Unit 22353

Category: Layer    dug in 2016

Area: South 

Interpretive Categories: Infill layer 

Data Category Information: Location: building; Deposition: heterogeneous

Description: Infill from the S565 

Discussion: The morphological characteristics of this layers seems to be very similar to the layer 31614, which was above, anyway we decided to give a new unit number.

The layer was a compact room infill mostly light brown, composed by a mix of clay, silt, charcoal and probably rests of bricks and mortar all very disintegrated. The compactness of the deposit was not the same in all the area, the extreme south had been always the part where the soil was more compact being progressively less compact in direction north. During the excavation turn out quite often pieces of collapsed plaster with different sizes, but this was very evident in the last 0.20 cm of the layer where the collapsed pieces of plaster were big and almost extended in all the surface until we was able to locate the top of the unit below (U22356) and the limits of the F7808. Related with this collapsed remains, in the middle of the layer (at southern end) was visible in section and only in 0.50 m extension, different layers (at least 9 was clearly visible, so we digged them in groups of three because we was thinking that was part of platform layers, so we took archive samples of all of them (sample 4, 5 and 6 respectively). We also took a sample at the bottom (sample 3), when we realized that was not a platform rather was a collapsed piece of roof. We took and extra archive sample (nº 7) from a concentration of soil more grey and soft very close to this roof collapsed. About the finds was mostly animals bones most of the between the wall and the infill. (See the long discussion below and also the sketch to more clear understanding).

(In the lines below there is the evolution of all the different thoughts funny interpretations a perceptions day per day)

Is a light brown infill room layer, with lenses of light grey plaster, and presence of charcoal. The consistence is very hard, difficult to remove with the trowel so we had to remove with the mattock. We collect different kinds of finds, obsidian flakes, small stones and mostly bones, witch more or them was deposited very close to the walls, between the wall plaster and the infill, and maybe a bit more concentrated towards the NW edge. The firsts 10-15 cm of the layers was very compact, with quite a lot plaster fragments spread throughout the deposit, also with a few pieces of bricks and small lenses of orange clay, very heterogeneous. The consistence of the layer and also the presence of the intrusions was more evident in the extreme south of the space. After this 0.10-0.15 m seems that the consistence of the layer is softer in direction to the N, and easier to remove. The presence of charcoal is even more evident in that part of the space and almost disappears the presence of fragments of plaster, but the colour is mostly the same, a bit more greyish. (15.05.2016 – CB)

We continuous removing the infill 22353, but with the same perception that the day before, in the SW part of the space, the layer was more compact, with intrusions of plaster, bricks and probably the mortar, but after 0.10 cm deeper, the situation changed a bit. In the north, the layer was more orange and compact again, and in the south was visible several layers (mostly remains of floors, probably) very eroded and truncated maybe in the Neolithic. So at that time we decided to stop the excavation from the U22353 and give new unit sheets from the structures that was visible at that moment. Our first interpretations was that below the infill there was a platform in the extreme south (F7808) and a bin (7809) a bit more north, both build against the wall. (16.05.2016 -- CB)

Today we realize that the interpretation about the features was wrong, the bin not exist, was simply a dense blocks of collapsed plaster, so we remove it as part of the same infill layer (U22353). About the platform, is obvious that there are a few layers visible in section, so for the moment we still keep the possibility, but the south part of this “feature”, looks a bit eroded and damage, and seems that there are still remains of the infill covering partially this platform. (17.05.2016 – CB)

The situation in the space is a nightmare, seems that maybe we still have remains of the infill U22353 in both ends of the space, but is also clearly visible a few floor layers in section (Part of the platform??? ). Also seems to exist a little cut in the extreme North of the area, just below where was the burial (F8008). So we decided to dig the infill of that possible cut, and also start to remove the floors layer to document their extension, just to try to clarify the situation. (18.05.2016 ---CB)

After remove the infill of the “possible cut”, we realize that was just a 0.05 m deep layer, very soft, grey and with charcoal intrusions. About the floor layers we remove 9 of them, mostly make up, and maybe dirty floors in three different parts (samble 4, 5 and 6). All of this layers was almost impossible to follow and their extension was not bigger than 0.50 cm. In the rest of the room we was thinking that there was still remains of the U22353, or at least a new layer with very similar characteristics. Where are the floors? Why this floors layers just are 0.50 cm long? We are thinking that can be maybe the Neolithic people just remove everything and truncates for an indeterminate reason this can explain why everything is very eroded and also the existence of this cut. (20.05.2016 --- CB)

The nightmare stills continues, I cannot find a reasonable explanation for what is going on, so with the Burcu’s help, we decided to remove everything visible (the remains of the floors layers and the cut) to try to find something more clear. After remove around 0.05 m of sediment, we realize that probably all what we had was still remains of the infill U22353, with fragments of collapsed plaster walls and probably parts of the roof (which will explain that all this floor layers documented was only 0.50 m long, so probably was just a collapsed block of roof. At the same time I also refuse the idea about the cut, and probably the layer interpreted as an infill of a cut was just a small concentration of different soil (sample 7), mixt with the infill (21.05.2016 – CB)

After 0.50 cm deep the infill still continuous, but with a large plaster intrusions, mostly in the centre north part of the space. Seems that we can start to follow a grey layer, with abundant small pieces of charcoal and very soft. We are thinking that can be a dirty floor (22.05.2016 –CB)

The dirty floors turn out to be a trampling layer, extended just in the extreme south of the space, In the north is clear that there is a feature F7808 (23.05.2016 - CB) 

Consistency: Firm 

Colour: Light brown at the top turning to more greyish in the middle, and light brown again at the bottom 

Texture: Molstly clay and silts, also sand but not very representative 

Bedding: Massive at the top of the layer. Discontinious layered and compound layered betwen the middle until the bottom 

Inclusions: Abundance of charcoal pieces (10-20 % very regular in all the layer), Medium and large agrregates from brick and wall/floor plaster, collapsed roof floor layers (about 20-30 % mostly in the lower part of the layer), About the geological intrusions (2 %) there was flecks from rock fragments, and small natural stones. We also saw salt accretions. 

Post-depositional Features: Disturbance by insects, salts 

Basal Boundary: Sharp in the extrem south and more gradual in the north part. 

Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field): above: (Click to view the record) 22356, 22358 below: (Click to view the record) 31614 

Dry sieve volume: 46 

Total Deposit Volume: 1287 

Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 7

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