First day on the project, spent in Trench 8 removing a balk and cleaning sides for section drawing and photography. All this in preparation to shore up the side of the trench so that it can be dug down deeper in safety. This particular trench is being redug from the 60s, and will be taken all the way down to bedrock, and expanded. Apparently it is where a couple of recently rediscovered - and remarkable - swords were originally found. It's possible they came from a metalworker's cache, so it will be exciting to see what develops here.

Each morning they post a board showing who's doing what for the day, and each person is rotated through all the trenches and other jobs like washing finds, or being in charge of tea. Today's weather remained cool and overcast with a breeze and mist off the ocean - perfect working conditions. Even though my tent's next to the kitchen tent and hang-out area, it was no problem getting to sleep early last night, what with jet lag and all. Today's heavy work should prove good for that as well.

Almost everyone here comes from nearby universities, and it's their first dig. My trowel is older than some of them. I've had it since my first dig in Ireland in 1988 - and it's travelled widely with me - it's an archaeologist's primary tool when down in the trenches.


Panorama of the main dig area (need QuickTime to view; please ignore the ghost images -- I'll fix and repost next time).