Last week we finished our intensive two-week block of post-ex with our colleagues from ARS. Their support throughout this project has been invaluable, and we will all be sad to see them go. Wednesday, the museum’s resident mouser, will be especially upset after developing a fondness for the JAMFam these last few weeks.
Wednesday spent many cosy afternoons snoozing, stealing cheese, and being a general distraction; just as it should be. She wasn’t the only new friend though….
Picture: Rúh enjoys a tasty snack.
We spent the rest of our time diligently working on post-excavation tasks, such as finds cleaning and marking.
Picture: A George the VI Commemorative Brick (1939), likely locally produced- possibly from Bede’s Works- for the Royal opening of the Team Valley Trading Estate. Freshly washed and marked.
Picture: The team washing finds, marking dried finds, and petting cats.
Picture: Dake brought an archival photo-rig to help us take high quality photos of finds.
Marking finds is when you use a clear varnish and permanent marker or India Ink to write the site code, context number, and any other important information on the finds themselves. We do this so that if an artefact is removed from its bag and other labels, to be put in an exhibition for example, we still know exactly where it came from.
Picture: A piece of Medieval pottery, marked with the site code and context number ‘JAM25 (0001)’.
Not all finds are suitable for this kind of labelling, but it can be incredibly useful when you have artefacts out and about. When marking finds we always put down a layer of water-soluble gloss varnish so that we can remove anything we write with another round of washing.
You may also have seen that we held an event to discuss and celebrate the project this past Sunday- JAM; The Story so Far.
Picture: Marco leads a presentation and Q&A session.
The event was a massive success, with special guests including volunteers, families, and the Mayor himself!
We had a presentation on the progress of the project so far, with a Q&A where attendees could ask staff and volunteers questions about the site and the project, as well as some absolutely delicious cakes supplied by Hive Coffee Company. We also had a children’s scavenger hunt where prizes could be won if you successfully answered my riddles three.
Things will start to slow down now though as the museum gets ready for winter, but fear not, as JAM will be back in the new year with a whole new program of exciting events, so keep you peepers peeled for what comes next!