| Entry: | August 13, 2013
Today JHB and I worked again in the basin/bin/we’re-not-really-sure feature (F.3377). We continued to remove the units (we began removing the fill units yesterday), taking each separately. Since the standard archive + flotation samples amount to 30.5 liters, and our units ranged from very small to small, we ended up collecting the entire feature. Next we worked from the known floor toward the feature so that we could identify the relationship between the two—but animals had burrowed straight across the part we needed. Where the animals had not burrowed, the floor seems to have disappeared to the east, which CLC said happened in her units as well in the south of B98. We also had a significant bit of multivocality occur today, when JMR mentioned her doubt that our feature was, in fact, intentionally placed by the ancient inhabitants of Çatalhöyük. JHB and I maintained that the shape was too regular to be random plaster chunks, and cited the fissures we noted that showed us how the feature was constructed. JMR in turn showed us APV’s unit, which had a similar plaster area. Indeed, the two looked very similar, and APV’s had a round indention that was somewhat similar at first appearance to ours. However, a few differences seem significant from my perspective (I’m describing this in detail since JMR said that she’d go over the documentation for this feature extra carefully to make sure she’s considering all of the information). APV’s area of plaster was one continuous blob (for lack of a better word) of white plaster. Our area differed in that it was made up of many pieces and two types of plaster (a finer, brighter plaster that was a thin layer over a coarser, darker plaster that made up the bulk of the feature). Further, there is symmetry, albeit a rough one, to our feature. There are two larger indentions on either side with the three smaller indentions in the center. In each of the larger indentions, there were large similar looking stones. Further, JHB gave me the list of X-finds from last year, and there were figurines included as well. While any one of these points alone would not be convincing, taken together they lead me to believe that we do in fact have a feature. |
