Micrograph of the Month: Fabulous Floors

Floors at Kamiltepe, Azerbaijan. 1. shows the constructed floors, 2. is a layer of ashy debris with 3. is a fragment of bone and 4. shows more debris, this time with single crystals of gypsum.

This month's micrograph shows more deposits from the site of Kamiltepe in Azerbaijan. I have mentioned the site in a few previous blog posts, where you can find a link to an article which has a bit more detail on the preliminary micromorphology results from other parts of the site. Analysis of the deposits is still in progress, but already there are some great examples of prehistoric floors. Floors like these have been extensively studied from sites like Catalhoyuk, largely by Dr Wendy Matthews of the University of Reading. The floors at Kamiltepe are a lot dirtier than those at Catalhoyuk - the latter which are notable for their cleanliness and lack of activity residues. In the micrographs here we can see fragments of bone, microcharcoal and organic debris. In the micrograph on the left we can see a second floor constructed directly on top of the activity debris. No meticulous sweeping of the floors here!