Unit 3560

Category: layer    dug in 1999

Area: North 

Interpretive Categories: room fill 

Data Category Information: none

Dimensions: 145x172 

Discussion: 22 july 99 unit begun because as I was digging through 3549 after taking out the roof (unit 3556), I noticed a relatively sudden change in texture. 3549 was dry and crumbly (crumbly in small bits ~ <1cm ). It also appeared quite light in colour - off-white to pale tonyellow. and had tons of salts. Under this layer is this unit which is quite greasy, almost opened for this new layer of the texture change was so obvious to me. In addition we can also see, in section (S.wall section) and continuing into plan what appears to be a brownish ling of burning which may be directly d to the roof collapse debris.
25 July 99, Since its inception I have taken this unit down 10-15 cm in about 3 different spits. In south wall section, the line of burning can be seen continuing/meandering towards the East. The deposits through which I was digging gradually became more rich in charcoal, and burnt bits of plaster and bone. Inclusions of clay, plaster and other architectural debris (mostly burnt) increased as well. Paolo is drawing right now, so I can begin taking down section and spread unit to south.
31/07/99 Unit spread to south and west, lots of burning - burnt bone, stone etc. and bits of painted plaster.
4/8/99 - Since the drawing of 3/8 on the first page the x finds have been removed, except x6 and in that same spit that uncovered lots of x finds (X5-11) lots of plaster was uncovered as well as specifically in a jumble around the original layered plaster - blob that has been growing since at least July 25 (see photos and/or drawings). So we are still trying to follow these plaster blobs and determine if there is any rhyme or reason to them. On 31/7/99 I began to unover the plaster walls so now my pits go all the way up to these walls. I have noticed that much of the plaster being uncovered is closely associated with mudbrick chunks. As of today I noticed in my only remaining section (west wall) that there is a clear separation of deposits - Mira thinks roof collapse and the line of this separation can be seen in plan. There is a lot of charcoal and very burnt stuff in this unit. Lots of obsidian flakes from this unit, and see x.9 large obsidian flake. More odd bits of painted plaster coming up, very pretty deep salmon S5 that in this case were in rubble right up against white plastered walls and did not seem to be connected to walls at all (?).
7/8/99 Chunk of suspeciously roofy looking stripes in west of unit (see drawing). Large chunk of plaster in Northern end of unit removed today as sample 7.
9/8/99 See discussion for unit 3549 to clarify exactly how this space 87 was excavated, starting with a corner (NE) of the building extending to SE corner and then extending all of this to the west 40 cms. The fill of the entire building stayed the same as one can with dry crumble; unit 3549 on top and below that.
greasy, clayey, calorful unit 3560.
9/8/99 - Yesterday, the patch of extremly charred stuff in SW corner was finally followed and it turns out that it extends onto a spreading charred layer very rich in wood about 20x40 cm and having two layers of debris W/pale-tan sediments in between. At first suggested to be a fire installation, but Wendy thinks that it is secondarily deposited b/c of the mottled mixture of very burnt aggs. with unburnt clay etc. So, her idea is that it is the remains of some type of oven or other fire installation that has been shovelled into the fill of this building. Now, we are defining the slats of plaster in the southern half in order to determine their relation to the charred stuff in the corner.
Also a very ashy/charred patch is appearing under clayey archit. deposits in NE corner.
16/8/99 - on Sat. (14th) first evidence of platform floor appeared in NE corner and the 3 cm or so of soil on top of this was quickly termed 6178. 

Recognition: unit recognized by change in texture from crumbly dry to greesy slightly moist 

Definition: unit was defined by grid on S and W and by walls on N and W 

Execution: trowel, Mira tool spits 3-5cm starting from corner 

Condition: dry 

Consistency: weak, slightly sticky, mod. plasti 

Colour: 10YR 5/4 dark yellowish brown 

Texture: clay loam 

Bedding: massive w/ chunks having compound layers 

Inclusions: charcoal 5%; bone <2%; plaster 5-10% (5-20 cm); burnt arch. debris (2-5cm) 

Post-depositional Features: salts 2-5%; animal holes, few insects and root disturbance 

Basal Boundary:  

Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field): below: (Click to view the record) 3549, 3556 

Dry sieve volume: 508 

Total Deposit Volume: 540 

Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 8

Number of X-Finds recorded by excavator: 18

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.

<< BackDownload this Units Data