Unit 3859

Category: layer    dug in 1998

Area: North 

Interpretive Categories: post fill 

Data Category Information: Location: cut; Description: posthole; Deposition: homogeneous

Dimensions: 0.24-0.14 m N-S x 0.14-0.10 m E-W x depth; 0.8 m 

Discussion: X1- Cattle ?? pelvis worked with zig-zag pattern cuts across the shaft.

This unit is the base fill of cut (3860), pit in SW corner of space 154. It appeared that, during the excavation of pit (3856/3857) the bottom of pit (cut 3860) had not been reached. It also appeared that those two pits may have been one event, possibly to retrieve a post. (There is a wall scar above). However, during excavation it became apparent that the two events are not related. The fills are different and the two pits do not connect (as was thought during excavation).

A scatter of small rodent bones was found running in this layer, very close to the wall stub ?? that runs NS in this corner (SW) of space 154. They have the appearance of owl pellets (however some long bones remain intact so possibly not). The quantity suggests that this is not a single rodent/small mammal skeleton.

Also found in this layer was a part of a sheep's pelvis (worked) and part of a sheep skull with horncore. It would appear that these bones were present before the pit was filled. Possibly they form a deposit, present when a post was in place, if this is a post retrieval pit. The ?owl pellet deposit lay over and around these bones, so it is also possible they were placed in the pit post 'post' retrieval and the fill over them accumulated as part of a later event.
There appear to be too many bones for this to be a result of owl pellets being thrown into the pit as part of a fill, so it would appear the pit remained open for some period of time.

Attempting to relate this pit (cut 3860) to the pit directly NW and E of it may not be possible, it appears that they are part of separate events, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to see which event came first. 

Recognition: Change in colour, looks like fill. 

Definition: Defined by walls F224. 

Execution: Trowel, leaf trowel, spoon and acrobatics! 

Condition: Slightly moist. 

Consistency: fairly loose in places, medium compactness others 

Colour: 5 YR 5/4 reddish brown, some dark, blackish patches also 

Texture: ashy (slightly) silty clay 

Bedding:  

Inclusions: hard clay lumps 2 cm 5%; plaster fragments 3 cm 2%; large amounts of small rodent bones (see discussion) other animal bones; brick fragments 5 mm-3 cm 10% 

Post-depositional Features: none 

Basal Boundary: smooth surfaces pitted, fairly prominent 

Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field): below: (Click to view the record) 3806 

Dry sieve volume: 0 

Total Deposit Volume: 0 

Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 4

Number of X-Finds recorded by excavator: 2

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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