SEDGEFORD HISTORICAL  AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT

Weblog Week 4 (24th July to 29th July 2005)

Kirsty Halifax

Week 4 was a productive week despite the awful weather which consisted of rain, rain and more rain, (apart from Friday which was wonderfully hot, just in time for the site tour).  This week there were 2 courses running, the "Advanced Excavation and Research Design" course in which students looked into possible areas for further research at S.H.A.R.P and the "B.E.R.T" (Basic Training) course.

Elsewhere on site the trenches ran smoothly despite all 3 battling against the weather.  The Roman project continued to uncover several ditches which have now been identified as two separate phases. One, being dated to the first and second centuries A.D. and containing an entrance way, shows the possibility of some form of enclosure. Around the entrance, a large scatter of pot was found backing up this theory. The back of a brooch was also found here.

The other ditch has been dated to the late third and early fourth centuries A.D., this date is supported by the recovery of a coin from 283 to 286 A.D. In the ditch, there is also some form of surface which Matt has interpreted as a yard surface. Another coin was found in the earlier ditch although this coin appears to be of a much later date, so further investigations must be carried out to give a more precise date. Also found this week was some form of small oven which has yet to be dated.

New Trench has been moving quickly this week. We removed the vast majority of the colluvium layer, revealing the layer into which the archaeology would have been cut. Also excavated this week were two pits dating to the late Saxon period and a possible post hole in the north western corner of the trench. Work also continued on removing baulks from some of the ditches to give a smooth run of ditches. After substantial cleaning back New Trench is now free of skellies. The baulk is also devoid of skellies, the last 3 were excavated and lifted this week. The baulk is now beginning to pick up the ditches that run to it from New Trench.

Old Trench have finally admitted they will not be finished this year as they have ten more burials and the Iron Age layers. So far this season they have excavated and lifted 22 burials and have started to look at some Iron Age features in the part of the trench that the burials seem to respect. One of these features contained some very nice decorated Iron Age pot and Mark is interpreting it as either a large pit or the terminus of a ditch which may run under the cemetery.