Unit 1523
Category: layer dug in 1996
Area: South
Interpretive Categories: midden
Data Category Information: Location: external; Deposition: finely bedded
Dimensions: 1.4m x 0.9m x 0.2m
Discussion: Layer within midden, sloping down from East to West. Basal boundary less distinct to South because underlying 1530 runs out leaving it over a very similar deposit 1533. To South 1523 is blocky and firmer but the matrix looks very similar except for one thin lens of charcoal near the top. Perhaps the changes between North and South evident in many units of the building fill and midden represents differential drying out of all these deposits?
Execution: trowel and small pick
Condition: hot and sunny
Consistency: variable (strong to weak)
Colour: 10YR 3/2 and4/3 (mottled)
Texture: clay loam
Bedding: massive
Inclusions: 5% clay marl (2.5Y 6/3). upto 80mm but generally <30mm; 2% charcoal (<20mm); occasinal coprolyteremains,animal bone, plant silicates.
Post-depositional Features: few evident roots
Basal Boundary: sharp,distinct, wavey/smooth, sloping down to West (see section).
Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field):
Dry sieve volume: 143
Total Deposit Volume: 181
Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 3
Number of Related Diary Entries: 1
Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space): Unassigned at present
Associated Hodder Level (from Space): Unassigned at present
Related Photos: 1 (Opens as a group in a new window) | |
Buildings: none | |
Spaces: (Click to view the record)
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Features:: none |
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: Yes
Count of records:: 64
Unit description: F 41 subsampled for ZooMS (DCO 2014).
A layer of midden in space 115, dug in 1996. A smallish unit, which looks fairly typical for midden deposits in terms of its fragmentation, condition, and body part representation. There are several pig parts, which is notable for a unit this high in the sequence (usually such plentiful pig is characteristic of the lower levels). The pig parts are from quite young animal or animals; the distal part of the humerus is unfused, therefore this animal was infantile. Similarly there is an unfused distal femur from pig, which indicates an infantile/sub-adult animal. It is possible that both the humerus and the femur are from the same animal. There is also a carbonized pig carpal, which might be from the same animal as the other pig bones, but we cannot be sure. Also present is a very young cattle toe (infantile/juvenile), and a very young cattle pelvis (infantile). Again these might be from the same animal. There are three mandibles from very young sheep or goat, one of which has the same pathology as was seen in young sheep/goat mandibles from the unit 5290. There are some equid parts, including an upper tooth from E. hemionus. There is a sheep horn core fragment. There is a notable lack of phalanges and metapodials: an under-representation of feet. Scrap material includes ribs, long bones, skull fragments and vertebrae from both large and small animals. Weathering is mild, and gnawing and digestion is fairly low, indicating that this material was not left exposed in the midden for very long. Very few pieces are burned; those that are burned are completely carbonized. Quite a few of the long bones and ribs have slight cut marks. One distal radius of a large animal has been chopped off. This is normal midden material; the high proportion of young animal parts is the only unusual aspect. This might be an indication of the season of deposition. This is post-consumption rubbish rather than primary processing/butchering remains (as indicated by the absence of such parts as feet, head - parts that would have been separated during primary butchering). A small bit of worked bone from a sheep-sized animal was also included in this unit - it has been given a BFD (it is F36) and set aside for further study. Sample 2 is the 4mm flotation fraction. Identifiable bones are a juvenile sheep/goat femur head (unfused, both diaphysis and epiphysis present), and a sheep/goat tarsal (small hind limb bone). The sample reflects the composition of the dry sieved material. Last Number = 64Figurine 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