Micrograph of the Month: Different views of dung ash
I seem to post quite a lot about ash. As an archaeological ecofact, it is often overlooked, but can provide a wealth of information on fuel use, both through the shape and form of the ash crystals, and the microscopic materials contained within it. This month's set of micrographs shows different views of another ashy deposit from Catalhoyuk (from a midden in the 4040 Area), this time we have a pseudomorph of an animal dung pellet that has been transformed into ash from burning. In photo C you can see the pellet (labelled 1) overlying another mixed dark brown ashy deposit (labelled 2). Photo A shows a magnified area of the pellet, with the arrows pointing to phytolith inclusions embedded within the pellet. Photo B shows the same photo under cross polarised light, where you can see the calcaerous spherulites that are distinctive of certain animal dung deposits. In photo D you can see a well preserved conjoined phytolith that was extracted from the dung pellet. This series of photos d...