Unit 1889

Category: layer    dug in 1997

 

Area: South 

 

Related Photo (Click to view larger version in new window)
  Site Sketch: Click here to open in a new window 

Interpretive Categories: domestic dump 

 

Data Category Information: Location: feature; Description: basin; Deposition: heterogeneous

 

Dimensions: 1.00 m E/W x 0.70 m N/S x 0.27 m deep 

 

Discussion: Dump of domestic/food related material in/over bin F.257. Mixed ash/charcoal and clay matrix around artefacts, most noticeable for clay ball content, many (majority) appearing burnt, some fire-cracked. Some stones also appeared fire-cracked or burnt, also included pieces of broken grindstone. Very little obsidian present and that of poor quality. Lots of rib bones present, especially at W of deposit. Some vertebrae may be disarticulated, but possibly from some animal. Other domestic objects included 3 bone awls/points and an antler (?) object which appears worn, (for fishing line or weaving?). Deliberate dump deposit over bin, but balls not burnt in situ, coming from elsewhere. 

 

Execution: leaf and trowel 

Condition: shaded 

Consistency: firm 

Colour:  

Texture: clayey silt 

Bedding: massive 

Inclusions: < 20 % clay balls (objects), < 10 % charcoal and bone, < 20 % burnt stone, obsidian, clay aggregates and salt aggregates 

Post-depositional Features: roots 

Basal Boundary: clear and distinct 

 

Unit Stratigraphy (as recorded in the field): above: (Click to view the record) 2789 below: (Click to view the record) 3658 

 

Dry sieve volume: 0 

Total Deposit Volume: 0 

Number of Samples recorded by excavator: 18

Number of X-Finds recorded by excavator: 125

Number of Related Diary Entries: 3

 

 

Settlement Phase:

Associated Mellaart Levels (from Space):  

Associated Hodder Level (from Space): Unassigned at present 

Related Photos: 25 (Opens as a group in a new window)

Buildings: (Click to view the record) 2

Spaces: (Click to view the record) 117

Features:: (Click to view the record) 257 (bin)

Finds Room Information:

All material from site passes through the finds room for washing and separating before it is passed onto the various lab teams. The finds room keeps a basic inventory of what is found. A finds material type list is given here. Further analytical detail maybe provided by the Lab Team data below.

X Finds Material: nothing recorded  

Finds Material Stored: nothing recorded  

 

Lab Team Data

Please note the list below does not represent everything that might have been found in this Unit, but represents the datasets we have available on-line. Please contact us to obtain more information about this Unit.

ArchaeoBots Sample Recorded: No

Ceramic Records: No

Clay Object Records: No

Chipped Stone Records: No

Conservation Recorded: No

Faunal Records: Yes Count of records:: 270  Unit description: F 183, 184 and 186 subsampled for ZooMS (DCO 2014). This was a largish unit, deriving from bin feature in southwest corner of Building 2. Bones were excavated in several layers. Many bones were given X-numbers to assess patterning. General condition is good; a few fragments show digestion signs, and there is some carnivore gnawing. Very little burning, and that tends to be carbonized or calcined. There are quite a few cases of diaphyses with their unfused epiphyses present, which indicates that there has not been a lot of disturbance, or that these are not redeposited from elsewhere. For cattle sized bones, skull, vertebra, ribs are represented, and long bone shaft fragments. Many ribs were found in long pieces (25 cm or more). For sheep-sized bones, all body parts were represented, but for both of these size classes, there was slight underrepresentation of phalanges. Also notable is a number of patellae, but absence of astragalus (normally common). Identified taxa include some Bos, and medium-sized equid acetabulum and tooth. For sheep/goat, forelimb, hindlimb, and skull are present. Sheep dominate this category. Two boar/pig teeth (size implies wild boar) continue the trend of absence of postcranial elements for this species at Catal. The cow-sized long bones are broken into small chunks,suggesting intensive use of the bone, e.g., grease extraction. Some sheep-sized long bones appear to have marrow cracking fractures. The question arises: why is this material in the bin with the clay balls? Is it deliberate discard of mixed consumption and processing activities related to use of the structure, or abandonment behavior? X1 and X2 are complete bone points. F1 is a split rib tool. X81 is a probably unfinished point on a distal tibia. X119 is an odd bone artifact shaped like bow tie, also maybe a preform. Thus two possible rough-outs; discard from tool manufacture area? There was a problem with X finds: in the field, several bones were often collected in a bag together with one X number. The recording system can only give one fragment a single X number, so often X-finded bones were given a 'new' F number, and their X number is put in the comments of the BFD, so location can still be determined. X-finds that are scrap/non-diagnostic are stored in the ID bag. 4mm flotation samples, 100% sorted, #2, #4 and #7 were recorded for diagnostics only. Sample #2 contained a relatively high proportion of fish bones. Last number =F241 Last X number =X124.

Figurine Records: Yes Count of records::none

Ground Stone Records: Yes Count of records:: 2

Heavy Residue Records: No

Microfaunal Records: No Sorry not all of this data is available online at present, please contact us if you are particularly interested microfauna records

Phytolith Sample: No Sorry not all of this data is available online at present, please contact us if you are particularly interested phytolith samples

<< BackDownload this Units Data