Day 6 - Learning the ropes: section drawing and finds processing

Katie H. describes non-digging activities -
My morning began with finds processing, where we were finally able to reveal the artefacts from the mud and soil covering them. It was nice to finally be inside in the warmth, instead of being cold and damp in the trench. We were able to warm our hands whilst cleaning pieces of pottery, glass, bone and the large array of clay tobacco pipes. On our break Julie even made us a cup of tea to complete the hospitality, which we thank her for greatly! Brushing the mud off artefacts was actually quite therapeutic and calming, and generally set the day off to a good start. We can now begin to get a clearer picture of what was happening on the site and having sherds of pottery dating from around the 16th century we can get an idea of the dates that we are looking at.
After lunch I, along with my group, started section drawing, which we had never undertaken before. After adjusting to the scale of the drawing, the trench became clearer and the different layers and levels in the ground were explored. A detailed drawing of the layers was revealed.
We had no rain today (which we were very grateful for). Although overcast and slightly chilly, once you were set doing something you never really felt the cold! All in all the excavation is proving a success so far and day by day we are discovering more about the history behind the area.