Unit 32418

Category: Cluster    dug in 2016

Area: South 

Interpretive Categories: Cluster with animal bones and clay balls 

Data Category Information: Location: cut; Description: pit; Material: animal bone; Deposition: primary deposition; Basal Spit: Clay ball

Discussion: Group of different kind of animal bones and clay balls placed at the edges of the cut (U32428) in almost a circular shape. The concentration of bones was bigger in the north and east part of the pit, and a bit less in the south where the clay ball were deposited. In the W part of the pit, was only visible a horn. The bones were placed on top of each other, and in some cases deposited vertically leaning on the edges of the cut, none of them seems to have traces of burning. After remove all the bones, almost at the bottom of the cut appeared a few pieces more of clay ball and another bones, which we included as part of the same cluster. The whole cluster is interpreted as abandonment deposit put it on purpose inside the pit, before leaving the building.
The higher and mid from the big bones in the top of the cluster are: H1: 926.1765 965.8250 1004.1196; H2 926.2834 965.7954 1004.0925; H3 926.3506 965.8501 1004.1097; H4 926.4690 965.8527 1004.1642; H5 926.4770 966.0060 1004.1298; H6 926.4033 966.1398 1004.1395; H7 926.1350 966.0887 1004.1112
From the second layer of bones and clay bones the higher and mid are H1: 926.3266 966.0735 1003.9878; H2 926.1997 965.8043 1003.9743; H3 926.3466 965.8719 1003.9359; H4 926.4325 965.9834 1004.0115 (Both saved in the Survey Data, daily upload from 16.06.2016).
This cluster is related with another one with the same characteristics U32430 and with the pits F7831 and F7840.
According with the specialist results: Is a group of aurochs limb bones and vertebrae placed into the pit all along the edges. Limb bones: distal femur (small), proximal femur (large), proximal radius (large), 2 distal humerus bones (1 large Left, 1 small Right - LIKELY ARTICULATES with radius in U32430 - 32430.F1), ulna olecranon (small), metatarsal (large), distal tibia (large), unfused proximal femur (presumably small?). Vertebrae: axis (large) - ARTICULATES with atlas in U32413 (32413.X1), thoracic vertebra (LIKELY ARTICULATES with thoracic vertebra in U32413 - 32413.F2), sacrum (has an unfused intervertebral disc that reconnects). Other bones: naviculo-cuboid, tibia shaft that has been fragmented in the past and reconnects with old breaks (all of the pieces are still there). One piece of antler tine (the tip) was found, as well.
The material from this pit (and the two other pits in B.16 - U32430 and U32413) contain 2-3 aurochsen - one very large animal and one smaller (closer to the size of an aurochs female) animal, with the possibility of a smaller/younger animal based on fusion data and the distal femur. Based on the archaeobotanical lab's estimation that these pits were infilled in summer/autumn, roughly around the time of their harvest, it is possible that these aurochsen were hunted during their mating season and thus may have been hunting males and females during their rut. The initial breaking of limb bones (all have broken midshafts) was probably a byproduct of collecting the marrow, but the fact that nothing was roasted and most of the pieces were put back in the pits suggest either further breaking occurred during the infilling of the pit (from pressure still on the bones) or that bones were intentionally broken further and placed in the pit, either to facilitate fitting into the pit or for some other reason. Several of the broken pieces may have been far from their rejoined partners, arguing against a depositional scenario.
So, 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. 

Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field): above: (Click to view the record) 32428 below: (Click to view the record) 32429 

Number of Samples 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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