CAER: Chester Amphitheatre Environs Research Project

Today was a measure of patience… as the dimensions of trench eight were calculated. The day yielded two coins, one Roman (trench IV), the other Elizabethan (trench VIII). Diligent finds marking The spoil heap was tended to today after once again being overloaded with soil. It would benefit all members of this dig to place spoil OVER THE SIDE OF THE SPOIL HEAP.  Finds were cleaned throughout the day and marked with their respective context numbers. This blog entry is the first to feature a complete view of the site from atop the now cleaned spoil heap (Which soil should be placed OVER THE SIDE OF). Excavation site at the end of week 3 Joe, Kieran & Rowan

Day 10 in Trench VIII began with mattocking and shovelling to reveal the orange-y clay layer beneath, ultimately to expose the ditch, which is believed to be Late Roman – Early Medieval, as it interrupts the Roman road which runs to the Amphitheatre.   In the morning, we found a piece of Roman glass, which was approximately 5cm in length, in addition to the usual finds of animal bone and pottery. Roman glass The afternoon was spent labelling previously cleaned finds from Trench VIII.   The finds were labelled with a fountain pen and black ink, which was very fiddly!   When we had finished labelling, we spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning finds from other areas of the site, which included lots of pottery and CBM (Ceramic Building Material). Labelled finds Alex & Josephine