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Examples of white and opaque snail shells, most likely from an aquatic habitat. Along with land snails, both are thin-walled with very light striations. Land snails have brownish shells or shells with brown spotting.

Gastropods have an elongated cone spirally twisted around an imaginary axis, the spiral following a clockwise course (see Abbott and Dance 1998). The diagnostic elements visible on the microlevel are the apex, spire (and spiral lines), and columella…

Land and seashells exhibit a broad range of characterizing features. They can be composed of one or multiple separate pieces, thick or thin walled, colorful or colorless, opaque or translucent, smooth or scaly. Most microshell from Kenan Tepe was…

Grayish-green in color; vitrified and bubbly in shape. Based on XRF testing, this microslag (1 piece, multiple views) derived from some form of intentional copper or copper-based mineral processing. Unfortunately it is impossible to know…

Fragments of plaster, possibly gypsum. White, chalky appearance with some linear voids indicating possible tempering with organic material (chaff?).

If you perform wet sieving, you may encounter burnt wood or plant matter (charcoal). Charcoal is relatively rare in microsamples that have been processed with a flotation tank. However, if charcoal become "waterlogged" during flotation, it can appear…

This piece has stumped both me and my faunal expert. The coloring looks like bone, but does not match any taxa she is aware of. Does anyone else have Swiss cheese-looking pieces like these?

If you perform wet sieving, you may encounter burnt seeds or seed parts. Seeds are relatively rare in microsamples that have been processed with a flotation tank. However, if seeds become "waterlogged" during flotation, they can appear in a sample.…

I categorize microceramics based on the presence of relatively smooth, flat sides or surfaces, an angular break, and gradation of color within the fabric as indicative of firing differential. They can also exhibit wheel striations or even incised…