| Entry: | The late features and burials just keep on coming!! Although did manage to get a day digging Neolithic midden- more on that to follow. For now I'm going to summarise what I've been working on with the later features.
I previously mentioned the 'gap' in the foundation of Building 41 (cut 12630). After talking it through with Doru we've decided that there was probably some sort of structure at this point - maybe a threshold into the Byzantine building. This would seem to have been lined with mud-bricks (12634). Later this was robbed out (cut 12633) and backfilled with a single deposit (12622). This retrieval cut follows the cut of 12630).
After that Feature 1471- a late pit (cut 12639 - fill 12640) that was badly disturbed by animal burrows. Before excavating this feature looked just the right size and shape to be a burial. We could even see it in section as it had been truncated by the foundation of Building 41. However there was no skeleton and not much more clue as to what the feature was beyond a late maybe Roman/ Byzantine pit. Feature 1475 however seemed too big to be a grave and I was happily mattocking away the fill - 12650 when I realise I'd just hit the femur of a (rather nice) skeleton- 12651. Again this burial had been truncated by the foundation of building 41. It just goes to show that you can't pre-guess exactly what a feature will be - even with the later ones.
Feature 1236 was another late burial (the skeleton - 8764- had been lifted in 2003) truncated by the annexe at the south of Building 41 - (Feature 1473- cut 12642). It had a rather nice mud-brick lining (12647). (If anyone wants to check on this feature be aware there are duplicate numbers-listed on the unit sheets- due to it being excavated in two separate years.) Feature 1474 was again truncated by the annexe of building 41. The skeleton -12645-had been very badly truncated though- all that survived was part of the right leg.
After that I finally thought I was getting onto the neolithic archaeology and with Doru and Cord started excavating midden layer 12652. Doru however, had other ideas and found another late feature -1476- that may yet be a burial- and asked me to dig it. Actually I don't mind as it had a rather nice covering of broken Roman/Byzantine tegulae - 12657). Rain has however ended play for today (hence the diary- I must be more prompt from now on!).
My biggest problem with the later features and burials is that the dating on them is pretty flimsy. They often produce lots of redeposited Neolithic material but no datable finds. A few grave goods wouldn't go amiss. Actually the nicest finds were the glazed Byzantine pot and the lead weight I found within the mud-bricks (12634) that lined the 'threshold' of Building 41 as they actually proved the building was at least Byzantine!
More on Feature 1476 and hopefully my neolithic house to come…Entered By: MCD |
