Nearly a week since the dig ended and doesn’t it feel strange! But I’ve collected a few photos to help us close up ….
Saturday 2nd, in the pouring rain, Norman did 2 tours – one for Mellor Archaeological Society ……….…………and one for the Greater Manchester Archaeological Federation – (it was even wetter by then…)
Norman gave a resume of the end-of-dig archaeological findings..…this is Trench 2, with its enigmatic archaeology, full of potential for the next round,
and here is Trench 1…. ….with its roads, barrack blocks, burnt areas suggesting banks of ovens, and the no-ditch situation at the far end –
Can’t resist showing you the gyrocopter photo of Trench 6 again as it’s so spectacular, and reminding you of the amazing and mysterious structures appearing in the last week!
… here’s something you may not have seen before – it’s a piece of the wood found in the base of the post-hole dug by Marc, not the piece in the bucket that I showed you last week but an even better one –
(this photo by Sue) – – think of this, it’s the actual wood of the post that was put into a post-hole dug somewhere around AD 79 in order to make the East Gate entrance to the Agricolan Fort.
The other images I can’t resist showing you again now are these – – yes it’s the turf wall base of the Eastern rampart……
And here’s the 18th Century cottage, excavated by the Key Stage 2 children of Saddleworth, looking fabulous having been tidied up for its photo –
Today – I went up to site for you,
……..to show you how it looks now….
…Trench 1 from the other end looking up at the ramparts
Trench 6 and the East Gate….. with a nice white marker boulder?!
– the Via Praetoria – then looking the other way – towards the East Gate…
– here’s the cottage of course,
and then I left, via a lovely Road! … – and here’s the site from afar, just about to have the last of its cabins taken away.
Goodbye Castleshaw, till next time.
In the next few weeks I’ll bring you some of the highlights of the dig, just to keep the memories alive!
Your faithful Bloggerina