Unit 22193

Category: Cut    dug in 2016

Area: North 

Interpretive Categories: burial 

Data Category Information: Description: burial

Discussion: Cut 22193 is related to F3808, a burial located in the northern side of platform F 3811 in space 154.
The presence of one cut/burial in this part of the building has been suspected since the beginning of this year campaig due to a dark visible shade in the upper layers of this side of the platform: through the erosion in fact the south-eastern side of the cut and the infill (22194) were already exposed.
The western side of the cut is covered by 22192 and cuts the underlying white plastered floor (not excavated yet; see unit sketch: 1).
As already mentioned above, the rest of the cut/infill was already exposed due to erosion. It is nontheless highly possible that 22192 was covering the entire feature.
The southern and eastern sides cut a red-orangish layer (not excavated yet; see unit sketch: 2) and a serie of subjacent layers clearly visible in the sections and partially in plan (see unit sketch; 3: thin layer rich in phytholits; 4: red-orangish layer; 1: white plastered floor, same as the one covered by 22192). Layers 2 and 4, that are attested along the southern and eastern side of the burial only, might be related to the infill of some localized depressions with the purpose of levelling the surface and set up the overlying floor (22191).
Except from these layers, the southern and eastern sides of 22193 also cut the northern edge of F3010: an older burial.
The northern side of 22193 cuts the same thin layer rich in phytholits that is also visible in the southern and eastern section of the cut (not excavated yet; see unit sketch: 3), as well as part of white plastered floor 1.
The burial cut defines a squarish upper surface of 0.65x0.70 cm. At a depth of 20 cm from its northern edge, the cut defines a stepped profile. The step is 27cm large and 7 cm high. The presence of the step in the northern side of the burial creates an oval surface (50x34cm) in its southern side. Inside this 'niche' is a boundle of bones wrapped in a phytholits net (Sk 22195).
After the removal of Sk 22195 it was not possible to recognize any clear signs of the burial cut underneath them.
Between 1 and 3 cm under Sk 22195 we directly found another deposition (Sk22196): a plastered skull into an organic container and some grave items associated to it (Sk22196). There were neither evident traces of a cut, neither remarkable differences between the infill of the 2 depositions: dark-grey and smooth in both cases (22194).
What clearly changed was the northern edge of the cut that, in association with Sk22196 had the same shape recognized at the top of the burial (squarish: 0,65x0,70 cm).
Once removed Sk22196+grave items the bottom of the cut (50 cm from the top) corresponded to the top of the underlying burial (Sk 22197).
The reason why during the excavation we decided to use one unit number for the cut of 2 distinct depositions is that they are most likely related to the same event. This event takes place in 2 distinct moments that, according to the homogeneity of the infill and the lack of a neat cut between them, might be quite close to each other.
First they buried the skull+container+grave items and then, after a short lapse of time, the overlying bundle of bones.
Through this last action the shape of the burial changes: from a squared burial in the lower deposition to an oval burial with a massive step along its northern side in the upper one.
How did this happen? I see 2 possibilities:
1. quite a short time after the deposition of the skull & co. they filled the northern side of the burial. In this way they created some kind of massive step in the northern side and an oval 'niche' in the southern side: in the latter space they placed the bones’ bundle;
2. quite a short time after the deposition of the skull & co. they excavated a littler hole in the exact place where the skull had been buried and in this new oval space they put the bones’ bundle.
I can’t really say which of the 2 hypothesis fits better: both of them are probably possible. The only thing that they have in common is the short lapse of time passing between the 2 depositions, as the contiguity of the 2 groups of bones suggests. 

Shape: squarish 

Sides: Upper cut (with Sk22195): southern is vertical; northern is stepped (gradual); western is concave; eastern is concave. Lower cut (with Sk22196): southern is vertical; northern is convex; western is convex; eastern is concave 

Base Break: upper cut (with Sk22195): southern and norther are sharp; western and eastern are gradual. Lower cut (with Sk22196): southern is sharp; other are gradual 

Base: irregular due to subjacent burial (Sk22197) and squarish 

Orientation:  

Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field): above: (Click to view the record) 22198, 32200, 32206 below: (Click to view the record) 22195, 22196 

Number of Related Diary Entries: 1

Settlement Phase:

Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space): Unassigned at present 

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.

<< BackDownload this Units Data