Day 3: A dry day ft. ducks, squirrels, bees and cricket(s)!

From Holly… Throughout the day team D have been continuing to dig out our section of the trench by removing the backfill above the gully and Roman road which should allow us to move on to some more complex archaeology in the days to come, with only small pieces of pottery really being found around this area. We also took part in some level reading, which can be seen in the photo below, which will later allow us to measure archaeological features relative to sea level. The ducks from the previous days also decided to check in on us again whilst completing this activity as well as some friendly squirrels who decided to join in on the fun as well. Hopefully there will be lots of friendly animal visits as well as some interesting excavation in the days to come. 

Establishing a bench mark for the site using the dumpy level

Natasha… Today Team Bee and Team A continued trowelling work on our trench, this involved carrying on where we left off on Friday as well as uncovering the terram sealing the trench from last year and beginning work there. In the afternoon we had a lecture session with Jane from Cheshire West and Cheshire Council who educated us on Public Archaeology, seen in the photo below. Today was very dry (for once), entertaining and informative, with lunch breaks filled with cricket and frisbee and the mood at an overall high.

Jane Hebblewhite from CWaC discussing aspects of public archaeology.

Edward reports for Team A... Today was quite enjoyable for Team A. The progress we have been making with the continuous excavation of Trench VIII, has been steady but good; given that the ground's dryness made it difficult to dig. The visitors to the site today seemed interested in what we were excavating, and what we had already found, such as the bone, pottery, and clay pipe. Today was also interesting for the group, since Jane from Cheshire West and Chester Council gave us a brilliant lecture on public archaeology and its importance in promoting archaeology itself. Finally, we spent our breaks and lunch playing a round of cricket, and frisbee, whilst piquing the interest of a dog who kept wanting to play fetch.