After a bitingly cold day, laced with some rain, we can now reveal what has kept most volunteers' hearts warm - last Friday afternoon a round metal object appeared amongst the bone fragments near the skull in the 'child's grave'. Too intricately positioned for removal, it had to be left in situ over the weekend, and for another day and a half Anna has been painstakingly clearing around the skull and associated bones before it could be lifted and placed in safe keeping. It appears to be bronze, the size and shape of a coin, but quite thin and covered in green corrosion. What it actually is, and whether any inscription or images can be detected, will have to wait for laboratory investigation - until then, speculation can run free amongst the crew.
Speculation and argument continue too about the 2 holes in the associated skull - trepanation has lost ground because of the small size and shape of the holes; alternatives have not convinced those who have looked closely on site. Maybe there will be more to see when Anna gets nearer to lifting the skull - and in the end the laboratory will have the final say.
Across the rest of the site we welcomed pupils from Snape Primary, gaining much from sharp young eyes and willing hands. Their prize discovery was another piece of the thin yellow glass that we believe may be part of a Saxon claw beaker. After the children had gone an ornately decorated piece of pottery was recovered near where they had been working, showing a dolphin or whale figure. Along with the metal dolphin found during site preparation, we must surely have got our motif for the eventual project report.
Tomorrow another school is due, and probably Radio Suffolk, so we hope for less wind to drive the sand around, and pray that Jezz has had enough rain.
Speculation and argument continue too about the 2 holes in the associated skull - trepanation has lost ground because of the small size and shape of the holes; alternatives have not convinced those who have looked closely on site. Maybe there will be more to see when Anna gets nearer to lifting the skull - and in the end the laboratory will have the final say.
Across the rest of the site we welcomed pupils from Snape Primary, gaining much from sharp young eyes and willing hands. Their prize discovery was another piece of the thin yellow glass that we believe may be part of a Saxon claw beaker. After the children had gone an ornately decorated piece of pottery was recovered near where they had been working, showing a dolphin or whale figure. Along with the metal dolphin found during site preparation, we must surely have got our motif for the eventual project report.
Tomorrow another school is due, and probably Radio Suffolk, so we hope for less wind to drive the sand around, and pray that Jezz has had enough rain.
Our two heroes today are Diana Biddlecombe and Sylvia Taylor, find washers extraordinaire. Having dabbled happily in cool water during the chocolate biscuit melting heat of the first week, they now brave the same cold water in an icy blast. Diana, seen in the cool shades, is a top veteran, having made a brief appearance in the 2006 dig, followed by the full monty in 2010, plus a visit later that year to Ipswich to help Anna with detailed examination of the soil samples, looking for grain and seeds with magnifying glasses. This year she is again in charge of finds washing - and is delighted to be learning all the time. She gets a unique over-view of all the material being generated, and the occasional thrill of finding pottery parts that fit together. Sylvia is on her 1st dig, and also loves the learning experience, finding the easy relationship between amateurs and professionals on site very rewarding. She used to be a teacher, and has enjoyed having the school children on washing duties. One boy remarked how he never knew a brick could be so interesting, and another claimed to now understood how his mother felt everyday, washing up.
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