Unit 2229
Category: layer dug in 1997
Area: North
Interpretive Categories: midden,Pit fill
Data Category Information: none
Discussion: Mid X and Y and ndimensions of the unit are not filled out because this unit sheet describes the layer of fill all around what we previously thought were the edges of this alleged pit. So, nearly the entire 2 square meter area was actualy brought down to the same or near level of the chunky clay material described (in unit sheet 2214)as the bottom of this pit (or not the bottom but maybe a distinct change in pit fill material. The shaded areas (see drawing) were left in the interest of preserving plaster walls/surfaces.
26.8.97
Excavate the black middden at one unit on both sides of the main E-W baulk, very rich in charcoal, etc.> black midden goes N of the main EW baulk in E part of 86 northwards for about 1 meter.
To the N., the black midden soil goes N. of the baulk line for 90 cm and then abuts + slightly ???? tumble 2254. We draw a section.
20.7.98
This unit was opened again to level up with 2255 continuation and to isolate what seemed to be white compact clayey platforms or islands also noted on on the very edge of the unit 2255. This platform was identified in the SE corner of unit (between the S all of building 3 and the baulk). After excavation this platform was app. 50 x 40 cm, sloping to the N very slightly. Around it, the deposits were excavated in spits, with trowel, in an arb. layer 4-5 cm thick, Deposits were quite compact, although less so than adjecent 2255 bricky room fill. It still has a lot of aggregates included, aspecialy charred wood, burnt earth amount of plaster in small lumps, and even some compact brick material. Thus deposit is quite easily distinguished from 2255 to the W by somewhat loose and midden like structure" Still it seems to differ from the layer above it previously excavated, since it is not as black and loose and has more aggregate inclusions. ut such layers seem to appear just beneath present plan, judging by outline and patches of such black soil around the unit.
This can be interpreted as layer of compact white, clayey material in midden excavated in above units and probably continuing beneath present level. Such platform or layer also surfaces to the east and follows same orientation It could be fallen surface or wall layer ?? but it seems to be sealed by black midden layer.
1.08.98
Black middeny material in the main N-S and E-W baulks in the SE corner of building 3 also belongs to these units. While taking down these baulks and approaching the white-yellow plaster underneath unit 2229 it was noticed that in some places small lenses of black midden were underneath the plaster.
Consistency: weak
Colour: 10YR 4/6dark yellowish brown
Texture: loamy-slightly siltish
Bedding: massive
Inclusions: bone < or = 10%, charcoal <2%, brick and some plaster aggregates/crumbly chunks <5cm <2%
Post-depositional Features: a=lots of animal burrows, some roots <2%
Basal Boundary: was what seems to be a distinctly different accumulation of deposits from the rich loamy bone filled deposits to a chunky clay layer
Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field):
Dry sieve volume: 570
Total Deposit Volume: 897
Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 23
Number of X-Finds recorded by excavator: 2
Number of Related Diary Entries: 3
Settlement Phase:
Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space): Unassigned at present
Associated Hodder Level (from Space): Unassigned at present
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Buildings: (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:: 811
Unit description: X1 is a complete bone point. F39 is a sheep/goat tooth sent for DNA. X2 is a piece of 07 long bone shaft frag (made an X-find because believed to be a horncore). Flotation sample 3 (4mm) sorted 100%, only diagnostics recorded, rest as flotation fragments. It is a rather large sample with quite a bit of burning, included burnt cattle horn core fragments. It includes many large fragments (>10 cm). There are a few digested pieces. Seems to have part of a perinatal sheep/goat. Dry-sieved material: a largish unit with similar representation of 03 (sheep size) and 07 (cow size) pieces. For 03, all body parts present - trunk, long bones, extremities, skull; for 07, less long bones but otherwise all parts present, including lots of skull and horn core fragments (notes on field discussion suggests that there was incomplete but large part of a Bos horn core in unit). Notable is a relative lack of vertebral fragments. No teeth in jaws for either size category. A few small mammal teeth (isolated) present. 3 human bones. It is interesting that there are no equid bones identified from this context (although some 07s might be equid of course). A large boar's tusk is interesting since no other Sus present (and tusk is reminiscent of that in North building 1). Fragmentation: generally pieces small, and skull especially is broken. Preservation of bone quite good. Little butchery but one remarkable 07 long bone frag. with numerous tiny transverse cuts (purpose unclear). A small percent are burnt (mainly black with some calcined), and across the range of elements. NR 2002: Unbelievably, I found loads more of this unit in 2002, both dry sieved and an amazing number of flotation samples (a lucky 13 total for the unit). This unit is now finally truly absolutely finished! The extra dry sieved is pretty similar to the earlier material, including lots of cattle skull fragments although only a little horn core. There is yet another, originally pretty intact human bone, hard to see it as dragged from a burial by rodents. There are in fact at least two distinct ages of very young sheep/goat, one perinatal or even fetal, and quite a bit more in this stuff. Not much digestion. Samples 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 >4mm flotation 100% sorted, recorded as diagnostics and flot frags. Three deciduous sheep/goat teeth were also recorded from the >2mm fraction of samples 3, 8, and 9. Sample 1 is large and middeny and generally resembles the dry sieved. It includes some of the perinatal O/C, here revealed at least in part to be a very early infantile goat. A possibly shed tooth may indicate penning. There are quite a few cattle horn core bits, some burnt. And it features a hornless, or even conceivably polled, sheep frontal. I have taken a working photograph of this, but it would be good to scan it. There is a fair amount of fish and a little bird and microfauna. Sample 4 is similar but lacks the horn core and most of the perinatal sheep/goat. It has some biggish pieces of large mammal scapula and part of a carnivore paw. There are a bunch of pounded up carpals and tarsals; bone grease? Another shed tooth. There is a little fish and microfauna but no bird. Sample 5 is somewhat smaller, fairly similar but lacking the perinatal sheep/goat and the cattle skull and horn core. Here as in the other samples are bits of smashed articulations, looking very bone greasy. It has a fair amount of microfauna, including a burnt frog bone, one bird bone, and a bit of fish. Sample 6 is of moderate size and is distinguished by being composed almost entirely of sheep-size bone. One tooth of a perinatal sheep is present, as well as some ribs, etc., that may belong to it. SampFigurine Records: Yes
Count of records::none 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
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