Day 25: Friday 23rd July

Weather: Sunny and chilly.

Word of the day: MATTOCK

Find of the day: The stone from a ring. (pictured below)

Above is a fragment of pottery. On the front is an elaborate pattern and on the backside (pictured) is the makers mark. If you look carefully you will be able to spot a dog and flag.


Students taking part in the material cultures field school spent the afternoon learning about lithics and deciding how to arrange the artefacts found in the display cabinet. Above is the top shelf which has been used to display the large number of interesting and diverse game pieces we have found.

The lithics talk this afternoon for material culture students was held outside. Above are arrowheads and below are blades.

Alvaro teaching the students.

In trench 17 there was a real sense of teamwork. It was incredibly busy. Mattocking, shovelling, wheel barrowing. Everyone was busy.

Charlie's Beard and the Charlie's Beard shovel. Can you spot the difference?

The blogger took to the trench to do some serious mattocking. It proved to be the best stress relief.

Day 23: Wednesday 21st July

We'd firstly like to wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Lauren.

Weather: Warm.

Word of the day: Buckets and finds train.

Find of the day: Large pieces of blue and white pottery. (Pictured below)

Above are students filling out a context sheet.

Both wednesday last week and wednesday this week we have had a number of community volunteers on site. This project is giving them an introduction to archaeology. They are invited to dig, trowell, sieve for finds and clean the finds. Above are two community volunteers searching for finds in the soil heaps.

The material culture students were doing finds processing today. They also had an informal session outside in the sun led by Alvaro, about the excavation and treatment of Organic Materials. All the students were intently listening and afterwards commented on how interesting the talk was.

Becky and Cherubin learning about Organic Materials.

Charlie's Beard was mostly made of metal today.

Introducing...

Name: Cherubin. Recently graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi where he studied Geographic Information Systems.
Likes: Cars, shiny things and Corporation.
Dislikes: Avril Lavigne, mean people and politicians.
Ideal Dinner Party guests: Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed, Dennis Rodman, Henry VIII and Seth McFarlan.
If I could be anyone for a day, i'd like to be: James Bond
If I could be involved in any archaeological excavation, I'd like to excavate: The Temple of David underneath the Dome of Rock.

http://graal.co.uk/houseofdavid.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock

Weather: Still can't make up it's mind. Hot, cold, rainy.

Word of the day: Material Culture

Find of the Day: A pair of copper alloy pins. (Below)

A few weeks ago we found a piece of pottery with a pair of feet on it and some horses legs. This piece pictured above is from the same piece of pottery. Unfortunately they don't quite fit together. Theer is a tiny piece missing from the puzzle.

This glazed number is what is known as Manorware and there are huge amounts of it because it was produced here in the 18th/19th century.

A new field school were on site today. This field school is called Material Culture.

http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/field-schools/manor-lodge-mc.html

Hutch sorting a finds tray.

In trench 16, students were digging out a new feature. Further down a large hole was discovered. A post may have been in this hole at some point.

Site planning is still going on. Above Charlotte is recording stone by stone in a feature in trench 18.

Blake trowelling trench 17.

Charlie's Beard looked rather wind swept today.

Introducing...

Name: Katie. BSc Archaeology, Sheffield.
Likes: Holidays in the sun, lasagne and dogs.
Dislikes: Spiders and her brother.
Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be: Blondie
Greatest Moment: An expedition to Bolivia.
If I could be involved in any archaeological excavation, I'd Like to excavate: East Smithfields Black Death Cemetary.

.org.uk/English/Collections/OnlineResources/CHB/Database/Medieval+cemeteries/ESmithfieldBlackDeath.htm

Name: Philippa. BA History and Archaeology, Newcastle University.
Likes: Latin American and ballroom dancing, Mohitos and rugby men.

Dislikes: Creepy crawlies, blood, injections and plasters.
Favourite Film: Dirty Dancing.

Desert Island Discs: Spice Up Your Life-The Spice Girls, 9 to 5- Dolly Parton, Purple Rain-Prince, Boys of Summer-Dj Sammy, Livin La Vida Loca- Ricky Martin and Wonderwall-Oasis. Ray Mear's Surivival Guide and Alfie the Teddy Bear.
If I could be involved in any archaeological excavation, I'd like to excavate: MV Cita

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Cita