Unit 3603
Category: Cluster dug in 1998
Area: South
Interpretive Categories: bear claw
Data Category Information: Location: building; Material: animal bone; Deposition: secondary deposition
Discussion: The claws that were found during the excavation of unit (3370) were given this cluster number (3603).
The cluster contains the fingers of a bear. Bones that belong to the palm are missing. There are cut marks on the lowest set of bones, giving the evidence that the claw could have belonged to a bear hide, the palm being cut off like the rest of the bones except the skull. But unfortunately, there is only one claw found in the deposit so we can not say this for sure. The position of the claw was quite interesting. All bones were articulated. The claws were peculiarly tipped backwards, on top of the middle bones and the middle bones were lying over the lowest bones.
Between the lower bones, plaster stuck on them came out and this may be that the bear hide was hanging down from a wall.
Recognition: During the removal of layer (3370) near the N end close to the W wall of space 159, claws were located. After their exposition it was decided that they were probably bear claws.
Definition: The fingers of a paw of a bear and the soil around the bones.
Execution: Leaf trowel and brush.
Condition: Good.
Consistency: friable
Colour: 2.5 Y 5/2 grayish brown
Texture: silty clay loam
Bedding: massive
Inclusions: 5% flecks of salt, bone, phytolith around the bones
Post-depositional Features: salt
Basal Boundary: arbitrary
Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field):
Dry sieve volume: 0
Total Deposit Volume: 0
Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 3
Number of X-Finds recorded by excavator: 1
Number of Related Diary Entries: 0
Settlement Phase:
Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space): VII
Associated Hodder Level (from Space): Unassigned at present
Buildings: (Click to view the record)
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Spaces: (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:: 14
Unit description: This unit contains 13 bones of a bear paw, (complete = X4), which were found in articulation. All bones of the toes/fingers are are present except one (the third phalanx of digit 4, which was absent and not found in the dry sieve, or the surrounding units). Present are the two phalanges of the first digit (big toe or thumb), and three phalanges each of the other four digits. The whole paw was found in articulation, coming up vertically through the deposit, with first phalanges lower down in the fill than the second, and the third phalanges sticking upwards. The whole claw looked rather as if it were 'clenched' but with the third phalanges bent backwards/upwards. From available drawings, the paw appears to be from hind foot (*but need to check this - we don't have fore foot picture here). it is a right hand side. The big toe/thumb digit (F1) has cut marks on the palmar side of the first phalanx; as does the second digit first phalanx (F3), the third digit first phalanx (F6), and the fourth digit first phalanx (F9) (and there are also tiny cut marks on the fifth digit first phalanx (F11)). These cuts appear to be for removing the claws from the rest of the foot, and perhaps for cutting away the more fleshy part of the foot. It is possible that the skin could still be attached to the toes, and indeed that the paw arrived on site attached to a skin is one possible explanation for their presence (since no other bear bones have been found). it is also possible, however, that the paw was an object for use in itself. The (chipped stone) tool used for this appears very sharp since it almost shaves bits of bone. The first phalanges have large bony growths on muscle attachments. Are these pathological or are they a result of old age? Small amounts of plaster were found between the adjacent first phalanges (some collected for sample) and purpose of this is not clear (it is not in the matrix in which claw was found, which was ashy). One suggestion is that if the paw represents a skin, maybe the skin was fixed to a wall by pushing the claws into wet plaster?? 10/9/98: Evan Koppelson examined the plaster which came from between the bear toes. He concluded that it is very similar to what they call the 'base' plaster from walls. This is not the final plaster layer, but a make-up layer beneath. it is fine grained, and different to floor plaster. This plaster was moulded when wet (maybe to the shape of the toes). This perhaps confirms that the plaster is closely associated with the bear toes, and not coincidentally associated, postdepositionally. The condition of the claw toes is good. Only the very tips of the third phalanges are broken. Surfaces are unweathered. None burnt (which is interesting considering that the surrounding matrix is ashy = 3370). Flot sample 2 (1729), >4mm, 100% - 3 pieces less than .5 cm each. Microfauna six, but not diagnostic.Figurine Records: No 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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