Under the hearth and an amber bead!

Ollie updates us on the start of Week Three:

Today I was assigned to excavate a really delicate part of the site, the stones under the hearth. It was quite an interesting task as generally the difference between the two layers, the upper clay soil and the sandy soil underneath was difficult to notice for a learner like myself. Once I’d uncovered half the hearth area, I had to do a context sheet and draw the section, which would have been fine if there hadn’t been a small house worth of bricks in the middle of it. After this, I had the pleasure of finally ripping that huge pest of a rock out and then preparing it for photographs. I took great pleasure in drawing the plan of the hearth including all the bricks and surrounding areas.

Sadly for me there were no interesting finds, but a member of my group did manage to find an amber bead which was truly amazing. Well done Calum!

Ollie (left) gets advice on his plan from Dan the Supervisor.