Unit 3736
Category: layer dug in 1998
Area: South
Interpretive Categories: infill
Data Category Information: Location: between walls; Deposition: homogeneous
Dimensions: 1.3 m E-W x min 0.2 m to W + 0.3 m max in centre x min 0.10 m deep to W
Discussion: Infill appears massive + very mixed + rich in artefactual debris, especially bone, odd lenses of organic deposits, poss. coprolite + also odd lenses of waterlain deposits as seen by fine flaky silt lenses.
Infill fills a wedge shaped gap bounded by wall 52 to the S, wall 75 to the N, wall 286 to the W + 282 to the E. However it is only contemporary with wall 52 although later than as far as stratigraphic relation goes. It would therefore be later + contemporary with wall 75, later than + poss. contemporary with wall 286 + also later than 282 + contemporary with.
This wedge shaped gap in walls appears to follow through from an earlier phase + continually infilled as surrounding structures are constructed. The origins of this gap won't be seen until building 4 is excavated. This infill overlay a wall which appears to be a continous wall with wall 286 which heads eastwards at the moment obscured by wall 282 but which at the moment looks to be the same as the underlying wall 283 (282 over;lies 283). If this is the case then this will link space 112 with wall 58, the E wall of space 106. It will also mean that wall 52 post dates (although contemporary at same stage units) the row of buildings to the N, ie spaces 113,112 + 109.
The infill (3637) is not bottomed, it continues in a smaller gap between the (3736) obscured + wall 52. It looks like the same deposit but can't be excavated until wall 52 is excavated. A new unit number however, will be allocated so that we can see whether it's the same or not.
The infill apppeared to be one deposition event which was prioritised and contained all the elements of refuse/midden. Faunal analysis was that it was unlike any other deposit comprising mostly of large cattle + equid?? and the few sheep bone there had a very different patina to normal. Large fragments of body parts and poss. from the same cattle. A femur from an old equid (?) had some pathology. Notibly scapula, horn + skull were missing suggesting pre-selected. Wondered whether it may have been a feasting debris, sub wall as was found in 1043 (?) in 1996 space 105. Definitely the result of consumption. The bots reported that it was comparatively very dense with ash, primarily wood with some cereal. The lab results confirmed excavation interpretation, that it was the result of a single deposition. Lots of other material was also present, eg. clay balls.
Recognition: Very mixed deposit of large-ish frags of mudbrick, plaster + lots of artefacts between walls on all sides.
Definition: By walls on all sides.
Execution: Trowel from edge, deposit standing proved as walls reduced , was excavated last season to avoid collapse.
Condition: Dry.
Consistency: moderately firm
Colour: range of mid browns/mid greyish brown; 10 YR 5/4 yellowish brown; 2.5 Y 7/2 light grey; 10 YR 5/4 light yellowish brown;
Texture: clayey silt (30:70)
Bedding: bedding massive-mixed by lumps + frags of debris
Inclusions: 40% medium-large brick frags; 20% small-large plaster frags; 2% small frags + flecks charcoal; 1% hackberries; 2% bone+ clay ball concentrated to E end
Post-depositional Features: 5% salting flecks
Basal Boundary: arbitrary basal boundary to S, N half formed by top of a wall
Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field):
Dry sieve volume: 40
Total Deposit Volume: 76
Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 2
Number of Related Diary Entries: 0
Settlement Phase:
Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space): VII
Associated Hodder Level (from Space): Unassigned at present
| Related Photos: 1 (Opens as a group in a new window) | |
Buildings: (Click to view the record)
| |
Spaces: (Click to view the record)
| |
| 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:: 128
Unit description: This is a medium-large unit from between walls in building 4 in space 115. Excavation stopped arbitrarily so maybe not complete. [see unit 3970 for the probable conclusion of the unit - sm 2000] In terms of taxa, this unit is unusual in that large mammals predominate: almost all bones are cattle and equid but mostly cattle, with just a few sheep/goat and possible deer bone (maybe fallow but to be checked; this would be a rare example of deer postcranial). For cattle most body parts represented: skull, forelimb, hindlimb, extremities, although no duplicate elements (i.e. minimum number of 1 individual). Equids represented by femur (with pathology), tibia, astra/calcaneum, toes and a tooth. Both medium and small sized equids present. Surface condition generally good, not very weathered, with almost all pieces showing manganese staining. None burnt. All very homogenous. Some heavy carnivore gnawing. Little butchery but intensive processing evident from marrow-cracking of cattle toes and highly smashed bones in general. One good example of hyoid with tongue-removal cut marks (F114). Overall picture is of bone perhaps from a single depositional event, post-consumption (from homogeneity of event and abundance of cattle), perhaps from one individual cattle. Cattle maybe remains of feasting debris (?) with one individual?? Deposited in this between-wall context, similar similar to unit 1043 in space 105. There are, however, other animal parts present. Last number = 128
F126-128 and F85 pulled for 14C RAM/AB 2015Figurine 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
main sponsors
secondary sponsors
