| Entry: | Today I started the excavation of Building 114 (Space 87). As a micromorphologist, my goal is to have the maximum stratigraphical control over the deposits being excavated, allowing for even micro-layers (e.g. below 0.5cm thickness) to be excavated and documented individually. One way of doing this is by leaving sections in strategic locations through a building as both a guide and a record for current and future excavations. This small building will thus be (experimentally!) excavated in 3 vertical portions of 1m thickness each, reaching at least floor level (possibly between 10-40cm below current level) in the first portion before moving to the next one. This strategy of 'digging a profile' will also make it easier sampling for micromorphology. Once the building is excavated, the records from the different excavated 'portions' will be put together and a detailed reconstruction of the depositional and post-depositional histories of the building will be achieved after the high-resolution microanalyses and geochemistry techniques are conducted in the lab.
The infill of Building 114 (U19579, left open in 2012) consists mostly of a light brown silty clay loam with mud-brick, animal bones (burnt and unburnt), mortar, plaster fragments, shell fragments and obsidian flake inclusions. The burnt animal bones found are in a very fragmented condition. Small patches (up to 10cm length) of different deposits, ranging from gritty (sandy silt), to orange-brown (possibly coprolites) were encountered, especially towards the base of the unit. Dispersed white flecks (phytoliths) were found embedded within the matrix).
Underneath this matrix, a very distinguishable layer of diffuse ashes, burnt bones, charcoal and phytoliths (possibly reeds) was found. This layer is continuous all over the excavated area, and an interwined reed pattern (basket? Carpet?) is clearly visible in the best preserved areas. This phytolith/ashy layer appears to be directly on top of a possible floor surface, as seen in the small section left between the excavated sector of the building by the BACH team (east half) and the 2012 excavation team (west). The association of unburnt animal bones with this ashy layer suggests that this deposit might represent a secondary refuse dump and not an in situ burning event. |
