Having measured and plotted the testpits, preparing to excavate.

Six members turned out for today’s training session, being done in preparation for a future joint project.  This acted as both a refresher for some and an introduction to new aspects of archaeology for others and was a very "hands-on" experience.  It involved everyone starting from the very beginning by measuring the field from an agreed temporary Bench Mark and then setting out and digging a series of test pits to a defined size and depth.

 De-turfing the testpits

Often much of the preparation is done by the project manager and his or her assistant long before the excavators (human) appear on the scene. So this exercise was intended to introduce members to those earlier processes too so they would be better prepared for the above project, where they might have to work independently and perhaps even instruct someone else.

Working in pairs to excavate

In addition this training included the use of context sheets (seen above behind the bucket!) to accurately record what was found in each test pit. This is always an invaluable source of information for the archaeologists to analyse later (when memories have faded!) and it helps to build up a more complete picture of the site, as well as providing details of what was found and where.