Unit 3740
Category: layer dug in 1998
Area: South
Interpretive Categories: infill,midden
Data Category Information: Location: external; Deposition: coarsely bedded (dumps)
Dimensions: 3.80/3 m /10/15/20 cm
Discussion: This layer is very thick, homogenous and there are no indications of discrete dumps alt. may be a levelling layer over more midden-like dumps underneath. Given that the overlying layers contained a lot of yellow material + phytoliths and a fairly large surface, it is possible that this thick layer may have been part of the process of creating a surface for certain activities eg. the in situ burning deposits and burial.
This layer goes up to the edge of the W wall of space 117 and fills all the crevices and cracks in it which indicates that the wall was left to weather. The area close to the wall contains large chunks of plaster.
Having dug further , there is more charcoal (thin lenses) in the N area, and an unusual (relatively) quantity of clay balls, quite a dense concentration of bone, obsidian etc. There are also some ashy lenses. In the N area there were large patches of plaster material and lumps of burnt brick + the cracked stone. Unusual amounts of pottery + clay ball.
Having dug further it appeares that the basal boundary is fairly diffuse, but the underlying layer is more orange with large plastery and orange patches and less flecks, it is wavy and slopes down from E to W.
To the W end of the layer, meeting the N extent under the section is the end of a wall which has been truncated. The wall occurs at the diffuse interface between 3740 and the layer underneath.
Recognition: Arbitrary layer- dark brown-layer.
Definition: North extent of excavation, midden section under wall. East - west wall of space 117. West - fades out. South - becomes thinner towards wall 270, may continue under.
Execution: Mattock.
Condition: Good.
Consistency: firm/compact
Colour: 2.5 Y 5/3 light olive brown + patches of 6/4 light yellowish brown
Texture: clayey silt with small sand fractions
Bedding: massive
Inclusions: charcoal 5% large-small patches, white salts - small flecks throughout , bone <2%, clay ball <2%, shell <2%, small medium (6 cm), pieces of obsidian, stone <2%, phytolith layers near top
Post-depositional Features: some fairly large roots
Basal Boundary: arbitrary layer (see continued sheet) + see above seems to have changed category (JB)
Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field):
Dry sieve volume: 1820
Total Deposit Volume: 1909
Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 16
Number of X-Finds recorded by excavator: 5
Number of Related Diary Entries: 0
Settlement Phase:
Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space): Unassigned at present
Associated Hodder Level (from Space): Unassigned at present
| Related Photos: 10 (Opens as a group in a new window) | |
| Buildings: none | |
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:: 498
Unit description: F1 and F2 are cattle DNA samples, pulled despite being washed and touched. X1 is the base of a 'needle'. F 389 subsampled for ZooMS (DCO 2014). A very large midden unit from space 115. This looks like classic midden: many long bone splinters from all sizes of animal, a few teeth and feet bits but not much in comparison to the main meat-bearing bones (repeating our often-seen pattern of primary butchery happening elsewhere) some burning, some gnawing and digestion (perhaps a bit less of these than usual), and some cut marks. Very few diagnostic zones present. The burning on many of the sheep/goat long bone shafts is patchy and of different degrees; the same fragment might be white, brown and black within a small area. I'm not sure if this is relevant, but it's not something I've seen before. As usual, sheep/goat predominate, with about 30% of bone from larger animal (equid and cattle). Bits of pig are quite noticeable, however: especially teeth and jaws. These were severely broken in excavation, and so it is difficult to estimate a minimum number of individuals, but it seems that there must have been at least two: one quite young and one sub-adult. It is quite likely that much of the postcranial pig bones will have been subsumed into size 7 or 3 scrap categories. Canid (dog and fox) are also present; as with the pig, these have been recognized primarily in the teeth and jaws, but are probably also present in unidentified long bones. There are quite a few deciduous cattle teeth. Several are almost certainly from the same animal, but there must be at least three different individuals (based on left upper dp1's and dp3's). [might want to check this MNI as it seems unlikely!] A few pieces of worked bone have been separated from the main collection and set aside for further study. There is also some bird bone, but very little microfauna and only two tiny bits of our small fish. Sample 2 is a medium-sized flotation sample. The pieces look battered and mixed and seem to be mainly from sheep-sized or smaller animals. The amount of burning, digestion and gnawing is consistent with the dry sieved material. Non-diagnostics were recorded as Flotation Fragments (counted and weighed only). Sample 5 is a medium-sized flotation sample with very few diagnostics. Most of the bones seem to come from sheep-sized animals. The nondiagnostics have been recorded as Flotation Fragments only. They are battered and mixed, and the composition is similar to the dry-sieved material. Sample 6 is a medium to large flotation sample. Nondiagnostic bones have been recorded as Flotation Fragments only. They are mostly from sheep-sized animals, with a few long bone splinters from larger animals. Among the diagnostics are several teeth from animals of various sizes. The amount of weathering is mild but varies. The pieces look battered and a couple are water-rolled. The amount of burning, gnawing and digestion is consistent with the dry-sieved material. The excavator of this unit thought that there were no discrete dumps of material made during the formation of this layer of midden. The bones support this conclusion, as they look a little less mixed than is usual in our middens; they are generally consistent in their degree of surface condition and weathering. The relative lack of gnawing and digestion indicates that after the bones were dumped they were not worked over by carnivores very much. So this unit might be from one household's disposal of a single batch of rubbish? That would make it very interesting for further in depth study, as weFigurine Records: Yes
Count of records::none Ground Stone Records: Yes
Count of records:: 16 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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