Unit 5286
Category: layer dug in 1999
Area: South
Interpretive Categories: dump
Data Category Information: Location: external; Deposition: coarsely bedded (dumps)
Dimensions: 5.2m+ w-e, 2.2m+ n=s, avearge 0.08m thick
Discussion: General dump layer covering all of space 181. Quite homogenous and no real distinguishing charcateristics. This was the first general layer taken off after shoring was put in so there was considerable disturbance between it and (5284) above.
Recognition: below/above distinct layers
Definition: deep sounding / limits of excavation
Execution: trowel + mattock
Condition: moist
Consistency: soft
Colour: mid to light brownish grey
Texture: clayey silt
Bedding: massive
Inclusions: frequent charcoal flecks, occasional light flecks, occasional small bone / stone / obsidian frags
Post-depositional Features: deep sounding
Basal Boundary: faint to east - distinct to west, smooth, anthropogenic, flattish
Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field):
Dry sieve volume: 465
Total Deposit Volume: 570
Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 13
Number of Related Diary Entries: 1
Settlement Phase:
Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space):
Associated Hodder Level (from Space): Unassigned at present
| 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:: 363
Unit description: A 'dump' in space 181, below the lime-burning and scoops. This is a medium-sized unit, but there are very few diagnostic bones: two calcanei (both heavily gnawed), an astragalus, some teeth and mandibles, and various long bone splinters, articulations and cylinders - and all are from sheep/goat or sheep-sized animals. The only elements from larger animals are one fragmentary tooth from a small equid, and quite a few undiagnostic long bone splinters from cattle-sized animals; this unit is very strongly biased toward sheep-sized animals. There is also one small mammal (a small felid or canid) represented by ribs, some long bone fragments, a carpal bone and some scapula fragments. The unit is mainly long bone splinters and rib fragments; phalanges, pelvis and vertebrae are quite low. Weathering is moderate to low, but fragmentation is high. Gnawing is high, and digestion is low in frequency but high in degree. Burning is minimal; there is one burnt scapula, less than a dozen burnt long bone splinters, and about 10 grams of burnt rib fragments. Nothing seems to be water-rolled or polished. Aside from the small mammal bones (which may have been found in articulation?) nothing goes together. One rib fragment from a cattle-sized animal has imprints and encrustations of phytoliths, indicating that it was pressed against a reed mat or layer of reeds. Ends of long bones are almost totally absent, probably because of dogs' gnawing. There are three pieces of worked bone; two of these are points and the other is a broken length of highly polished shaft. Sheelagh says that this element representation is similar to that found in middens above the lime-burning layers; however, those layers had more foot bones. 5286 , flotation number 3540, sample 6. It is more or less similar to the dry sieve. There are very few diagnostic ones. And in addition to that there are some fish bones and small mammal fragments. 5286, flotation number 3545 , sample 7, gives the same result as 5286, flotation 3540, sample 6. But this sample has a carnivore metapodial. Sample 5 >4mm flotation 100% sorted, recorded as diagnostics and flot frags. It looks pretty similar to the rest of the unit, although with several diagnostics, all sheep/goat, and with a fair bit of fish and a little bird and microfauna. NR 2003: Some bone thought to be human skull returned to us, and turns out to be a hornless female sheep. Interesting to note that these occur so early in the sequence. Is this confirmation of domestication, or an indication that the local ancient wild populations, like the modern ones, were hornless? Thus it might support local domestication. Last number = 440Figurine Records: Yes
Count of records::none Ground Stone Records: Yes
Count of records:: 1 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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