Archaeology Live! 2008 - Site Diary (Weeks 7-12)

[YAT]

WEEK 7

The interesting weather continued this week, but we still managed to get lots done - both on and off site. Because we had a good idea when the rain was coming we were able to get set up well in advance and put a big dent in the washing/bagging and sample processing

In Ben’s area Graeme and a team excavated the 3 wooden posts that have been poking out at the base of a pit. They also managed to find the fourth one that had been hidden by another feature!


Cleaning and recording the wooden posts

The new trainees began to get to grips with a very large feature that turned out to be a series of, possibly intercut, pits with a sequence of dumping over the top. It may be that these pits were one feature, or at least open at the same time as there was burning around the edge of all of them. To be honest this is a bit of a mystery at the moment, but a little bit more recording and digging will soon make sense of what is going on there.


Unusual pit or pits with a burnt edge

Hannah and Rachel have started to tackle another, potentially very early, pit in this area. It has been heavily truncated making it difficult to excavate, but they both managed to find the edges and make sense of what it was.

Work has also restarted in the central area as all the later features have been excavated. At the moment it looks like we are dealing with a series of spread deposits from occupation and possibly traces of structures that may have stood in that area nearly 1000 years ago.


Working out what to put on the paperwork


Elena’s trainees have been cleaning back to look for more features at the edge of H1/H2 and have found a substantial pit. This pit appears to be around 1m deep and may have been used for clay extraction as it has the same characteristics as the others nearby. This pit has only been excavated in section meaning new trainees in the coming weeks will get chance to excavate it fully – and also chance to prove if it was dug for clay extraction. From this pit Elena and her team recovered a small coin but will have to wait to hear any news about it. Other finds included Medieval pottery and antler off-cuts.

One of the larger pits in this part of the site has finally been completely excavated, but there is still some uncertainty as to the function of it. This is where the information that we get from finds will be invaluable in helping us interpret the site. Clive has been following the excavation of this pit for a long time, he and the team were rewarded by finding a large fragment from a Samian (Roman Pottery) bowl that had some decoration on the inside.


Part of a jaw from the big pit


Recording underway

Elena’s team have also been tackling the sequence of intercut pits along the north-west edge of the trench. Hopefully in the next week or so we will have a better idea of what they were used for.


Out on site in Artemi’s area there are still more pits! All we seem to be talking about this week is pits….. However, it is from these pits that we get the information that helps us to understand what people were doing in the past. They say that you can tell a lot about people by looking at what they throw away – we are doing just that.


digging a pit cut into an earlier oven

In one part of where Artemi is working there was a cluster of activity that was proving difficult to interpret. Over the 5 days of the week we managed to sort out what was going on and reveal even more information. A series of intercut pits have been dug over the top of a possible oven, but we are also getting traces of what may be post holes for a structure or boundary. If that is the case then we are already finding more structural evidence that we were getting a similar distance from Hungate in H1.

There may also be another well starting to appear, but we will have to wait and see if it turns out to be one and not just another pit.


Artemi checking if there is water in the trench


Processing an environmental sample as part of the work that we do off site.

The team from Week 7

[YAT]

WEEK 8

This week the weather has been so much better than the forecast which meant we were able to spend lot of time outside without worrying about heavy showers messing up all the careful cleaning and excavation.

Taking a break and washing lots of finds


Ben’s area was a lot easier to work in with the dry conditions, but there was still plenty of groundwater as you can see from the photos.


Standing water in the deep features - not from the rain, but from the ground around

During the week we recorded three, very disturbed, burials situated on the north-west periphery of the graveyard. This meant that the burials had been heavily truncated by pits which were cutting into them meaning parts of the burials had been lost.

Work has started on a linear feature that was thought to be a possible beam slot for a structure. Some stake-holes were also uncovered but it is not clear whether these relate to the beam slot feature or one next to it that has evidence of in-situ burning. The stake holes do not appear to have a specific pattern as of yet, though it will be something to look at with next weeks trainees.

Work has also started on one of the larger inter-cutting pits that had burning around the edges. The team have uncovered 4 stakes in this pit and hope to find some more next week as work continues.


Removing the last deposits which cover the burnt pits

Over in Elena’s area a number of pits have begun to be excavated and the team have made great progress over the course of the week. One of these pits hasn’t been completed fully as it crosses over the edge of the trench into the Area H2 – We will have to dig the rest when the public walkway and later archaeology have been excavated. The part that was excavated proved to be full of medieval pottery, animal bones and some possible nails (we will wait and see what the x-rays say). Towards the base there is a charcoal rich layer that may be a use fill.

Another pit in this area was probably used to dispose of a large amount of animal bone, as that is what was coming out of the backfill. Maybe it was from processing or cooking?

Recording the pits



We have also removed a lot of trample from the eastern limit of the site to see if there are other features to be excavated.


In Artemi’s area we started excavating a very large pit that was absolutely packed with finds. Among these finds were two worked bits of bone (possibly pins/needles), worked antler, a few metal rivets and a whole load of possible nails! – Somebody has obviously been throwing away a lot of rubbish over 600 years ago.


Another feature nearby has lots of medieval pottery, more antler and bits of Roman brick. Maybe the Roman brick has come from an earlier feature which this pit has been cut into?

The team are also hoping that they have found an oven in this area but are still waiting to tackle the feature to discover what it is.

Another find from Artemi’s team this week is a jet bead that was found whilst the trainees were cleaning the area.


A big thank you to Matt and Mandy for sorting out all the samples - it was a dry and dusty job

Graeme has been telling stories about his legendary status as a fisherman..... At the start of the week it was this big

But by the end of the week it was THIS BIG


The team from Week 8

[YAT]

WEEK 9

Again a lot of progress has been made on site this week… Even though it was not too hot and sunny we still ended up with parts of the site becoming too dry. The perfect weather for digging would be gentle rain at night and cool slightly overcast days – The ground stays dry, you don’t get too hot, and there is good light to see and photograph archaeology.

Ben’s trainees have been working hard this week, completing a large amount of paperwork whilst also continuing with the excavation. The deposits to the south, the ones which may be linked with occupation, are starting to make more sense.


Planning as a team

The pits with the burnt deposits are now almost finished, hopefully the samples will give some information as to what they were used for? There is also another, possibly very early, pit at the beginning of this sequence that we will get chance to look at in the next couple of weeks.

There have been some good finds coming up across the whole site, but Ben’s team found a glass bead, a bone ice skate, some waste metal and half a coin to go with all the pottery and bone which we usually get.


Distracting people so we can take a photo

Elena’s group are still working very hard along the eastern limits of the trench trying to make sense of the complicated sequence of pits there. The team have been working hard with mattocks and shovels, clearing the thick layer of trample in the corner of the trench by the access ramp to the site. This area hasn’t been touched since before the 2007 training dig and it has revealed that the natural clay is close to the surface here, though there are still some pits to record and excavate. The finds from this area have been made up of large bits of pottery, animal bone and a really well preserved medieval coin.


Sorting the last of the features at the eastern end of the site

At the point where H1 and H2 meet Elena’s team has been excavating the other half of a pit which was started weeks ago but had to be put on hold due to excessive groundwater in that area. So far it has produced a lot of nice late Medieval pottery. Elena and the placements have also done a lot of cleaning in this area to make sense of the archaeology. It is now apparent that there are two or three different pits cutting into an earlier soil deposit and the natural clay.


Working out what to dig next

To the north we have finished excavating and recording a very square pit which was probably used for clay extraction. This pit also contained some nice finds such as a whetstone and an intriguing metal object which will have an x-ray and possibly be cleaned by the conservators before we can get a better idea of what it is. The base of this pit also provided a very interesting insight into the archaeology still to come in this area, as there is a very clear edge of what looks to be a huge pit extending into Artemi’s area of block H. Elena’s area produced one of the nicest finds from site this week – a very ornately carved bone belt or strap end which was found while trainees were processing finds from a pit.


Excavating the massive pit at the edge of area H1

Artemi’s team have also been working very hard this week on a number of different features. One group have been working with a series of postholes that may be linked with an old boundary. Another group have been doing sterling work excavating and recording a large pit in the western corner of Artemi’s area. Because the pit was so big it was initially thought that it would have been used for clay extraction, however it was found to have a series of different backfills, making the feature more interesting to interpret.

There are only three weeks of the training dig left, make sure you follow what we do during the last ¼ of Archaeology Live! 2008.


Holding the staff in the right place


Reading the level

Artemi’s team have also been finding lots of really good finds this week. They have found a bone ice skate, a possible key and a really pretty Viking comb. The comb was a really big example and was made from decorated plates riveted together over the teeth of the comb.



Ben wanted to get a photo of his placements acting normal - it appears that he had some success


This requires a caption..... Any ideas?


The team from Week 9

[YAT]

WEEK 10

We have had more fun with the showers this week, but still got plenty of work completed on site. The BBQ was very soggy, when not under the gazebos, and the person on the checkout at the supermarket looked at us as if we were a little unhinged when we were buying charcoal and burgers!

Ben’s area was once again entertaining with lots of groundwater filling pits left, right, and centre.


Water (and mud) management underway

The team finished two pits that were started last week. One small feature was filled with nice organic deposits, and the other eventually had to be abandoned (as planned) once we got some datable material and a sample from it, because it would be safe to dig it all out. The team began to excavate the top of a very large rubbish pit, which produced lots of animal bone.

People also managed to do some work clearing the occupational material in the central section of Ben’s area. This section is going to be very interesting to work on in the following weeks, as there is a possibility of in-situ burning, which may be a hearth.


Ben and the team sorting out all sorts of different features


New trainees began this week by cleaning back the western part of Elena’s area, as well as the south-eastern corner of Block H, next to the access ramp. This area is almost complete, thanks to a lot of hard work from the trainees removing the backfill, and placements cleaning the hard clay. It was initially thought that there was one pit in this area, but it turned out to be two. One of which seems to be quite big, although it continues outside the limit of excavation. Work was also begun on the second pit, and has been producing some nice finds, such as some good pieces of tile, large fragments of green glaze pottery, some animal bone and one piece of worked antler.

The team also worked on two features where H1 and H2 meet, one was an interesting discreet feature, which is most likely Roman in date as the finds were of a Roman date, and the backfill was distinctly different to the darker medieval deposits. Work on this feature will finish next week. The second pit in this area was almost finished this week. It was found to contain two partially articulated spines, probably from cows. This was good experience for the trainees, as it required more delicate cleaning, with different tools.


Cleaning up very early features cut into the first soils in this area


Lots of bits of partially articulated cow in a pit

On the boundary between H1 and H2, work was almost finished excavating the pit that was begun last week. Work on the upper backfill was completed, and the second deposit had a cobble base, which resulted in yet more experience for the trainees, as it required patience to record them all. This deposit also contained many nice pieces of green glazed pottery, including a large fragment with a handle, as well as a couple of pieces of worked antler.


Filling wheelbarrow has never been such fun


This week Artemi’s team have opened up a new pit, in the central part of his area. The features here have been interesting to investigate, due to the complex sequencing and many truncations. But, the hard work here has been rewarded with a large number of good finds being revealed. These included: an unusual metal object (another for the specialists), a possible sthingy handle, lots of nails, some viking pottery and a fragment from a roman mortarium, which was recognisable by its gritty inclusions. Work was also begun this week excavating another pit to the north of this central complex area.


Not to be outdone 'Team Artemi' find a big bit of jawbone

The team also resumed emptying the most northerly of the clay extraction pits. This also had some nice finds, such as: an unusual metal hook shaped object, a variety of metal objects and a fragment of a sealed jug.


Removing some of the backfill in a big clay extraction pit

More postholes have also been found, and excavated this week.

However, the main focus of this week was updating paperwork and organising the matrix, which was made easier by the session we had inside avoiding rain.



Bagging finds inside


Elena does her hair whilst Artemi and Chris ponder over plans


The team from Week 10

[YAT]

WEEK 11

Once again, despite wet weather at the beginning of the week, good progress has been made. If we ever get a sustained spell of decent weather, just imagine what we could do!

Much of this week has been spent updating the paperwork and making sure that all the recording was complete before starting anything new.

On-site, Ben and his trainees began the week by cleaning a large space in the north-eastern part of his area. This was helped by the wet weather, which enhanced the visual contrast of the deposits and revealed a large pit, possibly up to four metres wide. Work began on this pit on Friday, and immediately produced some Viking pottery and a small metal object that could possibly be a part of a horses bridle. Unfortunately, this pit straddles the only wheelbarrow access to Ben’s area, meaning that only a half-section can be excavated. However, as this still entails removing a large amount of the backfill, it is likely that a sufficient sample will be obtained without the need to do the whole thing.


Cleaning the complex occupation spreads and features

At the southern end of this area Bella, Emily and Liz began excavating a possible Viking refuse pit, but this work could not be completed because the pit continued beyond the limit of excavation. Finds from this pit included a jet bead. In the same area another early pit was started, which will be continued next week. In the central part of Ben’s area, there are plenty of burnt deposits, which could relate to a hearth or an oven. However, a lot of this material has been disturbed by later activity, particularly the digging of pits.


The team start a song and dance routine.... or just pose for the camera

A lot of hard work has been put into Elena’s area this week, which has resulted in the near-completion of the north-eastern part of the trench. There is still one more feature next to the ramp, which will be excavated last to avoid blocking wheelbarrow access to the rest of the trench. The trainees completed a complex sequence of intercutting pits in this area, which was difficult due to the narrowness of the space left by the baulk at the limit of excavation. Finds included a lot of brick and tile, which suggested that these were medieval refuse pits. Trainees also completed all of the paperwork for this part of Elena’s area. This was a useful exercise for them as it meant that they were able to see how it all the records fit together in post-excavation analysis.


Digging back to Australia

Once this was done, Kathy and Jessica put a lot of hard work into the excavation of a pit near Ben’s area. Work here was made difficult due to the rising groundwater. Finds from the uppermost deposit were mostly animal bones, although a nice pair of tweezers was also found. This deposit was probably refuse, but it is unclear what the lower deposit consisted of due to a lack of finds. As with the large central pit in Ben’s area, only half of this pit was excavated due to the need for wheelbarrow access. Finally in this area, Rowena finished work on a pit which contained the remains of two partially articulated cow skeletons.


Taking out half a pit

On the north-western side of Elena’s area, the excavation of a regular-shaped deep pit was finished. It had a light, sandy backfill and was possibly Roman, but its function is unclear. Work was also begun on the removal of an early soil, which overlies the natural sandy clays, and also seals a few features which may also be Roman in date. Not many finds were recovered here, although there was some worked flint.

A lot of the focus in Artemi’s area has been on the paperwork, including updating and making new context cards and checking through past and present plans.


Cleaning back in the sunshine


Cleaning back in the rain!

With the recent wet weather hampering efforts to define and record new features, Artemi’s team have concentrated on removing the fills in the two big clay extraction pits. In the southern one, an exploratory hole was dug in one side to check the depth of the feature, which seems to be at least 2.4 metres. The fill at this depth is quite organic, and contains fragments of wood, although the preservation isn’t spectacular.

The trainees also cleaned the area around the northern clay extraction pit to see the edges more clearly. Finds have included some nice pieces of medieval green glaze pottery, lots of animal bone and some metal objects that will probably turn out to be nails. Progress has also been made in a sequence of refuse pits on the western part of Artemi’s area, where the second of his two wells continues to be removed as the earlier deposits are recorded and excavated.


A special task force clean up after the rain


The team from Week 11

[YAT]

WEEK 12

(Apologies for the delay with this one)

Ben and his team continued with the complex sequence of occupation deposits that related to early Viking activity along Hungate. There was at least one heated area that could have been linked with a hearth and then other spreads of material over the top of Roman soils and deposits. This material was a long distance from the road itself, but it seems that we will have a full landscape to look at by the time the excavations are finished.


Deciding what to put down for the deposit description

He also continued with a series of pits behind the occupation deposits..... These are some of the last pits that we dug on H1 and you can see that after a while we got used to them.


Ben and the team should know by now not to pull faces at the camera

Elena and her gang were looking for any possible features that were left cutting into natural. This is a very difficult thing to do, especially when the ground is dry. The finds from this area were dominated by Roman pot and tile, which links well with the Roman activity that we have found there since the end of the training excavation.


Natural deposits being checked for subtle features that may be hidden

Some of the features that we dug in the area next to H2 will be finished when we start to dig the archaeology of H2 in 2011, quite a long time to wait!


Digging next to H2

Artemi and his group were spending a lot of time finishing the last bits of the really complicated sequence of pits they worked on for a good part of the summer. This has proven to be very complicated as they were seemingly all cut into eachother. They have done a really good job in sorting out this sequence and it now makes perfect sense.


Artemi and the gang finishing off a group of features


Looking for the edges where natural has slumped


Taking a photo can get a little too much for some

The team from Week 12



A massive THANK YOU to every trainee, placement and staff member that has made the project go so well this summer!

Keep watching this space and we will give updates of what has been going on with the site and details for Archaeology Live! 2009