| Entry: | Today I finished excavating a foundation trench (32116) located at the western edge of Space 85, abutting the east wall of Building 131. The trench likely belonged to the eastern wall of Building 129, the eroded building that sealed B131. I say likely because the east wall of Building 129 was never found during its excavation in the 2013-14 seasons. Several burials from B129 were found along the western-most edge of what is now B131 (mirroring the current burial cuts visible in the building now), and given the elevated position of the trench in relation to the base of the east wall of B131, a foundation trench for the east wall of B129 is the most likely explanation. The fill of the trench consisted of rubble, i.e. recycled construction material and large amounts of raw clay. B131, especially in the north-eastern end, has been burned. The fact that the rubble filling the trench shows no sign of being affected by the fire, adds weight to the hypothesis that the trench was dug and filled only after B131 had been burned and abandoned. An articulated equid neck 32116.x1 (5 elements) between the interface of the fill and the midden seem to represent a foundation deposit lend more support to the aforementioned idea.
However, there is one bit of compelling evidence that has complicated this seemingly straightforward interpretation. There is a plastered niche from an earlier incarnation of B131, located within the east wall, that is undisturbed-i.e. not cut-by the rubble and in fact seems to be sitting on top of it. This is interesting for two reasons: first, given that the niche seems to be long-lived (~5cm of plaster layers), it would be unlikely that the Neolithic inhabitants would cut the niche into generally friable and unstable deposits such as the presumably abutting midden; and stranger still that the later cut for the trench would actually respect the delicate plastered niche.
Since it is highly unlikely that the trench is both earlier and later than B131’s east wall, I had to rethink my interpretation. I had long suspected that the trench that I was excavating actually contained more than one cut or depositional event, an earlier and a later. Evidence for this was most compelling towards the south of the cut, where two cuts is more visible. Further validating this is the fill of the trench varied considerably from the south to the north. In the northern end, there were hardly any raw clay inclusions and the fill consisted of material that could actually have been re-used or eroded mud-brick and mortar. So it seems as though what I think is the later (than B131) foundation trench for B129’s eastern wall is actually cutting into an early cut-possibly a foundation or stabilization deposit for B131’s east wall, or another architectural feature. Only further excavation can shed light on this.
It has taken several days of excavation and thought as well as countless conversations with several project members, including Lisa G., my neighbors in the North Area Arek and David, Ashley, Burcu, and Ian to arrive at this. Their varied experiences at Çatalhöyük and beyond has been priceless, so here is a shout out to them! You rock! |
