What began as the excavation of a simple burial in Trench H has ended with an exceptional display of determination and fine motor skills. In a small cut, supervisor Nat Franklin and her team, Hannah, Sam and Aroa, expected to find the burial of a small child. Instead, an older individual with worn teeth and arthritic wrists, ankles and knees had been squeezed into a small space. Underneath was one of the most striking finds of the season. The burial had been placed in or on a basket or mat which had left a perfect impression beneath the tightly packed older individual. Not only is this the most extensive example of basketry found on site to date, there is also a clear impression of the base revealing the distinctive weave pattern. It appears to be a simple widely deployed weave using leaves and stems, as found in modern palm baskets and Australian dilly bags. It took particular skill and care to excavate and preserve this basketry impression which was only extracted due to the determination of the Trench H team who laboured for two days to consolidate and gently carve it out of the ground in one piece. The beautiful impression is now sitting in the lab undergoing a further conservation in preparation for display at the Konya Museum. Great work and congratulations for a job well done to the Trench H team!
Discussion and planning with Douglas Baird and Andy Fairbairn and Natt Franklin.
Beginning consolidation before removal.
Aroa carefully removing the impression from the burial.
Success!
Well done to the team in Trench M, Natt, Hannah, Sam and Aroa.
Follow