Unit 32413

Category: Layer    dug in 2016

Area: South 

Interpretive Categories: Fill of a pit 

Data Category Information: Location: cut; Description: pit; Deposition: heterogeneous

Discussion: This layer was exposed after remove the primary room infill (U22324). The presence of a few bones and the colour of the soil, very distinguish from the floor plaster (U32404), define the extension of that layer. The layer was light brownish with charcoal as more important intrusion. Was a bit loose, so quite easy to remove. Was a layer quite clean composed mostly for clay and silt and with a few very small natural stones. The only detachable element in this infill was the presence of animal bones, there was two small in the E part of the infill, but in the W, was visible three big bones, deposited at the same time close to the W edge of the cut. The bones were deposit in a very determinate position giving an area with 0.35 m of diameter empty of bones or another materials in the E part of the pit. We X find this three bones together.
This unit is related with three features with the same characteristics F7832, 7833 and F7840.

According with the specialist results there was three Bos vertebrae. The X1 is a very large Bos atlas, and was in the bottom of the cut, the other two (F1 and F2) was on top of the atlas, leaning to the W edge of the pit. F1 is a smaller (roughly equal in size to the reference Bos) atlas that was split into two in the past (old break), which split it down the central axis of the bone. The other bone (F2) is a large thoracic vertebra that was relatively complete but broke up during excavation - the spinous process was broken off in the past but was recovered near F2 and is recorded together. This thoracic vertebra MIGHT ARTICULATE with a thoracic vertebra in U32418 - another pit in B.160 - the atlas (X1) ARTICULATES with an axis in U32418. The atlas was in the bottom of the cut, and the two vertebra bones on top of it, leaning to the W edge of the pit.
After the flotation of the fill they recover a few small pieces more, mostly unidentifiable and less than 10% of the material is burned.
They also found phytoliths presence, but no very abundant, a few elongated psilate from grass culms. About the charcoal, low-density, fairly diverse, redeposited wood fuel waste.

All the specialists conclude that the pit was opened and fill quite fast, in a very short period of time, probably around later summer early autumn, and that the bones was intentionally deposit. So all this information match with our interpretation, about that pits can be an abandon deposits. 

Consistency: Compact 

Colour: Light brown 

Texture: Clay and silt 

Bedding: Massive 

Inclusions: Small pieces of charcoal, plaster and bricks, very smashed (around 2%) 

Post-depositional Features: salts 

Basal Boundary: gradual 

Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field): above: (Click to view the record) 32417 below: (Click to view the record) 22324 

Total Deposit Volume: 21 

Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 6

Number of X-Finds recorded by excavator: 1

Number of Related Diary Entries: 1

Settlement Phase:

Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space): IX 

Associated Hodder Level (from Space): Unassigned at present 

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 contact us to obtain more information about this Unit.

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