| Entry: | Yesterday the human remains team started their third bone collection campaign in space 40. We are coming to more and more conclusions concerning the stratigraphy, especially as he increasing number of graves means more physical connections between the different parts of the cluster.
The number of individuals is still eleven, but we have identified one more cut which is likely to be a grave. Mefruze excavated the part of the presumed platform remains (unit 20202) not containing graves and it really seems to be platform remnants. It is homogenous and compact with a plastered eastern side and also has an older, plastered surface halfway down. This second level is only visible in the southern half and close to the walls in the north and east, where the graves have not cut the platform. There is no division between the northern and southern part of the platform, except for the graves being concentrated to the north. This far only one grave (skeleton 20434) could possibly match the older platform phase, as all the others continue above the plaster level.
After having looked closer at the intact part of the platform, we are also beginning to understand why we cannot find the separate grave cuts and infills. The entire north part of the platform is pierced with graves cutting each other. The original platform material seems to have been reused as the initial grave infill. This infill was in turn cut by later graves and put back again, together with some small older stray bone elements, which resulted in the recycling of one single, rather homogenous material. Calling a mix of decomposed human remains and silt homogenous is indeed outrageous, but this is the simply the way it looks at the moment.
In some cases, the skeletal elements moved aside when digging new graves were still articulated and in some, they were not. This, the fact that some of the graves were dug within a limited span of time, also decreases the differences between the separate infills. We do find fragments and indications of cut lines, but with the addition of some thousand years and a vivid rodent population, we have come to a stage where we can foresee exact grave positions, but are unable to mark the cut lines even when we see the actual skeleton. At least it gives some methodological food for thought.. |
