SEDGEFORD HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT
Weblog Week 3 (18th July to 23rd July 2004)
BONEYARD NEW TRENCH
First to the trenches. New Trench is
going “great guns” and for the first time all season we have needed to put
the sprinklers on. In an attempt to understand the relationship between the
upper and lower terraces, we have carried out a thorough trowel back in the
north-eastern sector of the trench. Ditches can be seen running north-south into
the flints. Further slots have been removed from the “big” (southern)
east-west ditch on the upper slope. The area where the north and southern
east-west ditches converge is yet to be investigated. We’ve had a brilliant
week for small finds. A piece of bone comb handle, complete with one of the
rivets that would have kept the teeth in place, was found by Billie in one of
the possible occupation areas on the lower slope during the trowel back. Nearby,
Eloise discovered a beautiful Anglo-Saxon copper alloy double spiral-headed pin,
in near perfect condition. We also had an Anglo-Saxon copper alloy hooked tag
and a whetstone, both found by Jane in a fill of the southern east-west ditch, a
possible iron purse hanger, discovered by Neil within the same ditch but much
further to the west and half of a Saxon turquoise glass bead, sadly unstratified.
A particularly interesting
environmental sample was taken from a charcoal rich fill of the southern
east-west running ditch. Thanks to Val Fryer for analysing it so quickly for us!
The sample was found to contain burnt grains including barley, rye and wheat,
chaff from the threshing of grain, burnt clay and a possible piece of burnt
bread. According to Val, it is likely to represent the sweepings from an oven
which was probably very close by. This sample has provided us with the first
environmental evidence that people were living nearby and producing/processing
their food. It is unusual to find environmental evidence of this type from rural
settlement sites.
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BYD NT Week 3 PHOTOLOG - click each picture for a bigger version
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BONEYARD OLD TRENCH
Over to Old Trench, where the major development has been the re-opening of excavations on the baulk. Six burials of varying degrees of completeness have been under investigation, two of which were lifted this week. A coffin bracket associated with one of the skeletons is particularly interesting as it was found underneath a shrouded burial, and must represent one of the earliest phases in the cemetery. The frequent assumption that coffin burials were a later phenomenon on the site therefore seems to be incorrect. An Anglo-Saxon east-west ditch has been discovered, which terminates beside the hoard pit; Gareth has suggested that this may be an early cemetery boundary. A few very truncated features have been observed cutting into the natural, including a Saxon charnel pit and a highly truncated Iron Age feature. We have also noted the continuance of a north-east/south-west aligned Iron Age ditch, which appears to have formed the western side of a working enclosure, or possibly even a ritual enclosure into which the hoard pit was sunk. Above this ditch we had some very nice finds including a flint blade and an Anglo-Saxon pin beater (used in weaving), both found by Gareth. We still have more burials and Iron Age and Saxon ditches to investigate, but the end of the baulk is in sight! As for the rest of the Old Trench, Mark says “burials and ditches, isn’t that enough?!”
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BYD OT Week 3 PHOTOLOG - click each picture for a bigger version
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BONEYARD - ON THE BAULK!
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BYD BAULK Week 3 PHOTOLOG - click each picture for a bigger version
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SEDGEFORD VILLAGE SURVEY
Gabe went away this week, but Zannah and Jen continued the previous week's work
by cleaning and archiving the 30 trays of finds. An offer to test-pit in a
nearby, recently cleared field, ended up as an intensive surface collection and
metal detecting survey by Zannah, Jen P, Dave B, David R, Terry, Becca,
Victoria, Alix, Kev & Jen W. (in various roles over 3 days), with (so far)
3.5kg of pottery sherds!! This survey should continue on Monday, after the Open
Day madness is over.
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SVS Week 3 (15th July) PHOTOLOG - click each picture for a bigger version
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HUMAN REMAINS
To Date 10 skeletons have been lifted in 2004, excavated from both Boneyard Old Trench and New Trench, excavation of more skeletons is in progress. Those which have been lifted have continued on through the post-excavation process of drying, cleaning and recording. This is done by our very capable volunteers, helped when possible by HR supervisors Charlotte, Martin and Maria. Not only are the HR supervisors involved with the post excavation process, but someone is always on hand for consultation or supervision in excavation and lifting. To top it all this was a Basic course week so everyone was very busy (as usual!). The course went very well, with a good presentation being given by our trainee osteologists at the Friday site tour.
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HR Week 3 (20th July) PHOTOLOG - click picture for a bigger version
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Site Tour Week 3 (23rd July) PHOTOLOG - click picture for a bigger version
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FINDS OF THE WEEK - click each picture for a bigger version
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OVH GIS Work
Megan: The GIS plot below demonstrates some of the potential and problems with these sorts of maps. Although the plot shows really nicely where all medieval pottery has been found by SHARP over the last 9 years it does not differentiate between the abraded small sherds of medieval pottery which were probably spread over the fields during manuring, and the larger less abraded pieces that represent occupation and activity. So we now have to think about whether we might have different tables for different size sherds, or measures of abrasion or simply just interpret the entire fieldwalking scatter as manuring spreads. Perhaps by overlaying the medieval or later maps we might be able to relate the boundaries of fields to spread so manure? Any suggestions more than welcome – send them to the SHARP forum!
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GIS PLOT - click for a bigger version
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