Last Days

The last part of any dig can be taken up with checking the paperwork and going on 'pot search', digging out sectioned features for more diagnostic pottery. But for 'Uncle Albert' it was a rush to dig a last feature, which turned out to be a kiln:

The flue at the baulk and some burning were the clues. Easily missed by less experienced eyes. This changed the way the feature next to it was interpreted:

This is an important find for the site, as it shows that this settlement was also the location of pottery manufacture.

Our supervisor, 'Pistol Pete', also wanted to obtain some photos of the roundhouse. As we couldn't afford a helicopter we rigged up a camera on the level staff for some high-up shots:

Mine were not so good:

so I will ask for some copies and post them later.

All sites have to end and the team breaks up. In a big city unit one can usually see staff at another site sooner or later. In a rural setting, and staff who are on very short contracts, it is probable that I will never see some of this team again. 

I'm off digging in Taunton next week, for three days, and then I do not know when I will be digging again. I enjoyed this site and the team I worked with, but glad I no longer do it twelve months a year. The weather made this a tough one, but that comes with the job. I still look forward to another site, sooner or later, but now it is back to community work and teaching.