Unit 31537

Category: Layer    dug in 2015

Area: North 

Interpretive Categories: midden-like deposit 

Data Category Information: Location: cut; Description: ditch; Deposition: heterogeneous

Discussion: The midden-like deposit (31537) was discovered below the constructional element F.7861, that is considered to be a base (foot) of the Eastern wall (F.3095) of B.77. Worth noticing is that the layer was accumulated on the bottom of a cut (21699) that truncated eastern face of the underlying wall F.7866, and concurrently it (31537) covered utterly that part of the mud-brick structure placed underneath.
It seems that the placement of the unit highlights its actual stratygraphical and chronological affiliation which must be regarded as a result of complex accumulation processes that took place in the pre-constructional phase of the B.77

To the west and bottom layer was restricted by the bricks (21694) of the F.7866. Eastern limit of the unit was set arbitrarily due to extent of the research area. Its southern part ended on the line of partially demolished Eastern wall (F.7149) of B.132. In the North the layer stopped on the line of bricks of a later wall addition. Considering the latter facts, from stratygraphical point of view one might be assumed that the middeen-like deposit constitutes crucial mark dividing sequences of unclear (at this stage) constructional activities took part Eastward of space 531. Furthermore, its placement on top of the demolished wall (F.7866) might have been related with the mentioned activities, and specifically with leveling the uneven ground within the cut (21699) to set the bricks of F.7861 in horizontal position. Consequently, the layer played a role of mortar or make-up. The assumption is based on several particularities such as texture and composition of the deposit, dominated by the charcoal inclusions and ashes immersed in highly contained silty sediment, as well as the lack of finds (so common in waste accumulation of the midden).
Taking above into consideration, the mentioned constructional accomplishment must have been related with the later erection of the constructional element F.7861, which was performed in order to create stable base (foot) below the Eastern (3095) wall of B.77. In that circumstances the midden-like deposit and its occurrence may be interpreted as kind of building material.
The above conception is supported by the additional factor of the presence analogous deposit (21692), on the same elevation, within inside corner of Sp.531 (B.132). For that reason both of the described layers (21692, 31537) vitally indicate horizon that might have been related with constructional phase of B.77. The latter constituted the reason of prioritizing the units in order to compare them by the specialist, and simultaneously give some insights into the issue. 

Consistency: friable 

Colour: dark-grey, mid-black, occasionally light-orange 

Texture: sandy-silt, silt 

Bedding: compound, layered 

Inclusions: charcoal (40%), ash (8%) 

Post-depositional Features: animal burrowing 

Basal Boundary: distinct 

Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field): above: (Click to view the record) 21699 below: (Click to view the record) 21684, 21686 

Dry sieve volume: 30 

Total Deposit Volume: 103 

Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 5

Number of Related Diary Entries: 0

Settlement Phase:

Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space): XI, XII 

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.

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