Unit 31540

Category: Layer    dug in 2015

Area: North 

Interpretive Categories: dirty floor of sp.531 

Data Category Information: Location: building; Description: general; Material: white clay; Deposition: composite (floors/bedding/plaster/packing/occupation)

Description: floor of the Sp.531 B.132 had been nopt excavated in 2015. 

Discussion: he surface assigned as U.31540 might be surely called “dirty floor”. Its placement directly underneath the room-fill (21670) marks the latest activities that took place in the Southern part of the main-room of B.132 (Sp.531) as well as within the whole interior. Extent of the unit was easy to identify by the observable distinct grey dirt covering the plastered floor. The most southern part of the presented Unit was darker, and toward the North it became lighter considering the colour and density (thickness).
The layer 31540 covered quite extensive area. To the South the deposit was restricted by wall (F.3679) – in that part the greatest density of the dirty floor was evidenced (Samples: S2-S16 and S27). To the west it was limited by SW-platform F.7880. To the East its boundary was identified by the Bench (F.7879) behind whom small density of the dirt (Samples: S25 26) was recorded on the distinct protruding (probably platform) situated along the Eastern (later) wall. In Northern part of the building the dirt appeared to be less intensive (samples: S.17-20) on the white floor, however during the exploration we also registered thin layer (Saqmples: 21-22) behind the line marked along the two post retrieval pits: (eastern)F.7870 and (western) F.7874 (between whom there were evidenced remains of a curtain wall).
In order to better understand and conceive the nature of the activities undertaken in the last occupational phase there was decision made to excavate the extensive layer (as well as underlying ones) by the use of the GRID. Accordingly, within the Southern part of the interior of Sp.531 there was arbitrarily set a net of squares (1m x 1m). The main axis of the Grid was established along Southern wall (F.3679) of the building, whose EW alignment positioned the further division of the room. As a result, the grid was 2m wide, and the first 1sq.meter was assigned in E-S corner of the room.
The latter strategy implements a change in the method of exploration which mainly focuses on sampling process that bears consequences in collecting two samples from each of 1m x 1m square. One of the sample is taken specifically for Phytolith analyzes. For that purpose we decided to enumerate the botanical samples using ODD digit numbers (e.g. 3,7, 9, 11). All of the rest part of the explored sediment within squared meter would be taken as flotation sample, enumerated conventionally by EVEN digit number (e.g. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10). The excavation of the layer as well as assigning the subsequent numbers of samples stared from SE corner.
It appeared that within the first line of the grid – the one located closely to the S-wall (F.3679) – the dirty floor 31540 laid on the surface which hardly can be considered as a plaster. Accordingly, directly below the dirt there was mostly orange make-up layer evidenced. The mentioned circumstance might be related with in-depth trampling effect and intensive wear-use of the surface which might have been torn out during food-processing activities. In the others parts of the grid dark smudge was easy to define due to it covered the white plaster of floor. One may state that the layer of dirt covered whole interior of the main room. Of course, there were diversities recorded in term of density in particular locations. Nevertheless, according to the above mentioned notion it seems that the last occupational phase was intensive, and undertaken activities that caused the floor dirty characterized of wide scope. 

Consistency: friable 

Colour: dark-grey, grey, 

Texture: sandy-silt, 

Bedding: layered 

Inclusions: charcoals 15%, 

Post-depositional Features: animal burrowings, later cuts 

Basal Boundary: distinct 

Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field): above: (Click to view the record) 32004 below: (Click to view the record) 21670 

Total Deposit Volume: 31 

Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 36

Number of X-Finds recorded by excavator: 6

Number of Related Diary Entries: 0

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.

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