Bits of this and that today – with one major change – it was cloudy and it rained!
This is Ruth Leary, the pottery expert, who came as preparation for a training morning tomorrow – 
– here and below she’s looking at the mystery object… but no solution yet – in fact the pot needs a ‘weak acid’ solution test and will probably be having it as we speak. More news hopefully tomorrow.
Ruth looked through all our pottery finds, below she’s looking at the mortaria piece found yesterday and at some of the Samian ware.
Then the press arrived (Oldham Advertiser) and here’s Sue having her picture taken holding the flint tool she excavated in the first week. Of all the flint found in these weeks it’s the only one that at the moment can definitely be said to be a tool…
As for the digging – at the East end of Trench 6 it’s beginning to look like the direction of the road has been changed at some point
…………………………
… the sandier bits are where the road has been robbed out and the line of the road veers away to the right as you can see.
Marc has been working up at the post-hole end… more on that tomorrow – this picture tells you is how much more comfortable digging has been today = cool/wet/happy
……………………….
In Trench 1 John says the cleaning up went well and they have a good set of photographs for the record – now excavating some of the features… and right at the end of the day Sue found the biggest piece of Samian we have excavated to date – picture tomorrow.
The ditch in Trench 7 is now being clarified, but, as mystical as ever, Trench 2 is still giving us things to think about.
Here Vicky is showing a part that needs trowelling back in association with two areas of burning just where they’re standing that are different from one another… and there’s one of the burnt areas near the stone going under the surface – a surface that looks a little bit like concrete/terrazzo.
– you can see the length of this ‘terrazzo’ feature stretching in front of where Jacqui is standing, and at the other end is a distinct pavement-like feature – just below the edge of the boots…
…………………
The tray contains pieces of mortaria as well as raindrops – the other picture is of my favourite hearth, now with samples taken from it and already looking like it contains organic residue …. both things lead Vicky and Jacqui to think that this area may be the kitchen area, and this would be of the Commandant’s house, said to be situated in this part of the first fort.
That’s all for today, stay tuned…back tomorrow! B
The Friends of Castleshaw Roman Forts 