Unit 20961

Category: Layer    dug in 2013

 

Area: North 

 

Related Photo (Click to view larger version in new window)  

Interpretive Categories: In situ burning (hearth) 

 

Data Category Information: Description: fire spots (non-structured); Deposition: homogeneous

 

Discussion: In situ burning spot under floor and make-up unit 20952. This layer is very ashy and contains numerous plant remains: charcoals, charred seeds, phytoliths… This seems to have been a localised, low temperature burning event. Ashes and charcoal are concentrated in the northern part of the unit, whereas the reddish colour and the cracking of the sediment in the south half of the unit suggests rubefraction and heating.
Towards the base of the unit in the northern area, grass-like phytoliths were found. In this northern part the layer reaches a depth of 9cm: a shallow pit seems to have been dug, cutting through the floors and infill of the platform F.7114 to create this pattern. Does this represents ritual activity?
No sub-layering of the unit was found, either in terms of the quantity and types of inclusions present or a change in the general composition of the layer, which might indicate that this was a single burning event.
The clayish sediment at the base of the unit shows very clear signs of rubefraction: a reddish colour. However, the fact that the sediment is not very compact suggests that the temperatures reached by the fire were low. Although the texture and composition of the clay sediments at the base of the fire spot resemble that of the infill under the floors, it is possible that this clay was intentionally placed at the bottom of the pit before initiating the fire for isolation and heat control. No animal remains or artefacts were found in association with this unit.
Palaeobotanists have said that this unit is in situ and shows more than one depositional event, with charcoal inclusions and fruit seeds. 

 

Consistency: Loose 

Colour: Black to dark grey 

Texture: Ash 

Bedding: Compound layered 

Inclusions: Charcoal fragments, burned seeds, phytoliths 

Post-depositional Features: Bioturbation (burrows) 

Basal Boundary: Contructional, very sharp 

 

Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field): above: (Click to view the record) 20980, 20985 below: (Click to view the record) 20952 

 

Dry sieve volume: 0 

Total Deposit Volume: 10 

Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 5

Number of Related Diary Entries: 0

 

Settlement Phase:

Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space): Unassigned at present 

Associated Hodder Level (from Space): Unassigned at present 

Related Photos: 3 (Opens as a group in a new window)

Buildings: (Click to view the record) 114

Spaces: (Click to view the record) 87

Features:: (Click to view the record) 7129 (pit)

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.

ArchaeoBots Sample Recorded: No

Ceramics Data for 2013 still to be released

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 records

Phytolith Sample: No Sorry not all of this data is available online at present, please contact us if you are particularly interested phytolith samples

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