Unit 32429

Category: Layer    dug in 2016

Area: South 

Interpretive Categories: Pit fill 

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 in a circular shape and the colour of the infill, whiter than the floor plaster in the platform U7834, define the extension of that layer. The layer was white greyish, very compact and almost without any kind of inclusion in the composition, just small natural stones. Seems that they put a mixt of mortar and plaster, maybe wet, on the top to seal the pit. After this very compact part on the top, the infill had the same morphologic characteristics, same colour and same composition but was softer. After remove the upper part of the infill (around 0.11 cm) , it changed a bit, the lowest part of the fill was brown greyish with a few small charcoal intrusions and remains of burn stuff, maybe parts of oven superstructure or oven base sloping clearly E-W, and still mixed with the cluster U32418. We remove this part of the fill as the same unit, but we put it as another sample (S3) for flotation. After remove this part of the infill, the longer bones in the cluster were completely exposed, abutting the base and edges of the cut. Also appears a few more pieces of clay balls and a bone, included as part of the same cluster U32418 (The hights of this second layer are around 1003.97)
Finally when we exposed the bottom, in the SW part of the pit was visible remains of burn clay and possible parts of oven superstructure. This elements was going under the edge of the cut, so was not part of this deposit. Probably when they made the abandon pit, cut this deposition and used as a part of the fill, which can explain why we have the same kind of stuff in our infill. Anyway when we remove the platform, will be easier to clarify what it is this burn stuff in the bottom, but seems to be the infill of another pit placed under the platform.
After the lab analysis of this fill, seems that the two different samples of the fill look quite different. Where the fill is sterile, the bottom present residues of both leaf/culm and de-husking activity, though phytoliths are not abundant. Low-density, redeposited wood-fuel waste. About the animal bones they just found a small bone pieces in the flotation.
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: Very compact on the top, softer in the bottom 

Colour: White greyish 

Texture: Silt, clay and maybe plaster 

Bedding: Massive (The difference between the top, middle and bottom was clear, and each deposit was massive) 

Inclusions: Natual small stones, plaster, remains of brick and burn clay and probably oven superstructure. On the topp this inclusions was around 5% but in the bottom, the presence of oven supersturcture and burn clay remains was between (10 and 15 % of the deposit9 

Post-depositional Features: salts 

Basal Boundary: Gradual 

Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field): above: (Click to view the record) 32428 below: (Click to view the record) 22324 

Total Deposit Volume: 32 

Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 8

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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