Site diaries

[Toby]

I will post the text from the site diaries each week in this thread.

Spare posts have been removed.

[Toby]

Week 1

The first week of the training dig began relatively quietly, with trainees on site finding a lot more archaeology than expected. The tarmac and gravel had already been removed from the four trenches, and work was able to begin on the removal of the first deposits. The location of the Training Dig, right next to DIG, makes it an interesting resource for school groups, who visited the site during this first week.

Trench 4
The archaeology in this trench was easily visible, as it was very close to the surface. A wall runs across the middle of the trench; possible of medieval date. A service trench was found to one side of the wall, and upon excavation was discovered to contain a lead pipe. One corner of the trench contained a modern drain, which had a posthole right next to it. There was also evidence found of a surface, possibly a floor, made up of tile and brick. Finds from Trench 4 include medieval green glazed pottery and animal bone.

Trench 5
In this trench there was a rubble deposit covering the whole area. In one corner there is possibly evidence of a wall, though this requires further investigation. The removal of the rubble deposit revealed another rubble layer, and work is continuing on removing this. Finds from the trench include a piece of flint, medieval green glazed pottery, and lots of brick and tile.

Trench 6
Before work could begin on Trench 6 a pile of bricks had to be removed from the centre. After this work was done some interesting features were revealed. A large posthole was found, containing an intact post, but it is unlikely to be very old. A row of stone slabs were also revealed, and more work is needed to determine how important these are. As there has not been much excavation in this trench during the first week, there are no finds other than lots of interesting brick and tile.

Trench 7
Trench 7 was similar to Trench 4, as some of the archaeology was clearly visible. At one side of the trench was a brick plinth, presumable a footing of some kind, but we do not know which of the buildings that once stood on the site it relates to. Excavation this week has focussed on the removal of a modern deposit at one side of the trench. At the other side is a row of bricks, seeming to form a wall, but we will not know more until we have excavated further. There have been few finds from Trench 7, but a lot of brick and tile has been found.

[Toby]

Week 2

We have been lucky again this week to have had good weather, which has allowed us to progress well with the trenches. The trainees and tasters have learned more new skills, and have continued to discover lots of interesting archaeology.

There are already a large number of walls and other features being revealed over the site, more than anticipated – So keep watching to see what happens to then in the coming weeks

Trench 4
Week 2 began with the removal of the very rough sandstone and brick floor surface at one side of Trench 4. Below this was found a number of thin mixed deposits; possibly layers of build-up before the formation of the floor. There was also a shallow cut feature in this area of the trench, but we unable to determine if it had a specific purpose. On the other side of the trench there are more mixed dump layers; one, which has now been removed, slightly covering the possibly medieval wall. A more modern wall has been found in the north-west corner of the trench, and this has been recorded ready for removal next week. Despite still being in modern deposits, finds from Trench 4 are mainly medieval. It is unusual that so few finds of a more recent date have been found.

Trench 5
Work continued this week on the removal of the rubble layer which was begun at the end of week 1. This deposit has not been completely removed, but we have revealed some of the next layers. Two of these are cobbly layers; probably surfaces or even roads of some kind. Alongside these are a clay layer; seeming to overlie the cobbles and so this will be the next deposit removed after the last of the rubble deposit has been taken out next week. Finds from Trench 5 have included a lot of medieval pottery, animal bone and brick and tile.

Trench 6
In Trench 6 the first job was to remove a layer of trample from across the whole trench. As well as a sandy deposit in the north-west corner, this cleaning revealed a large wall, probably of medieval date, running east-west across the trench. From this a smaller wall projected out to the north. We do not know the purpose of these walls, and hope to find out more in the coming weeks. There have been a number of interesting finds from Trench 6, including; Samian ware and grey ware from the Roman period, a piece of possibly Viking pottery, and plenty of medieval pottery.

Trench 7
The first task in Trench 7 this week was to remove the backfill around the large, brick footing. After this was done it was time to remove the pillar, using some brute force! A solid concrete and rubble base was found under the bricks, and this is currently being planned ready for removal next week. There have not been many finds from this trench during this week, mainly brick and tile, along with the occasional piece of pottery.




There are already a large number of walls and other features being revealed over the site, more than anticipated – So keep watching to see what happens to then in the coming weeks

[Toby]

Week 3

This week we have had extremes of weather on site, with both very hot days and rather stormy ones! (thankfully not much rain). Spirits have remained high as good progress has been sustained.

In addition to the on-site work, longer term placements have had the opportunity to gain experience of post-excavation work with the YAT database; digitising context cards and plans.

Trench 4
To the north-east side of Trench 4 this week work has concentrated on the removal of a mixed dump layer. Several small features have become apparent within this layer, including two post-holes on a north-south alignment. To the other side of the large wall a footing has been revealed; possibly relating to the wall. A layer of black material has also been removed; revealing a thin layer of green mortar rich dumping, which appears to sit on top of a layer of rubble. All this requires more investigation next week.
Finds this week have included lots of brick and tile, oyster shell, and medieval green glazed pottery. We also found what appeared to be a spillage of lead.

Trench 5
Like last week, cobbles have been a focus of work in Trench 5. The clayey layer did not overlie the cobbles as thought, and thus has been left for this week. The last of the rubble layer was removed before the cobbles were planned, and these cobbles are being removed at the moment. A slot cut through the clayey layer revealed two possible cut features which will be investigated after the rest of the cobbles and clay have been removed.
The majority of finds from Trench 5 have been medieval in date, including green glazed pottery. But there has also been some pottery dating from the Roman period. Two pieces of copper alloy were also found; a disc and section of wire: possibly part of a horse harness.

Trench 6
The top of the large wall in this trench has now been uncovered. On either side of this work has focussed on the removal of trample layers. What was though to be a small wall last week has turned out to be a shallow layer of stones, and these have been planned in preparation for their removal.
The finds in Trench 6 have been mainly medieval, and a lot of green glazed pottery has been found. A more exciting find is a bone object, the right size and shape for a domino but with no markings.

Trench 7
After being planned last week, the concrete base of the brick footing has been removed. This has exposed the construction cut for the footing, which is now being planned. A line of bricks and tiles at one side of the trench have been identified as possibly being part of a tank, possibly for industrial processes. The backfill of this tank is now being removed.
There have been several interesting finds from Trench 7 this week. These include a worked brick, possibly part of a mullioned window, a ridge tile from a high status building, and two clay pipe bowls, one with a stamp on the base. Some large pieces of green glazed pottery have also been found.

Due to a number of questions about the design of the t-shirt, here’s a sneak preview for all those wishing to buy one (only visible on the YAT website).

[Toby]

Week 4

As many of you will know, we have experienced a week of bright, sunny days on site. Good progress has continued to be made in all trenches. Trainees have been given the opportunity to gain more experience washing finds, and also to begin sorting and bagging dry artefacts so they can be assessed by specialists. Alongside this, work began on recording the walls which surround the site.

Trench 4
At the end of last week a layer of green dumping had been uncovered on the south west side of the trench. Removal of this at the beginning of this week revealed the rubble layer that was already partially visible. This was planned and has now been removed. To the north east of the trench we found a post hole with a small stake hole cut into the side of it, which has now been fully recorded. At this side of the trench there was also a layer of trample, which is in the process of being excavated. The main job this week though was the planning of the wall, thought to be medieval, which runs across the middle of the trench. This is a complicated task because the edges of the wall are very irregular down one side, it may be that it is in fact a wall which acts as the edge to a terrace, with one side holding back higher ground.
Finds from Trench 4 have again been mainly medieval; with plenty of pottery and brick and tile found. We also found a bead, or pin head, probably made from bone.

Trench 5
Work in Trench 5 has again focussed on cobbled surfaces. The first cobbled surface was removed at the beginning of this week, revealing another cobbled layer below a couple of levelling deposits. These levelling layers have now been removed, and the second cobble surface is clearly visible. It looks like we have the later of the two medieval surfaces which were found during the previous excavations. To the eastern side of the trench a cut feature was identified through the clayey layer. It is possible that this is quite modern, but the disturbed layers above it obscured it from our view. It is anticipated that a third cobble layer lies below the one currently exposed, and it is possible that this will correspond with a cobbled surface found during the 2004 evaluation excavation that happened on the site.
Finds have been again dominated by lots of medieval pottery and CBM (Ceramic Building Material – brick and tile).


Trench 6
In Trench 6 this week the first job was to remove a number of slabs from the eastern side of the trench. This uncovered a brown deposit that appears to be sitting within a shallow cut running parallel to the large wall. On the western side of the trench the sandy layer was removed, and this has revealed a rubble deposit, which is currently being planned.
Finds this week have included a lead disc, possibly a token, with a feint cross on one side. The majority of finds have been brick and tile, medieval green glazed pottery, and some Roman pottery too.

Trench 7
This week, to the north side of the trench, all the backfill for the tank has been removed. Surprisingly, no defined base was found; it appears that the tank was built directly onto a layer of green material. The brick sides of the tank were lined with plaster, and this is being removed at the moment. Hopefully we will be able to begin to remove the bricks on Tuesday. Across the centre of the trench work has focussed on the wall, and a robbing trench has been excavated.
Brick and tile are the main finds from Trench 7, along with some pottery and bone.



So we are now a third of the way through the dig! We have had fantastic weather, great archaeology and lots of good trainees (both new and old). Keep checking the website to see how things progress.

[Toby]

Week 5 (edit - not Week 4 oops!)

Once again the weather has been warm, bright, and sunny on site. Good progress is still being made in all trenches. Trainees have been given the opportunity to learn how to survey this week as well as gaining more experience working with finds, the work begun last week of recording the walls which surround the site has continued and is proving very useful for improving understanding of the site. Also on Tuesday The BBC were filming on site for a new series to be aired later this year.

Trench 4
This week work in trench 4 has concentrated on the area to the eastern side of the possibly medieval wall where deposits on both sides of the modern pipe trench have been planned and excavated. The week began by planning and excavating a dump containing large amounts of brick and tile which appeared along the eastern edge of the trench. The layers of trample and rubble running between the wall and the pipe trench are currently being removed. The construction cut where the footings for the wall have been dug into earlier deposits is beginning to show through under the rubble layer and it is hoped that this will become clearer as we continue to dig. Two possible pits have been uncovered, planned and photographed to the north of the trench and are awaiting excavation next week.
Finds this week include animal bone, medieval pottery and brick and tile, including a number of roof-tiles showing holes for wooden pegs used for attaching them to the roof of a building.

Trench 5
Once again work in Trench 5 has been concentrating on cobbled surfaces. The second of three cobbled surface was given a final clean at the beginning of this week, this revealed a number of features to the southern end of the trench. These features, were planned and excavated one of which was a yellow coloured clayey deposit filling a pit, another sandy dump with large amounts of mortar in it is being investigated along side the small wall uncovered previously it is possible that this dump extends beneath this layer of cobbles. The second layer of cobbles was planned early on and has had a temporary division line instated, to the north of this line the cobbles are being removed which has uncovered another layer of cobbles, according to the previous site report this should be the last cobbled surfaces, the earliest road surface on the site.
Finds this week have been very interesting, with various different types of medieval glazed pottery, animal bone, an unidentified lead object, and a human tooth to name but a few.

Trench 6
Work in trench 6 this week has been concentrated in the north and south of the trench, with a big strip of the centre of the trench taken up by the large wall. Excavations around this wall have show that it is probably the footings for a large wall rather than the wall itself. To the north of the trench the smaller wall, or wall footing, has been removed, In the southern half of the trench the linear deposit which was uncovered last week has been excavated, and appears to have been filling a small cut dug into earlier deposits, these earlier deposits have also been removed and cobbles are becoming visible, possibly linking this trench with the cobbles in trench 5.
The finds have consisted of both medieval and roman pottery, animal bone and pierces of brick and tile.

Trench 7
This week work in trench 7 has focused on recording all the visible archaeology, with the brick and tile tank lining being recorded, the levelling dump to the south being cleaned and recorded and everything being made neat and tidy for photographs and plans.
The finds this week were mainly animal bone, brick and tile, which came from the cleaning and investigation around a ‘small’ stone, which turned out to be rather large.


So as we get further into the dig, the archaeology becomes more complicated, and more exciting. Once again we have had great weather, great archaeology and great trainees. As always keep checking the website to see how we are getting on.

[Toby]

Week 6

Good progress has continued to be made in all trenches this week; aided greatly by the dry and sunny weather that we have been experiencing. Trainees have continued to learn the basic techniques of archaeological excavation and recording, along with more specialised skills such as surveying.

The trainees have also had the opportunity to wash finds and bag dry artefacts. More can be read about the artefacts from the site after the main web update.


Trench 4
Work in Trench 4 has again concentrated on the area to the east of the possibly medieval wall. What were thought to be two pits were actually mixed dump deposits, and these have been removed from the eastern side of the service trench. A third dump deposit was also removed, and a fourth is being excavated at the moment. A mortar layer has been exposed by the removal of a dump in the south eastern section of the trench. This mortar appears to extend all the way across the eastern side of the trench, and it is likely that the construction cut for the large wall is cut through this deposit.
Finds this week have included brick and tile and some medieval pottery, along with a small, probably bone, dice (about which more can be seen below).

Trench 5
This week began with the removal of the backfill of a large cut feature and the spread of material it was cut through. The removal of this spread fully exposed the second cobble layer which was then removed, exposing a third layer of cobbles. This layer appears different to the two above; it is much rougher and there is more variety in the size and shape of stones. According to the previous excavation, this should be the final cobble layer! The possible wall in the south west corner of the trench is more visible now, and we hope to expose more of it once the third layer of cobbles is removed.
Finds this week have included medieval pottery, brick and tile, animal bone, and a piece of worked flint.

Trench 6
To the north of the trench a cobbled surface has been revealed, and is now recorded ready for excavation. It is possible that this cobbled surface relates to one of those from Trench 5, though we cannot be sure. To the south of the trench a linear cut next to the wall has been excavated. This is not the construction cut for the wall though, so work must continue around the wall for the time being.
Trench 6 has had a bog range of finds this week, including bone blanks from button making and a bead along with brick and tile and both Roman and medieval pottery.

Trench 7
This week trainees in Trench 7 were able to remove the sides of the tank that had been uncovered to the north of the wall. One section was constructed mainly of tile, while the other was mainly brick. Work then concentrated on the cleaning of the construction cut for photographs of the section, or side, of the cut. This is important as it shows a slice through the archaeology that is still to be uncovered in this trench; and it looks very interesting! To the south side of the wall a pit like feature was excavated, and was found to contain what looks like a stone slab.
As work this week has concentrated on the tank, this is where the finds have come from. There were a lot of bricks and tiles, some of which had glaze on them.


So we’re half way through the dig now, six weeks gone and six more to go. The archaeology continues to get more exciting, and everyone is learning new skills. Keep checking the website to see how the dig is progressing.

[Toby]

Finds

The trenches have offered up an array of outstanding finds since excavation began, but especially this last week. As well as the usual animal bone, shell, medieval green-glazed pottery and iron objects, there have been a number of less common objects found this week.

Bone blanks
We have been fortunate to recover eight fragments of bone blanks, mostly from trench 7. These are probably the remnants of button or counter production. Three of these pieces can be fitted together (pictured) to show how a small sheet of bone was made to yield the maximum number of circular objects. The amount found may suggest a possible production site, though we have yet to find the buttons themselves…

Worked bone blanks
We have also found three small oblongs of bone in trenches 5 and 6. These all resemble off-cuts that would be expected from the working of bone for comb-making. If this is the case, they may well date from the Viking period of York’s history.

Bone or ivory object
A bone or ivory object, probably part of a bracelet, was recovered from trench 6. Being black in colour it was first considered to be jet. Further examination suggests it to be more likely to be bone, or even ivory.

Dice
A beautiful example of a six-sided dice (pictured) was found in a mixed dump layer in trench 4. Probably made of bone, this is likely to be medieval in date.

Beads
Two glass beads were found this week in trenches 5 and 6. One is a rich blue in colour, and possibly Roman in date (pictured), the other a darker blue/black of uncertain age.

Clasp/brooch
A fine example of clasp or brooch (pictured) was recovered from trench 7. The distinctive green tint is from the corrosion products and shows it to be made from a copper alloy.

[Toby]

Week 7

Progress has been slow and then fast in the trenches this week, as a break in the weather brought us some persistent rain in the middle of the week. It gave everyone the opportunity to visit DIG, an experience not to be missed. On site, trainees have continued to record and excavate the archaeology, alongside learning about finds and conservation.

Trench 4
A lot of time has been spent planning this week in Trench 4. The removal of the final dump deposit to the east of the trench left the mortar fully exposed; and it looks like we have found the construction point for the wall cutting through it. Both the backfill of the cut and the mortar were cleaned and photographed before being planned. Work has now begun to excavate the backfill and fully expose the wall. More planning also took place to the west of the wall. A composite plan was produced to show all the deposits, and we have begun to remove the most recent of these.
Finds this week have included brick and tile, medieval pottery, and animal bone.

Trench 5
The removal of the final layer of cobbles this week revealed the make-up deposit for the original surface. This consisted of unconsolidated cobbly rubble, mixed up with lots of soil. This has now been fully recorded and is being removed at the moment. Underneath the make-up deposit there appears to be yet another cobbled surface; although this one has much more variation in colour and stone size than the previous examples.
Finds this week have included roof tiles, medieval pottery (both green glaze and gritty wares), and animal bones. There have also been some more exciting finds: a spindle whorl; and a couple of pieces of tile, which have been preliminarily identified as Anglo-Saxon polychrome relief tiles.

Trench 6
In the southern section of the trench, the construction point for the wall was found early this week. After being recorded, the backfill has now been excavated. A series of cobble filled pits was found cutting into the construction cut, and it is possible that these features are related somehow. To the north of the wall the cobbled surface has been removed, and has revealed a layer of limestone.
Finds have included brick and tile, animal bone, and medieval pottery.

Trench 7
Like all the trenches this week, Trench 7 has seen extensive planning. To the north of the wall a composite plan has been drawn of the area between the tank construction cut and the robber cut for the wall. This shows all the deposits and their relationships. Two small pits have also been excavated; both having been truncated by the robber cut for the wall. To the south of the wall two dump deposits have been recorded and work is continuing to remove these. It is possible that their removal will reveal the construction cut for the wall.
Finds from Trench 7 have included brick and tile, and medieval pottery, along with an unusual copper alloy object.

Keep checking the web diary to stay up to date with events on site. Hopefully next week will be sunny like the end of this one!!

[Toby]

(sorry for the delay in posting)

Week 8

Even though it has been very windy this week there has been very little in the way of rain. The cooler weather has also made it a lot easier working on site without getting too hot. Progress has been very good in all trenches and it seems that we have now recorded a lot of the more discrete archaeological features that were ‘locking in’ the archaeology below.

Trench 4
The mortar deposits mentioned last week has been removed, revealing lines of cobbles that might be parts of an earlier building. These have been recording separately in case they are, and not just part of the wall construction process. Underneath the mortar there are further hints of earlier occupation, but we can only investigate these once later features have been recorded and excavated. To the west of the wall more of the deposits linked with its construction have been excavated and we may be getting towards the point where it was constructed. The wall it self has been cleaned very thoroughly and is now looking like it may have been built in two separate sections… but more about that next week.
Again we have had a good range of medieval finds from the trench.

Trench 5
At the start of the week a very complicated series of plans of the cobbles and other deposits were drawn, once we had completed this we began to excavate. In the south-west corner of the trench the structure has turned out to be a large footing, perhaps for a big post or similar. This may link with the other structures on the site, though we may only find out in the post-excavation process. Elsewhere in the trench we have been trying to unravel a sequence of dumps and cobbles that acted as the foundation for the roads (see previous weeks diaries for their descriptions).
This week there has been a huge volume of finds from the trench, with tile and animal bone being the most common.


Trench 6
There has been a big change in the trench this week as the wall footing has been removed. It proved to be very easy to take to bits as the mortar that held it together was very soft. The large size of some of the pieces of reused stone and how top move them was the only difficult part of the process. The specialist in architectural stonework will have a look at them next week to assess if any of them are really important, but we can already see part of an arch and a window. At the moment the trainees are cleaning up the bottom of the construction cut and it looks like the cobble features mentioned last week may in fact be earlier than the wall, so more recording to do.
We have a lot of the finds from this week with medieval pottery, animal bone and brick and tile being the most common.


Trench 7
We have finally isolated the construction point for the wall footings in this trench. Even though the construction cut was obviously cutting through earlier medieval deposits to the north, the southern side was confusing and had been subjected to later disturbance. Over the past week we have removed deposits on the southern side, enabling us to reach when the wall was actually built. More cobbles are starting to show up within this cut and we may have earlier structures with a cobble footing (as in Trench 6). With some more recording we will be able to see what is going on beneath the wall and hopefully get a better idea of what went on with the earlier building.
Lots of brick and tile have been excavated this week, but the most interesting find was a piece of what appears to be worked antler… Hopefully our finds specialists will be able to work out what it was for?


As you can see the trenches are changing day by day, with all sorts of fascinating archaeology being revealed. The site is proving to be even more interesting than we initially thought and we have only got four weeks remaining to answer our questions.

[Toby]

Week 9

We have made good progress in the trenches this week despite some heavy rain. Trainees have remained undeterred and have continued to learn about archaeological processes in and out of the trenches. This week especially, trainees have had the opportunity to look through the pottery reference collection and to put a date on the archaeology that we have found by cross-referencing pottery found on site with known dates from the collection.

Trench 4
The wall which has been a major feature of Trench 4 since the first week has become the main focus of attention this week. To the south, the wall had a noticeably different, and rougher, appearance, suggesting that it was a later repair or extension. The week began with planning this section, and its removal revealed a cobble foundation layer. On either side of the wall we have continued to remove thin layers of material. Careful removal of these mixed layers shows a sequence of dumped deposits with some small features cut through them.
These deposits have been the major source of finds in Trench 4, turning up brick and tile, animal bones and a variety of medieval pottery.

Trench 5
After the removal of the deposits which made up the series of cobbled road surfaces, we are now concerned with the recording and excavation of the deposits underneath, These show the familiar signs of beings dumps intended to build up the ground surface under the road, and are mainly comprised of brick and tile fragments, cobbles, and occasional patches of mortar. The south eastern part of the trench remains very disturbed, and a feature packed with cobbles has been excavated, though its exact function remains an unknown. These deposits appear to be coming down onto a layer of dumped cobbles, which may well extend across the entire trench.
Finds this week have included a piece of a copper alloy object alongside the usual selection of bone, pottery, brick and tile.

Trench 6
After the removal of the wall footing last week, Trench 6 suddenly looks quite deep. This trench was one of the worst affected by the rain, but an excellent job cleaning the trench has ensured that work continued regardless. As a result, a series of small occupation deposits could be picked apart, enabling trainees to learn the vital skills of excavating thin and subtly different layers.
This trench has turned up unusually large amounts of animal bone this week.

Trench 7
In common with trenches 4 and 6, the wall footing which was first uncovered in the early weeks of the dig has been removed. The northern blocks were left in place though, to help support a thin block of potentially very old archaeology left upstanding in the centre of the trench. Following this, work has begun excavating the deposits under and alongside the wall, and the construction cut of the wall has been fully revealed and extensively cleaned. This week’s main finds date from the medieval era, especially green glazed pottery.

With only three more weeks to go it will be a challenge to answer all the questions that the archaeology is asking us. Keep checking the website to see how we get on!

[Toby]

Week 10

The poor weather that had been forecast never materialised and this meant we could continue in the trenches with no interruptions. During this week the City Archaeologist - John Oxley - visited the site. He was very interested in the archaeology we have been finding and how this related to what had been previously found nearby. He was also very happy with the way that the site has progressed and wants us to carry on in the same way until the end of the training excavation.

Trench 4
In this trench the archaeology is still very complicated, with a number of phases to the wall and footings, as well as earlier occupation deposits on either side. After carefully excavating a number of thin layers of activity on either side of the wall we finally decided to remove the wall itself. It came to bits very easily, but the mess created during this process took a long time to clean up – in fact there was still some left in one corner of the trench at the end of the week.
The finds have been very interesting, with more medieval pottery, a possible key and other copper alloy objects. The wall itself contained fragments of pottery and tile which will help us get a date for its construction.

Trench 5
Finally the cobbles have been removed! There are still patches of cobbles in the earlier deposits, but the road surfaces and road make up deposits have gone. The lowest layers of the make up deposits for the road proved to be very sticky to excavate. All the cobbles, stones and finds were coated in a layer of dark sticky mud which proved difficult to get off the finds (as well as clothes). Underneath the road there seems to be a cut feature, the purpose of which is still a mystery. Hopefully in the next few days we will get a better idea.
The finds (when the mud had been removed) were all from the medieval period, with lots of bone, pottery and an interesting lead fragment that was once part of a window.

Trench 6
We have continued with the excavation of occupation deposits at the South of the trench whilst removing thicker dumps of material to the North. Running diagonally across the centre of Trench 6 a very unusual feature has been revealed. It appears to be the very badly rotted remains of a wooden chute, or something similar. During the next week we hope to get a better idea of what it is and what it may have been used for.
In the big dump deposits we have started to find a number of pieces of antler off-cut as well as lots of pottery and other bits of animal bone.

Trench 7
In Trench 7 we have had more fun working out the complicated sequence of occupation deposits and how they relate to any structural evidence which remains. This has meant the trainees have had to be very careful when cleaning the archaeology so they can see and record all the subtle differences before they are excavated.
Again we have had whole range of finds with lots of pottery (some of which was Roman in date) and a very nice bit of worked bone.


Time is running out and we now have only two weeks left to see what we can find out about the site. With a bit of luck we will have lots of good weather, so the trainees do not get distracted by rain, and continue discovering more about this part of York 1000 years ago.

[Toby]

Finds

The trenches have offered up an array of outstanding finds since excavation began, but especially this last week. As well as the usual animal bone, shell, medieval green-glazed pottery and iron objects, there have been a number of less common objects found this week.

Worked bone
We are getting more of the worked bone blanks that could have been used to make parts of combs or similar. We also had a very nicely worked fragment which may be part of a comb. These tend to only came to light whilst we are washing the finds as there is so much bone in general it can be difficult to see if it is worked.

Window Lead
In Trench 5 we found a fragment of window lead (came) which is used for holding the different bits of glass together.

Copper Alloy Brooch
A tiny copper alloy brooch has been found. It is a very simple design which is made up of a circle and then the pin across the back.

A Key
A small key was recovered from Trench 4. This was again made from copper alloy and is quite well preserved. There has been lots of speculation on site as to what it was for.

Re-used Stone
The wall footings contained some fragments of high quality re-used limestone. Two of the best bits originally came from an arch and a window.

[Toby]

Week 11

Good progress has continued to be made this week, aided by dry weather on site (Saturday was an exception). Trainees have continued to learn about archaeological techniques, and have also had the chance to do elevation drawing, sorting of artefacts, and digitisation on the computer. We were also joined on Friday by the winner of a Young Archaeologists Club competition – showing that Archaeology Live! appeals to everyone.

Trench 4
Work in Trench 4 this week concentrated on the wall and its footings. To the southern side of the trench the cobble footings have been removed, revealing a loose jumble of limestone blocks forming a lower part of the footing. The limestone slab footings under the better built part of the wall to the north of the trench have also been removed, and this has revealed a continuous layer of smaller cobbles. The relationship between the two sections of the wall is still unknown; hopefully next week it will become clearer.
Finds this week have included an interesting iron object, found in a layer in the south east corner of the trench. It is a rod about 10mm in diameter and about 400mm long, and was found with a small bolt about 20mm from the centre of it. There has also been medieval pottery, building materials and animal bone.

Trench 5
The amount of cobbles found in Trench 5 had decreased significantly this week and we appear to be down onto pre-road archaeological deposits. Work has continued on emptying the fill of a ditch identified last week. A second fill was encountered which contained a jumble of mixed human bone that must have come from a grave disturbed elsewhere, maybe on the site. Samples were taken from this second fill for environmental processing as the deposit was partially waterlogged and preservation of organic material – for example leather and wood – was very good. The two cut features have produced a lot of animal bone, and other finds from the trench include early and later medieval pottery – comprising less green glaze than previous weeks but quite a bit of gritty ware. There has also been some Roman pottery found.

Trench 6
Last week a linear feature was uncovered to the north of the trench, and excavation of this has continued this week. There were remnants of wood against each side of the cut, and these were carefully removed. Work in this area is now concentrating on the removal of deposits on either side of the linear feature. To the south side of the trench an unusual linear cut was uncovered extending beyond the edge of the trench. This has been fully recorded and is now being excavated.
This week’s finds have consisted mainly of animal bone and medieval pottery.

Trench 7
To the south side of Trench 7 work has concentrated on the removal of thin floor deposits, giving trainees the experience of excavating thin, delicate layers. On the north side of the trench work has continued on the narrow strip of upstanding archaeology between the wall and the tank. Careful excavation of this has been rewarded with the discovery of a medieval hearth which is currently being recorded.
The majority of finds this week are from the medieval period and include animal bone and pottery.

There is now only one more week to go on the dig. Keep checking the website to see it we manage to answer all the questions that the archaeology asks of us.

[Toby]

Week 12

Well the final week has been and gone… 12 weeks seems to go by really fast when you are digging holes.

The weather has been kind and the dry weather allowed us to continue at a good pace. Trainees continued to learn the basics of archaeological excavation and recording and, with this being the final week, they also had the opportunity to draw the sections of the trenches as we prepare to finish the recording in the trenches.

Trench 4
The remains of the wall were still a focus of work this week in Trench 4. A slot was cut at the southern end of the irregular limestone block foundations and this revealed that, although they appeared to be a random jumble of stones, they had been carefully constructed with large blocks on end and smaller stones wedged between these to provide stability. To the east of the foundations it was evident that the series of occupation deposits previously encountered continued further down. The most interesting feature of the week was a large pit from the 1500’s, found to the west of the trench. It was c. 0.75m deep, and at its base was a group of four bricks. It is assumed that these bricks had been used as a ‘post pad’ for a timber in a structure. While time constraints mean that it was not possible to investigate this fully, it is possible that this pit cut into a human burial as part of a femur (leg) was found extending from the pit and some finger bones were also discovered mixed with the backfill.
A number of metal objects were found in Trench 4 this week; including pieces of iron, lead and copper. There was also a large piece of green glazed pottery found which had thumb impression decoration.

Trench 5
Some cut features against the north east section were identified, recorded and excavated this week. One of these features had a good level of organic preservation and some pieces of leather were found within it. Across the rest of the trench work continued removing occupation deposits that had been cut by the ditch. There were also organic remains to the south of the channel, with timbers just starting to be seen poking through from deposits below. These could have been from an earlier fence line or building.
The cut features produced the majority of the finds this week; a large amount of animal bone and early medieval pottery was found in them….. maybe indicating that we were just getting down onto the top of Viking deposits.

Trench 6
The linear cut to the south of the trench has been completely excavated and turned out to be quite shallow. Around this work continued on the removal of occupation deposits. This proved to be a tricky task as the deposits were of similar colour and make-up, making it difficult to distinguish one from the next. This provided the trainees with valuable experience of excavating thin, delicate layers.
The majority of finds this week have been animal bone, and early medieval pottery.

Trench 7
To the south side of the trench the removal of one of a series of dump deposits revealed a layer of cobbles which were sitting within a large pit. The cobbles were mixed up with limestone fragments and possibly relate to a previous buildings on the site. To the north of the trench work continued on the section of standing archaeology left between the wall and the tank. The medieval hearth was removed and the tiles dated to between the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries. A series of occupation deposits were excavated either side of the hearth, and a pit discovered below it revealed some evidence of metalworking.
There have been several finds this week, but the most interesting was slag removed from deposits cut by a pit below the hearth.


The training dig has been a fantastic success at all levels, we have had lots of really good trainees, visitors, and archaeology… the list goes on (and on!)
We will add more updates as we get information so please keep watching the diaries and forum (http://yorkdig.proboards21.com/)


There are lots of people that need to be thanked for the part that they had in making it all work (apologies to anybody I have missed out)
Evans Property Group
John Oxley (City of York Principal Archaeologist)
DIG and all the support staff
Jorvik and all the support staff
YAT and all the support staff
Specialist lecturers
Elena
Ian
Placements (especially for writing most of the diaries)
Finally the most important people of all the trainees

Cheers,

Toby