CAER: Chester Amphitheatre Environs Research Project

Lucy and Jack’s group get to the bottom of things in trench 4… Lucy… Today the main focus in our section through the ditch was to remove the last remaining large stones from the fill, and to hopefully reach the bottom. This afternoon after many attempts we finally managed to get the last sandstone out (shown in the photos below), which nearly led to some missing toes. Overall today has been a fab day in the trench, as all our hard work over the last few weeks has paid off, with us managing to reach the bottom of the ditch. This has led to a feeling of accomplishment amongst me and my group, as for a long while it was debated if we would ever reach the bottom. Team work and some rope skills required... A sense of achievement in visual form?! Jack…Today our group had a study leave break for the morning, so we were not on site until the afternoon. This left us feeling refreshed and ready to work in the lovely weather, and the ditch we were excavating was slightly ...

Robert and team C continue to dig deeper… today we tried to find the bottom of what might be an Anglo Saxon ditch. We had many interesting finds such as Roman pottery some of which may have been from an incense burner and containers, there was also plenty of animal bone. Although the soil was difficult to take out of the ground, the sun was shining and ice lollies were provided at the end of the day so on the whole it was a great experience. A well deserved ice lolly at the end of a hard days work! Edward reports for the A-Team… today we were tasked with taking height measurements or ‘levels’, and drawing plans of areas of Trench VIII. I also took part in excavating a suspected post-hole. There were also large groups of visitors at the site today, including some from a school, all of whom seemed interested in the site’s history, and what we had found. The rain water that had collected in Trench IV was needed to make the trowelling more easy, but the nice weather made ...

Sammy reports from Trench 4 and the continuing case of the mystery ditch… Today's activities built upon what was achieved last week, the lowering of the ditch fill to expose more of the wide Roman/early-Medieval cut. Amongst the deposit filling this cut we found a variety of material, mostly animal bone and Roman pottery, particularly Samian and Black Burnished Ware. In recent days we have found bone which is believed to belong to a juvenile pig (pictured). Note the size of the bones, in particular the jaw bone, along with the black appearance due to discolouration from the surrounding sediment. Pig bones from the ditch fill Due to the trench now being entirely below the natural water-level we are finding conditions difficult. Jack has thus far best summarised the weight of the waterlogged 'sludge' as being "the heaviest thing in the world". Only time will tell if conditions will improve! Jessica gets a drier spot to work on… Today was a relatively...

Abigail’s group make a nice find in trench 4… Today we continued to dig down into the next context alongside the Roman road. Upon doing so we discovered a range of Roman pottery, building materials and animal bone. The discovery of a copper alloy Roman coin by Kayleigh was also a highlight. A copper alloy coin dating to the Roman period. Keep an eye out for more info towards the end of the dig! Alfie’s group find a big cat… Today Group C’s main job was using tools such as the mattocks, shovels and hand trowels to slowly work down the section in the supposed Anglo-Saxon ditch whilst occasionally cleaning it to see if there were any changes in the soil’s context. The main kinds of contexts we worked through today were mixed clay soils and a grey silty deposit. In terms of finds, many sherds of pottery, including samian ware and black burnished ware, were found along with ceramic building material all dating to the Roman period. Lots of animal bones were found as well. Mos...

Sophie’s team has mattock mania… Today Teams A and Bee were tasked with mattocking trench 8 to determine whether we had reached a new context. The mattocking was hard work but we all cooled off in the breaks in the shade after the first full sunny day in Grosvenor Park! Finally  some sunny weather for excavation in the Park! Alex  discusses dust and discovery… The mattocks were out for the A-team on a roasting day. The dry mud caused hassle but once in the swing of it the A-team and team B continued on with their work finally getting past most of the backfill and into the new contexts. Discoveries were plentiful with large pieces of bone and pottery being found. Throughout the day the A-team engaged with the interested public answering questions and showing our finds. However, the heat was a difficult opponent causing much needed water and shade breaks, yet the A-team continued through this and completed the day. Now the A-team is in preparation for the next day of...

This afternoon team B did some recording of the Roman road and gully, whilst other members of the team did some level recording and filling out of context sheets. We are well underway to mapping out the road. The remainder of the road gully was removed, finding more in the second half of the ditch than the first, including metalworking and Roman pottery. Elsewhere in the trenches, people continued to excavate the unknown depths of a medieval (?) ditch. At the very end of the day, other members were uncovering a possible stone well cap. Overall Team B would like to say we have thoroughly enjoyed our time together over the last few weeks, with 21 ice creams consumed, 3 major sunburns, 4 animal invasions, an unknown number of buckets carried, and thousands of memories made. We’ve had a brilliant time! Team Bee and their tribute to the trench burrowing bees