Unit 4838
Category: layer dug in 1999
Area: South
Interpretive Categories: dump,midden
Data Category Information: Location: external; Deposition: finely bedded
Dimensions: 4.6m+ w-e, 2.2m+ n-s, 0.05 to 0.20m thick - thickest to west.
Discussion: Same as (4836) and (4837) above.
Recognition: unclear
Definition: arbitrary / deep sounding
Execution: mattock + trowel
Condition: moist
Consistency: moderate
Colour: mixed, mainly light to mid greyish brown
Texture: silty clay
Bedding: compound layered
Inclusions: moderate small to large bone, moderate charcoal flecks, occasional obsidian / clay ball / burnt material frags. Contains ashy bands.
Post-depositional Features: deep sounding
Basal Boundary: faint, smooth, anthropogenic, sloping down to west and south
Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field):
Dry sieve volume: 1100
Total Deposit Volume: 1213
Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 19
Number of Related Diary Entries: 2
Settlement Phase:
Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space):
Associated Hodder Level (from Space): Unassigned at present
| Related Photos: 11 (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:: 811
Unit description: F 48, 627 and 836 subsampled for ZooMS (DCO 2014) Flot Number 2929 - sample 2, 2928 sample 3, sample 4 diagnostics only recorded A large unit from the midden in 181. Consistently moderate weathering, overwhelmingly sheep/goat size long bones, but also a lot of feet and heads. A moderate amount of digestion, little burning. Similar to 4837 and 4839. Species represented include sheep/goat, equid, cattle (rare!), fox and one human maxilla. The flot sample was not fully recorded but was extremely similar in makeup to the rest of the unit. At a later date further material recovered from the dry sieve was studied and completely changes the overall picture of this unit. This portion of the material is recorded from number F639 onwards. Unlike the bone previously recorded, large mammal bone fragments were common (c. 30-40%), furthermore cattle are well represented, although equid bones of various sized animals are also present. The rest of the material is made up of caprine bones and the occasional element identifiable to pig and one mandible from a fox. In terms of body part representation, long bone fragments are by far the most common. This appears to be the result of extensive fracturing for marrow, which can be seen in pre-depositional breaks found in the identifiable elements. There is evidence that cattle metapodials and phalanges were smashed through the articulations to allow access to the nutrients inside. One particularly common element in this material is metapodials of caprines which have been smashed open leaving a split articular end. Most frequently these appear to be the proximal end, three split distal ends are present, two of which were made into bone points. Thirteen split proximal ends are present and one possibility for the difference between the occurrence of the two could be the deliberate removal of the distal metapodials as preforms for tools. The body parts all seem to be evenly distributed, except that there is a noticeable absence of phalanges, although there is the strong possibility that these were recovered from the other dry sieve material where it appears that the majority of the smaller bones ended up. In terms of surface condition, the bone does not show any significant amounts of weathering or dog gnawing. Digested bone is, however, moderately frequent. The very limited amount burning all took place at low temperatures and seems to have only affected the smaller pieces of bone. Microfauna are completely absent, but again this may well be because the smaller material seems to have become separated from the larger bone fragments. Overall, the bone studied here seems to be fairly highly processed consumption waste of a variety of animals. There seems to be a low degree of integrity in the material and it probably represents dumps of waste from a number of carcasses. Mis-sent material from Sample 3 arrived November 2000: most recorded as Flot frags. Does not change the understanding of the unit. [sm] Last Number = 879 karen took a calculus sample from F847Figurine Records: Yes
Count of records::none Ground Stone Records: Yes
Count of records:: 7 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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