Castles and Coprolites

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...

One of the trenches I worked in at Kamiltepe 2010 I'm almost at the end of my second week in my new position at the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh and it's already been full of busy! The first week I spent gathering quotes for equipment to set up the new microfossil and microscope laboratories, so fingers crossed we can get ordering soon! I also made sure the library was well stocked in all the books and journals that I will need for teaching towards the end of the year, and was really pleased to see how extensive the collections are here. I've already started discussing potential collaborations with other staff members here, and as it turns out there are already several connections with my old BioArCh research group at York, which is very useful! I anticipate I will maintain my involvement with York, and was made a Visiting Research Associate at the beginning of the new year so that I can carry on using the facilities there ...