Unit 5291
Category: layer dug in 1999
Area: South
Interpretive Categories: external surfaces,spreads
Data Category Information: Location: external; Material: occupation; Deposition: multiple
Dimensions: 5.2m+ w-e, 1.5m+ n-s, average 0.20m thick
Discussion: Very distinctive clayey layer covering all of space 181. Made up of distinct bands, mainly clay but with thin bands in-between including in-situ burning, sandy/gritty spreads and frequent coprolite spreads (?dog). The clay appears to have been deliberately laid possibly as a form of external surface and then activities took place on it including burning and ?dog coprolites. The clay was re-laid several times.
Recognition: distinct colour / texture
Definition: limits of excavation, deep sounding
Execution: mattock / trowel
Condition: moist
Consistency: firm
Colour: light greyish brown
Texture: clay with sandy bands
Bedding: compound layered
Inclusions: occasional charcoal flecks/obsidian/bone, bands of burning, ?patches of coprolite
Post-depositional Features: deep sounding
Basal Boundary: distinct, smooth, flat, anthropogenic
Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field):
Dry sieve volume: 840
Total Deposit Volume: 991
Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 14
Number of Related Diary Entries: 0
Settlement Phase:
Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space):
Associated Hodder Level (from Space): Unassigned at present
| Buildings: none | |
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:: 493
Unit description: F 227, 228, 229 and 312 subsampled for ZooMS (DCO 2014) Flot sample 4 - diagnostics and counts only A fairly large unit from Space 181. The unit appears to be heavily carnivore ravaged. It is almost exclusively sheep/goat-size long bones with only a few identifiable elements including proximal metapodials and distal tibias. Mandible fragments and phalanges all show classic gnawing patterns. There is also a large amount of digested bone. Weathering is largely moderate with a small amount of burning, mainly of 2-5 cm long bone fragments. Taxa include sheep/goat, cattle, pig, small equid, large deer and dog but nothing except sheep/goat is represented by more than one or two pieces. There are also a few medium bird bones and two broken bone points. Four further, >4mm, 100% sorted, flotation samples were recorded for diagnostics only at a later date. These were sample numbers 2, 3, 5 and 6, all of which showed minimal weathering and the occasional burnt bone that had only been heated to low temperatures. These flotation samples were fairly dense in bone and the majority of the material by far is not diagnostic. The range of elements represented appears complete with no obvious bias towards any one area of the body. Almost all of the material came from sheep-sized animals, although rare bones of cow, dog, fish and microfauna are present. Three conjoining pig incisors were found in sample #6. The only bones that have survived intact are carpals, tarsals and some teeth, suggesting that the bone was heavily worked over. Particularily notable was the frequency of carnivore gnawed material, much of which had been heavily chewed on. Digested bone is also common, but compared to units like 5308 and 5310, gnawed bone is much more common and digested bone is less frequent. In the samples from 5291 a large proportion of the phalanges do not show signs of digestion, whereas in units 5308 and 5310 nearly every one did. Overall, the material looks like post-consumption waste from a number of events that had considerable exposure to dogs. One further piece of worked bone was found in flotation sample #3. Last Number = 493Figurine 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
main sponsors
secondary sponsors
