Probably the hottest day so far saw about 19 volunteers on site today, and their spirited determination was rewarded with substantial progress all across the site. The picture left shows an excellent example of the huge oyster shell deposits found all over the dig - remember how in medieval times apprentices rioted about being fed too many oysters and too much salmon. Did Roman & Saxon youth at Barbers Point ever get equally upset, longing to get down river on the trading ships heading to beer and sausages on the Rhine?
The one open grave was worked all day, and 'George's' teeth and toes have appeared along with arm bones that help to establish he was buried properly, the right way up. Other very promising dark shadows are emerging where the last dig suggested there could be further graves, and trenches exploring the location of the various ditches have gone well. The electric fence installed last night by Tony and helpers successfully deterred grave robbers and the pesky sheep; we also got a high tech delivery by John Bradley as preparations were made for the school visits on Monday.
Overall, Jezz was once again highly pleased with the achievements, and relieved that most of the audience for his tool box seminar on site documentation stayed awake. His repeated prayers for rain are likely to be amply rewarded tomorrow.
The one open grave was worked all day, and 'George's' teeth and toes have appeared along with arm bones that help to establish he was buried properly, the right way up. Other very promising dark shadows are emerging where the last dig suggested there could be further graves, and trenches exploring the location of the various ditches have gone well. The electric fence installed last night by Tony and helpers successfully deterred grave robbers and the pesky sheep; we also got a high tech delivery by John Bradley as preparations were made for the school visits on Monday.
Overall, Jezz was once again highly pleased with the achievements, and relieved that most of the audience for his tool box seminar on site documentation stayed awake. His repeated prayers for rain are likely to be amply rewarded tomorrow.
Our featured 2 volunteers today are Nina O'Hare and Jack Cade. Nina, seen here happily seated with her very own post hole, is another of the 2nd year Cambridge archaeology & anthropology students, this time from Newnham College. It's her 5th dig, and she's kind enough to say she prefers community digs like ours. Coolest find so far at Barbers Point is a pottery rim with a thumb print from the maker - tingling feeling of connection to an ancient potter, maybe not far from here.
Jack Cade has already featured in the photo gallery on day 1, swinging a delicate mattock. So today we concentrate on his personal yellow bucket and tiny trowel. Jack is just completing an MA in archaeology & heritage studies at Leicester Uni with a dissertation on coastal land and submerged archaeological sites. He's a chartered engineer who worked in telecoms and IT (hence the mighty mattock swinging) and has been an amateur archaeologist for 5 years.
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