…and a full crew. We started work on the burial under the plank. It took quite a while, as the plank was complex to define. It was all one piece, in some places up to 9 cm thick, and had obviously required a great deal of work and skill to make. The top surface looked like the outer surface of the tree. The bottom surface showed evidence of burning, in some areas completely charcoal. It should be good for C14 dating.
The remains are those of a large male. Preservation is a bit variable, but it looks like there might be some ribs that could yield aDNA. In any event, he will be safely out of the trail.
Many on the crew did STPs. So far nothing has shown up. It is beginning to look as if there is a gap in the burials (or at least a much thinner distribution). I’ve begun to wonder if this could be the result of a village move due to erosion, which brought the village close to the cemetery and made them skip a bit of ground to put the new cemetery at a proper distance from their residences.
At least it was a beautiful day.
Out of Ice and Time 