| Entry: | 20.07
We started excavating the next layer of midden (U.8877) in sp. 226. We followed the outlines of the previous unit (U. 8869). The layer in fact consists of block of layers and yields enourmous amount of animal bones, lots of obsidian chips, pottery fragments, lots of charcoals, few bone tools. We are trying to define if the area of this unit was a ‘street’/’walking area’. The feed-back provided by the priority tour for U. 8869 however did not offer evidence for this – it seems that at that time it was an open space, used for dumping kitchen left-overs and oven rake-outs. A piece of irregular wall made of fused-together yellow clay brick fragments was detected along the S wall of space 226 (abutting it). It is most probably another shoring construction.
We also continued to excavate the grave with mud-brick lining (F. 1452) in space 226 because while cleaning a rodent burrow, Pedja discovered part of a human skull in it. After a discussion with the Human remains team, we decided to continue with the excavation of the grave.
First thing to do was to extend the area of the excavated feature in order to expose the mudbricks, which covered the skeleton. This is a most probably a ''false bottom burial'', in which the body was laid in the cut lined with mudbricks, after that it was covered by a horizontal layer of mudbricks and the rest of the cut is filled back with soil (this valuable piece of information was provided by Scott, who has participated in the excavation of a cemetery in Egypt with such burials.
21.07
We continued excavating U.8877 in sp. 226 (arbitrary layer of midden). Removing the soil we release the newly discovered wall in sp. 226 abutting the S wall of the space. It does not seem to be part of any building and is most probably a repair wall, which was build to protect the S wall of space 226.
We also continued to excavate the ‘false bottom burial’ (F. 1452). The fill in the cut above the mudbricks consisted of silty ash and did not differ very much from the surrounding midden. Since the cut was made in the middeny (Neolithic) layer, the grave was filled back with the same soil. It is gray in colour, much softer than the midden and mixed with ash. The fill contained great amount of animal bones. The pottery sherds were handmade (Neolithic one) and wheel-made (Late Roman ones, including terra sigilata type of pottery). There were few obsidian chips and lots of salts.
The animal bones, the obsidian chips and the Neolithic sherds are apparently elements of the Neolithic middeny layer, in which the cut was made. A badly preserved clay stamp seal (x-find 1 in the second fill, underneath the mudbricks U: 8878) and a horn of a clay zoomorphic figurine were found in the fill. They are most probably not related to the burial and are part of the Neolithic midden, with which the grave was filled back.
In order to expose the skeleton we removed the mudbricks, which were recorded as a separate unit (8866). The beige mudbricks were carefully placed to line the grave cut and there was also a horizontal layer of mudbricks, which covered the skeleton. The horizontal layer of mudbricks was disturbed in the W and the central part of the grave. The mudbricks yielded few Neolithic sherds, which indicates that the material was probably taken from the Neolithic occupational debris.
22.07
We finished the excavation of U.8877 in sp. 226. We discovered 3 animal skulls (cows) with horns on top of the repair wall abutting the S wall of the space. They are not part of the wall, i.e. they were not attached to it. They were dumped there. It is not clear so far whether they are left-overs of a feast or have some other function. There were 2 finds above the skulls – a figurine (?) and a bone tool, and a broken obsidian arrow head under skull N1. The skulls were excavated as a separate unit – a cluster of bones (U. 8880).
The repair wall was made both of whole mudbricks and pieces of mudbricks connected with mortar. It looks like a clumsy piece of work. It is important to notice that 2 of the sculls sit underneath the S wall of sp. 226.
We continued excavating the ‘false bottom burial’ (F. 1452) in sp. 226. The fill under the mudbricks was thinner that the one above the mudbricks. It yielded few pottery sherds and obsidian chips, animal bones, several iron nails. Now the skeleton (U. 8879) is excavated by Sally (the Human remains team) and Pedja. The skull of the skeleton is damaged but the teeth are well preserved. The body is dorsally extended.
24.07
We continue excavating the ‘false bottom burial’ (F. 1452) in sp. 226. The skeleton was totally exposed. Phytoliths were found in the fill at the right side of the skeleton and around the skull – these are probably traces of a thick fabric or a matting, in which the body was wrapped. Pedja also finished excavating unit 8874 i.e. the half arch feature and the first row of bricks in the double, cut wall F.1454. While the cut wall proved not to be only on the surface and is for now left as it is, the half arch feature was excavated in complete. It consisted of 2 rows of bricks, both in the same arrangement of half-arch, some brick fragments and the rest was filled mortar (including the gap in between the feature, the cut wall and the main N wall of space 226). Its function remains unknown and we can only speculate that it served as a nivelation layer, which does not explain its weird form. Sequentially, the whole feature is later that the two mentioned walls. Unit 8863 (construction rubble/nivelation layer in N part or “cul de sac” of space 226) lied underneath it.Entered By: TS |
