Day 6

After yesterday’s good discoveries, the team were keen to get stuck into another day of digging.

In Trench 3, excavation of the ditch is progressing well.  We have discovered a loamy layer which we think is the original ground surface.  The ditch has been cut through this layer and it was then buried under the revetment wall and redeposited subsoil during the construction of the bank.  This original ground surface extends to the north-western end of the trench; we will remove this layer once the ditch and bank have been fully excavated.

John excavating the ditch in Trench 3

It was a hive of activity in Trench 4 today.  The animal skeletons have been recorded and removed, below which was a layer of sticky clay which contained bottle glass.  This was directly overlying the natural bedrock and subsoil.

Two cuttings have been made into the platform are in the middle of the trench, this has revealed a burnt clay deposit containing a lot of charcoal.

Cutting through the platform in Trench 4 showing the burnt clay deposit

At the bank to the north-western end of the trench the burnt clay deposit revealed yesterday was sampled for further investigation back at Queens.  As well as containing an abundance of charcoal there were also fragments of burnt bone.

In Trench 5, the excavation of the slot trench was completed, revealing two postholes in the eastern corner of the trench. One of these was excavated and sampled today. These postholes and the slot trench likely relate to a structure being present here in the past. In the south-west of the trench, the levelling up deposits were removed. These revealed that the grey clay that is present in the extension is continuing on past the rock outcrop and diving down onto a layer that we think may be the natural subsoil.

Post holes in Trench 5 (the one to the top of the photo remains unexcavated)

Thanks to our volunteers éilis, John McL, John H, Jan, Clare, Bettina, Rebecca, Sean, Li, Conall and Olcan