Journal / Summary:F-1-2004-Summary

Final Trench Summary, Year 2004 Season

Area F

Trench 1

July 25, 2004

C. Painter

Introduction

Trench 1 of Area F is located in the "lower town" area of the mound approximately five meters east of trench 7 and directly northwest of trench 4 so that the northwest corner of F4 and the southeast corner of F1 are separated by only a half meter baulk. The trench measures 4.5 x 4.2 m and was roughly 3 meters deep when I began excavation. F1 had been previously excavated in three different seasons (2000, 2001, 2002), therefore the goals for this season were to further examine the various cobbled surfaces that were left unexplored from the 2002 season and to expand on any more Chalcolithic period architecture or features that may be present.

Initial steps involved the renumbering of key loci remaining from the previous 2002 season including the bottom levels of a small ash pit in the northwest corner (old locus 1090, new locus 1107), a dense rectangular pebble surface along the south baulk (old locus 1102, new locus 1109), a mud brick wall running west out of the east baulk in the southeast corner (old locus 1069, new locus 1110), and an elliptical cobbled surface emerging from the north baulk in the northeast corner (old locus 1104, new locus 1112) with a span of fill on its east side (old locus 1100, new locus 1111). A locus number was also assigned to a narrow strip of cobbled surface running along the east baulk that was also uncovered in the 2002 season but not fully excavated. Lastly initial efforts were focused on leveling the trench with small picks within the main fill locus (1106), whereas previous loci 1102, 1103 and 1095 were all of differing elevations at the close of the 2002 season.

In the process of leveling, a small ash pit (1107) and ashy fill deposit (1108) were excavated with trowels in the northwest corner. It appears that 1107 was the remains of a previous pit or oven installation that had not been fully excavated last time. Only 5cm of the ash remained and revealed only one body sherd. 1108 was equally as shallow (1-2cm) and perhaps served as residue from the adjacent ash pit. Because of the relative shallowness for both loci, screening was not performed.

Excavation

The largest efforts involved the articulation and excavation of cobbled/pebbled surfaces throughout the trench. An elliptical suprasurface fill (1112) and cobbled surface (1115) remaining from the 2002 season seems to have been a foundation level for mud brick wall 1096. The relationship between this cobbled surface (1115) and an adjacent cobbled surface (1113) is evident in their matching elevations and similar composition where a layer of light gray fine silt/clay fill (1111) cuts between the two surfaces. Unfortunately this cobbled surface layer did not extend south enough to connect it with the mud brick wall (1110) which was still present at this elevation and is therefore not bonded or associated with any other wall features.

The other major area of superimposed surfaces was located in the south-center end of the trench along the south baulk. The topmost surface (1109) containing cobbles, pebbles, and crushed pottery in a medium poorly-sorted compact clay matrix was articulated and removed with small picks to reveal a larger coarse compact subsurface/suprasurface fill layer (1116) containing hardened clumps of light reddish gray clay and crushed pottery. Because this fill layer was especially rich in cultural material, every fourth bucket was sieved through a ¼" screen and soil samples (KT19 and 21) were taken.

Once this fill layer was removed a second surface (1117) containing pebbles, crushed pottery, animal bones and lithics in a coarse compact clay matrix was exposed and almost covered the entire south baulk. Once this surface was articulated with trowels, it was excavated using the "Household Archaeology Protocol" or HAP in order to gain a thorough contextualized sample of this surface. This protocol involved two 50 x 50cm sections (KT4 and 5) within the surface that were removed in total to be used for later microanalysis. A soil sample (KT6) as well as carbon sample (KT3) were also taken while the remainder of the surface was removed, measured in liter-marked buckets, and sieved entirely through a ¼" screen with a separate KT # being assigned to material retrieved from the sieve (KT10 and 11). In total, 170 liters of surface were removed.

Again this surface (1117) did not extended to the mud brick wall (1110) but instead ended with fill levels on its northeast (1120) and east (1119) sides. Subsurface fill (1121) was also excavated by trowel and was on top of another light gray highly coarse angular clay fill layer (1125) whose eastern edge was bordered by a narrow arching strip of light ashy inclusion. At first it was hypothesized that this ash bordered a mud brick feature, however after excavation with small picks of brown fine clay/silt fill (1119), a pinkish gray medium silt fill (1126) and a light gray coarse sub angular fill (1127) in the southeast corner, it was discovered this fill was sealing a semi-circular ash pit (1130) that was cut 50 cm into light yellowish brown fine clay/silt fill (1131) later identified as virgin soil.

This ash pit (1130) was located directly in the southeast corner with slight ash inclusions filtering into fill 1131 into which the pit is cut. The pit contained heavy amounts of carbon and ash with subdivisions composed of alternating dark brown and ash layers evident in the east and south baulk. Extensive soil (KT2, 5, 10) and carbon samples (KT1, 6, 7, 11, 12) were taken. Based on the location of this ash pit and the bottom elevation, it is hypothesized that this feature is a northern extension of ash and carbon residue from a large circular oven (4009) excavated in F4 in the northwest corner of the trench. That both the F4 oven and the F1 ash pit are dug into virgin soil (in F1 represented in fill 1131) further strengthens this argument.

Fill (1111) north of the ash pit in the northeast corner continued to be excavated by small and large picks after the remaining mud brick wall (1110) was found to have ended and was removed. Stratigraphically the wall was above both the final cobbled/pebbled surface 1117 along the south baulk and the ash pit 1130 and was therefore only connected with previous surfaces excavated in the 2002 season.

When another mud brick wall (1123) was reached inside fill 1111, this latter locus was divided into 1122 on the west side of the wall and 1124 on the east side along the east baulk. The wall feature was roughly 3 meters in length emerging perpendicular from the north baulk in the northeast corner of the trench. It was composed of a single course only with 7-8 bricks, average size of 30 x 45 cm, bonded together with mud plaster. Both fill areas 1122 and 1124 were excavated with small picks for at least 30cm in order to gain perspective on the nature of the wall and if any associated floors or surfaces were present. In the end however no such features were uncovered and the wall itself as one course was subsequently removed.

At this point, no visible features were discernible in the homogenous fill prompting me to assigned one locus for the majority of the northwest corner of the trench (1129) while retaining fill 1124 along the east baulk and fill 1125 along the south due west of pit 1130 and surrounding fill 1131. Large picks were used throughout 1129 with less and less cultural material being recovered and no features emerging. It was then that a 1 x 1 m sounding level (1133) was opened in the center of the trench cutting 15 cm into fill 1129. A second sounding level (1134) in this same location was also excavated 15 cm and by the profile in this sounding I was able to ascertain that virgin soil, characterized by moist dark brown fine to medium silt/clay with limestone inclusions, had indeed been reached in this area of the trench and that further excavation could discontinue in fill 1129.

Fill 1125 had also experienced a gradual lessen of cultural material until the last 15 centimeters removed with big picks and shovels retained no artifacts or features and was characterized by the same moist dark brown clay with limestone inclusions. 10-20 more centimeters were excavated in fill 1124 to be sure that virgin soil has also been reached along the eastern edge of the trench. In these lower levels of 1124 ashy inclusions on the south end of the locus near to fill 1131 and pit 1130 appeared and again are most likely associated with the extension of oven 4009 from F4 via ash pit 1130 in F1.

Small Finds

Small finds within F1 helped greatly in the interpretation of the several cobbled/pebbled surfaces as domestic or activity area contexts within these lower levels of the trench.

Stone grinders and pestles were recovered from the elliptical suprasurface fill 1112 (KT3) and cobbled surface 1115 (KT4), pebbled surface 1109 (KT4), and suprasurface fill 1116 (KT14 and 20). A large number of lithics, specifically obsidian debitage and flakes, were also recovered from surface contexts, notably two trifacial flint blades (KT 1 and 2) found side by side in situ within pebbled surface 1117. Worked stone needle fragments were also found in suprasurface fill 1116 (KT10, 22, 25).

The most delicate of finds discovered in surface contexts were several tiny shell beads coming from cobbled surface 1115 (KT3, 8) and suprasurface fill 1116 (KT5, 13, 23).

A loom weight was also found within surface 1109 suggesting further domestic activity.

Lastly it was noted that high levels of animal bones including teeth and jaw bones on top of surfaces and within the surfaces themselves were present. Though awaiting final analysis, one jaw in particular (L1116, KT9) resembles that of a beaver and hints further at the nature of both flora and fauna in this area during the Chalcolithic period.

Baulk Profiles and Drawings

Only the east baulk section was drawn this season and encompassed not only the levels that I excavated but a complete redrawing of the entire section including levels from the previous 2000, 2001, and 2002 seasons. This involved a cutting back of the baulk 15 cm from the level of the burn layer (1037) that encompassed the entire trench. A complete drawing of this east baulk section was essential for giving a full picture of the stratigraphic sequence within F1 and the early to later Chalcolithic levels and will greatly aid in further research of this time period.

The baulks sections also aided me in interpreting connections between loci that were not necessarily evident at the time of excavation. For example, the east baulk clearly shows the discontinuation of mud brick wall 1110, however directly underneath separated by a 5cm wide clay inclusion, was a lighter brown mud brick (1128), perhaps the remains of an earlier wall that was leveled and built on top of or is simply a continuation of wall 1110. The curvature of ash pit 1130 in the baulk profile is connected with another level of darker fill (1127) which subsequently extends to the base of this lighter mud brick (1128)

suggesting an association between this mud brick wall and the pit.

The occurrence of cobbled surface 1113 inside the east baulk and surface 1115 in the north baulk resting directly on top of mud brick wall/feature 1123 reinforces the fact that the mud brick wall was completely in disuse or simply leveled in order to facilitate the construction of cobbled surface 1115 which later served as a foundation level for wall  

1096, a feature which framed further cobbled surfaces and a southern mud brick wall enclosing a domestic area excavated in 2002.

A final note includes the south baulk, specifically the extension of pebbled surface 1117 along the southeastern section. In excavation the surface continued into this corner area but at a 35 to 40 degree angled slope downward before ending abruptly. Evident in the south baulk profile there is a slight possibility that this surface was perhaps connected elevation-wise with the very top of the corner ash pit. I however remain skeptical on this point as the surface and the pit do not actual abut either within the loci themselves or on the baulk section though the possibility for the surface at this point not being preserved (perhaps due to the activities revolving around the oven) is still possible.

Conclusions

This final season of excavation within F1 revealed several key contexts in analyzing the role of household production and domestic activities during the Chalcolithic period at Kenan Tepe. The occurrence of culturally-rich compacted surfaces and suprasurface fill highlighted the nature of these activities which included food production as evident in the presence of grinders, pestles, obsidian and flint tools and blades, as well as high levels of animal bones including teeth and jaws. Cloth production and needle working is also evident as seen with several stone needle fragments and a loom weight. The small collection of shell beads retrieved can perhaps also be included within this group of needle-worked craft.

Overall the examination of these domestic-use finds in regards to other surface contexts in neighboring areas (F7 and F4 for example) will enable a fuller picture of household activities throughout the site. The occurrence of ash pit 1130 in F1 further connects this trench with the F4 oven and subsequent contexts that might also relate to household production.

Lastly with the completion of excavation in F1 (i.e. reaching virgin soil), a full stratigraphic sequence for the Chalcolithic period in this trench is possible and reflected in the incorporation of four seasons worth of excavations into a single composition east baulk section drawing.