| Entry: | This is my last excavation day and I am glad to say that I brought space 112 to an end. East wall 267 was found top be out of context and was removed as unit 10851. The bricks and mortar was remarakbly clean and contained few finds. There was a cluster of rodent bones, but these seem to be in a burrow and recent (unit 10852).
As we cleaned the area a new wall running east - west across the level VII fill of space 162 was recognized. Its course is not entirely clear yet (not drawn) but its purpose may well have been similar to wall 1701 dividing a northern narrow room from the main room to the south.
Below I present my summary of the stratigraphic relations in space 112.
Preliminairy outline of the sequence northern part of space 112 (southern 2/3 excavated in 1997) and space 231.
Phase 1. – Infill of level 8 building, space 261. Excavated in 1997 as units 2897/3733; 2890/3361; 2876/3310. Although at first sight this seems a homogenous deposit in fact there are many small laminated layers (drawing 04/915 layer 3). Some are more ashy others more silty. My guess is that these deposits were accumulating over a considerable period after the abandonment of space 162 of level 8 – precursor to space 112.
Phase 2. – Razing of level 8 walls space 162 [west f. 295; east f. 298; north f. 1707]. It seems that the way they went about this was to cut down these walls to a level where they were structurally sound; rather than creating a horizontal platform. For this reason the extant walls of space 162 slope up considerably to north and east.
Phase 3. – Construction of outer walls of level 7 spaces 112 / 231. On top of the razed level 8 walls the level 7 wall were built; wall f. 267 in the west; wall f 1700 in the north [removed as unit 10843]; wall f. 259 in the east [removed as unit 10841]. These walls have identical bricks [compact orange greasy clay] and mortar [grey compact clay]. Upper elevations level 8 walls NW 1006.65; NE 1007.09; SW 1005.80; SE 1006.06.
Phase 4. – Infilling the level 7 walls to create a solid horizontal platform for the floors. These deposits were excavated in the 1997 campaign as units 3749; 2844; 3195; and 3114; and in the northern part of the room as.
The section across space 112 left by the 1997 excavations shows three fill deposits. First, there is a clean yellowish beige compact silty clay (drawing 04/915 layer 4, unit 10850). Next there is a layer of dark grey brick debris (04/915 layer 2, unit 10849). Finally there is a substantial deposit that can be described as ‘construction fill’ (units 10818; 10819; 10821; 10824; 10847; 10848). This deposit consists of a loose silty brown clean clay. Directly below the floor of the northern room space 231 there were large amounts of stones and clay balls in this matrix [they are not clustered in a specific area; and their reason for being there remains an enigma]. Otherwise the matrix was remarkably clean. Due to the fact that the walls of level 7 were founded on sloping walls the construction fill was used to level the area and reached a considerable thickness [up to 50 cm] in some areas. Given the amount of infill it seems that one objective was to raise the floor level considerably, possibly to compensate a raising of floors and or roofs to the east (which would result in extra pressure on the walls of space 112).
Phase 5. – Construction of internal division wall f. 1701 (wall removal u. 10822). On top of the construction fill of phase 4 the east – west division wal separating of the narrow northern room space 231 from the main room 112 to the south. The wall stops about 60 cms short of the east wall f. 259, and an associated threshold running from the wall 1701 to the east wall f. 259 demonstrates that there was a passage way in this area.
Phase 6. – Occupation horizon. Construction of floors in spaces 231 (unit 10810) and 112 (units 10801/10806). These floors were lipping up against all the walls, which were also plastered at this stage. A range of internal features were probably also constructed at about this time. In the east of space 231 a plastered niche (f 1706) was cut into wall 259 and plastered. Another plastered niche in space 231, f 1708, was cut through the western part of north wall 1700 and the northern part of west wall 267. This platform seems originally to have expanded onto the floor, following the line of a plastered ridge barely visible (drawing 04/900). Another vague plaster edge in space 231, running north – south from wall 1700 to wall 1701, may delineate a platform division. To the south in space 112 no features on the floors could be recognized.
The floors of spaces 231 and 112 had been largely removed and truncated in the 1960s excavations, and have suffered from weathering since then. It was only along the walls that clear floors could be recognized, either because the walls curved backwards (east wall f. 259 had an overhang) or because floors dipped downwards (especially along the eastern and western edge of space 112). In the 1960s excavations the central part of the floor had been removed as the area was levelled and the building was left in that state. Thus there were isolated weathered patches of floors along the edges of spaces 112 and 231, but in most areas the floors had already been removed.
This situation has the following consequences. First the area at this level was confusing. Second, cuts that may have been related to specific floor levels could no longer be related to them. After taking of the floor remnants and cleaning the area features 1702 (burial feature), 1703 (post retrieval pit) and 1705 (post retrieval pit) became visible, but all three cannot be related to floor levels, although it is likely that they were cut through them.
This issue is of considerable importance because there are two floor sequences in space 112. In the southern part of space 112 these relate to an initial occupation phase (112.2) followed by the insertion of internal support walls and the removal of posts (112.3) and a secondary occupation phase (112.4) (Farid South Area chapter upcoming volumes). In our part of space 112 these two floor sequences were recognized in the east of the space, in the section below wall f. 259, and in a plastered ridge (excavated as unit 10815) connecting space 112 and 231 running from the western edge of wall 1701 to the east wall f. 259. In this threshold ledge, which was a step up from space 112 to space 231 two floor sequences lipping up against it could be recognized.
By contrast in space 231 only one floor sequence was present, which means that although space 112 was renovated at some point, the same did not occur in space 231.
For reasons outlined earlier, the two post-retrieval pits and burial 1702 could not be related to either of the two floor sequences in space 112. In the southern part of the room excavated in 1997 the posts were removed in between the two occupation phase (112.3), but there is mention of a possibility that the posts were removed twice.
The main feature picked up in the space 112 (the area under consideration roughly coincides with the north platform on mellaarts 1964 plan, bounded to the south by two posts) is feature 1702. This consists of a very large cut (u. 10811) measuring 1.74 by 1 meters and 70 cms deep, with a remarkable double burial at its bottom.
There was an adult male (u. 10840) oriented east – west (head in west) lying on its back with his legs flexed to the chest. With the individual were found a large worked bird bone (u. 10840-x1) on the chest, and a large flint tear-shaped object and a bone point (x2 and x3 u. 10842) behind the left scapula. Along the upper vertebrae was a gold brown residue that was sampled, on the lower chest there was a plaster like substance that was also sampled (u. 10842). On the bones and the skull and the bird bone there was a red substance, possibly ochre or cinnabar.
The upper edge of the fill unit 10842 around this burial was demarcated by a brown interface with phytoliths, on which the matrix broke evenly (sample in unit 10838). This surface slopes down towards the north of feature 1702. On top of this interface we found a complete skeleton of a sheep (age lamb, unit 10828/10839). It was in an odd position, oriented east-west (head in east) with its head twisted north on the left side (right side facing up), lying on its back. The hind legs were extended and coming up at an angle, and the front legs were extended vertically upwards. Given this odd position it has been suggested that the front legs were held while feature 1702 was infilled (fill units 10812, 10838).
At a later stage a series of other burials were placed in the south central part of space 112, cutting through the southern part of f. 1702. The northern part of f. 1702 was unaffected, which is clearly demonstrated by the front legs of sheep 10828/10839 that were in situ. The first two burials that went in were f. 1711 (cut 10836, fill 10837, skeleton 10814) and f. 1710 (cut 10832, fill 10833, skeleton 10829). No physical / stratigraphical relation exists between these two individuals except that both were disturbed by later burial 1709.
Burial 1710 consists of a mature female oriented north-south (head in south) lying with legs flexed against chest on right side. A great number of items were found on her including three incised boar tusks with perforations, a number of stone beads in allingment and a group of bone beads (x finds unit 10829). No burial cut could be recognized.
Burial 1711 is located only about 7 cms above 10840, and its skeleton 10814 was only partly found in situ. From what remains it appears that the location of the burial and the body position was identical to that of 10840 oriented east – west (head in west) lying on its back with his legs flexed to the chest. 10829 is an adult female. No burial goods were found with this skeleton. Burial 1711 was heavily disturbed by burial 1709 above it and no true burial cut could be defined (arbitrary cut 10836, fill 10837).
Burial 1709 (cut 10830, fill 10831, skeleton 10813) heavily disturbed earlier burial 1711. When the area was opened up (cut 10830) most of the long bones of 10814 were removed and placed on the side of the new burial cut. Given that these elements are still partially articulated it seems that the body of 10814 had not yet entirely decomposed, which indicates that the interval between the two burials may not have been a long one. The skull of 10814 was also removed (jaw and upper incisors remained in place), but was not placed in this burial 1709. It was found elsewhere and will be discussed later.
The skeleton of burial 1709, unit 10813, was again in the same location, and in the same body position - oriented east – west (head in west) lying on its back with his legs flexed to the chest - as the two burials below. The individual is a male adult. The following objects were found on him. On the left chest a large bone hook was found (x1 u. 10813) and on the right chest we found a cluster of 5 flint tools and one antler point (collected as x1-6 in cluster 10835). Below the cluster and behind the spine there were soil discolorations and two samples were taken (fill unit 10831). No real cut could be defined (arbitrary cut 10830).
Phase 5. – Deconstruction and abandonment. The two post-retrieval pits, 1703 (cut 10817, fill units 10820 and 10816) along the west wall and 1705 (cut 10808 fill 10807) along the east wall, where probably cut sometime after the latest burial was put in. In both cuts there were chunks of plaster with red paint on them, probably deriving from the post plaster (units 10820 and 10807). What was of special interest is that feature 1705 contained a skull within its fill (10807), with plaster debris below.
The skull found in post retrieval pit 1705 (u. 10834) matched with the jaw and upper incisors of 10814. This means that this skull, that must have been taken out at the time when burial 1709 was put in, was later placed in f. 1705. Whether this occured immediately or after some time cannot be told. But it is clear that 1705 (and thus probably 1703) postdates the latest burial 1709.
Another thing that seem to have happened at this stage is the infilling of wall niches 1706 (fill u.10826) and 1708 (fill u.10827). In feature 1708 a horncore was placed before it was infilled (x1 u. 10827). Given that both the east wall and west wall were in good condition in the norternmost stretch of the building it seems unlikely that the infilling was done because the walls had become unstable during the occupation of the building. On the other hand it is plausible that the infilling occured at the time the next building was put on top for structural reasons.
Phase 6. – Excavations and infilling in the 1960s. The backfill of Mellaart was removed as unit 10800.Entered By: Bleda During |
