleton dug in 1997
Area: North
Interpretive Categories: skeleton
Data Category Information: none
Dimensions: 0.6 x 0.25m
Discussion: The eastern half of this burial was exposed for some time, but the western part was only exposed after burials 38 and 42 were removed. Unfortunately, during this time the western part of the burial became damp during a rainstorm, and this did not aid the condition of the bone!
Basak, Peter and Gavin all seemed to agree (as did I) that the western crushed skull and the majority of the post cranial bones were all from the same individual (prior to lab analysis). To the east, tucked under the overhang of the cut, was the crushed skull of another individual, possibly a juvenile or subadult (skull was smaller and thinner). This may have been pushed to one side when the adult inhumation was inserted. It was not clear during excavation what post-cranial bones (if any) were associated with this skull.
A third skull fragment lay to the south. This was of a baby/small child. Some of the small bones that were removed during the cleaning up of the larger bones probably belonged to this child. The relationship between this inhumation and the main body was not clear -- no different grave cut was visible. The green stone pendant/bead 1955.x1 was associated with the main adult bones, and was tucked in between a femur and the pelvis. It was not clear if this was its original position or not. Most of the long bones had been penetrated by fine rootlets and when lifted they just collapsed into fragments. The dampness of the bones also made them very delicate.
To separate bones out slightly, the juvenile skull was given a separate unit number (2125). Similarly, during the initial lifting of 1955, infant bones began appearing and these were assigned a new unit number too (2126). These infant bones were located roughly underneath the patch of yellow ochre (ooer!).
During lifting, it proved impossible to keep the cranium together as a solid block. The skull had been compressed along the suture lines, and because there was a partial void in the soil matrix within, the block had no internal stability. However, it was still possible to keep some integrity of shape. The crushed vertebrae just disintegrated into fragments when I attempted to lift them, as did the pelvis and sacrum.
Pelvis and sacrum were lying immediately on top of the foot bones of 2169. The spine of 1955 lay across the leg bones of 1955. No bone of 2169 was truncated by 1955's grave cut (2190) however, and this must be deliberate. The very bottom of 2190 must have been excavated with extreme care. This, and the way that 1955 was flexed around not only to fit in cut but also to have an intimate and close physical relationship to 2169 may indicate that 2169 individual known or important to 1955 -- same kin, lineage etc. The skull of 1955 was also resting on the left side of 1969's skull.
The previous discussion is now flawed, as the human bone team identified hand bones belonging to this individual below the skeleton on 2169.
1955 was therefore probably the primary burial beneath the platform F.13, lying in an undetected 'ghost' cut numbered as 2536. This was disturbed by 2176, now seen as a re-cutting episode, after which 2169 was interred in the cleaned out grave cut, along with two limb bones of 1955 (numbered as 2506). A flat-bottomed revetment was then cut into the northern edge of the grave cut, before 1955 was redeposited across the chronologically later burial of 2169. There was a clear flat soil interface between grave fills 2124 and 2175 to suggest this action, and the cut interface of 2190 itself.
As suggested previously, there appears to have been a need to make a close physical link between 2169 and 1955, although also a desire for at least some separation (why did they not put 1955 back in the same cut as 2169 for example?). 2 long bones were removed from a (presumably?) well-rotted/bare skeleton 1955 and put (perhaps bound in a bundle) in with the later burial, which was then covered by the primary skeleton. Was this tow related individuals being linked after death, or perhaps one individual seeking to draw on the status/prestige/authority (etc., etc.!)of an earlier known ancestor/relative/kin group member? 1955 was obviously moved with a fair degree of care.
It now appears that (1955) includer two separate depositional events, one of which is part of F.47 and the other is in F.204 and an attempt has been made to split these retrospectively. CC 01-02-01
08/09/09 It has been determined at this juncture that the remains of this skeleton found in F.47 were the result of disturbance of the primary burial F.204 and not deliberately placed. This means that this skeleton has been removed from F.47. BB
Condition: hot, dry, dusty (ah the heat, the flies..)
X and Y of Targets: Target A - X: 0; Target A - Y: 0; Target B - X: 0; Target B - Y: 0; Target C - X: 0; Target C - Y: 0; Target D - X: 0; Target D - Y: 0
Body: only partially articulated; trunk flexed slightly -- initially roughly E-W, but then bends south to fit in cut. Pelvis twisted.
Head: head was lying on back of skull and tilted slightly to north so eyes focused upwards and slightly northwards.
Right Arm: no articulated arms and hands
Left Arm: no articulated arms and hands
Right Leg: no articulated legs -- post-pelvic bones removed/repositioned
Left Leg:
Other comments:
Surface Modifications:
Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field):
Dry sieve volume: 0
Total Deposit Volume: 0
Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 4
Number of X-Finds recorded by excavator: 2
Number of Related Diary Entries: 0
Settlement Phase:
Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space): Unassigned at present
Associated Hodder Level (from Space): Unassigned at present
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Finds Room Information:
All material from site passes through the finds room for washing and separating before it is passed onto the various lab teams. The finds room keeps a basic inventory of what is found. A finds material type list is given here. Further analytical detail maybe provided by the Lab Team data below.
X Finds Material: nothing recorded
Finds Material Stored: nothing recorded
Lab Team Data
Please note the list below does not represent everything that might have been found in this Unit, but represents the datasets we have available on-line. Please ArchaeoBots Sample Recorded: No Ceramic Records: No Clay Object Records: No Chipped Stone Records: No Conservation Recorded: No Faunal Records: No Figurine Records: No GroundStone Records: No Heavy Residue Records: No Microfaunal Records: No
Sorry not all of this data is available online at present, please contact us if you are particularly interested microfauna recordsPhytolith Sample: No
Sorry not all of this data is available online at present, please contact us if you are particularly interested phytolith samplesDownload this Units Data
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