Another beautiful week for JAM, as the team battled the weather and the soil to open site. It’s hard to believe it’s only May, but as the heat continues to soar this summer, we all have to remain safe, especially us out in the field. So remember to drink plenty of water, wear sun cream, and stay cool in the shade when you need to.
Caption: One of our lovely volunteers brought us the gift of ice lollies.
Despite the heat, the JAMFam has done an excellent job of opening site. We’ve managed to fully open last year’s main trench, as well as de-turf the trench extension. That means we’ll be ready to go in June when we’re joined by Master’s Students from the University of Newcastle for their two-week field school.
Caption: The results of the GPS survey showing the extent of last year’s excavations.
But just because we’re de-turfing doesn’t mean we’re without treasures. We’re finding all sorts of bits and pieces from the area of our trench extension.
Caption: we’ve almost found a complete door, a few more scraps and I’m sure we can glue it back together.
We were also joined this week by some lovely Groundwork volunteers from West Boldon Lodge who may have uncovered some of the first Medieval pottery of the season.
Caption: We’ll have to give it a wash to be sure, but the different glazes on these two pottery sherds likely date them to the medieval/pre-industrial era.
We’ll be finishing the week with a very exciting lecture from Dr. Gianluca Foschi, who will be taking us on a journey to Rome through the eyes of the Anglo-Saxon pilgrims.
