Arrived at site today just in time for the gyrocopter man’s second run…missed the first but Norman may send me some more pictures tomorrow.. gyrocopter man is Greg, Australian, and runs his own company from Ashton-in-Makerfield.. Vicky got to help him and they wear headsets through which they can see the ground as if they were up there in the ‘dragonfly’… in the second picture spot the take off – if you didn’t know already you can usually enlarge the picture by tapping/clicking on it..
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here is Greg with Norman looking at the results…I should be able to bring you a few in the next day or two. Greg says that he took images from 8 compass points at an oblique angle, then did shots straight down, then the whole area, then the three trenches: 6; 1; 2. Vicky said that looking through the headset was an amazing experience, quite brilliant, and virtually indescribable.
But there was archaeology going on as well, and here’s a quote from John on what’s happening in Trench 1: ‘Recording, recording, recording, recording and recording!’
here’s John, getting praise from archaeologists on the high quality of his recording, and as this is his last day here’s his drawing as well.
and here’s Samantha with her drawing of the East Gate post-holes….
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..and here she is actually drawing it (Sonia’s photo)
Just wait till you see those post-holes a bit closer up! But first the road further E
(so Trench 6) …
– Vicky’s going to have sleep deprivation over this she reckons… for it’s looking like there’s two road surfaces here, the one with the larger flatter stones going under the other one that we’re well used to seeing now… and part of it is delineated with the space? It’s possible that this part on the bottom right of the picture is the standing for the tower I mentioned yesterday…
…Cliff doing a fab job trowelling this majorly interesting feature! (Sonia’s photo)
And now the wonderful post-hole…
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… with Marc, who excavated it – and what you can see here is Bruton’s top wide cut looking for the post-hole, then the bedrock – the flat stone shelf, then the cut through it by the Romans. Bruton didn’t get down this far, we know because his fills can be recognized now, but you’re looking at the base of the post-hole and at the bottom of it was wood in the clay layer, just as in the clay layer at the bottom of the ditch in Trench 1.
In this bucket is the wood in the clay/mud – trust me it’s really there…
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And look who’s back in Trench 2 – yes,
..it’s Rachel!
..and here’s Marija, with my Neolithic structure, and Margaret with a very odd clay feature… sadly she can’t be back tomorrow to finish it..
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..these are Sonia’s legs, she’s had a day of it with the hard-packed surface to the left, but getting in there now, and there’s the semi-concrete surface to the right, looking so like a Neolithic house floor (Ancient Near East).
Also this morning…..
..we had a visit from HLF personnel Nick Herepath and Elise Turner, and also from Andrew Davidson, Principal Inspector of Ancient Monuments. We really hope that they liked what they found!
Good night then, until tomorrow, when we shall be parting, such sweet sorrow. (Apologies to Will).
But I won’t be leaving you for long, for I’ll keep you up to date for years to come!!
Yours, Bloggerina
