We're so nearly there. I've spent the last 3 days, with the help of Patrick and Peter, two of our supervisory staff, making the preparations on site.
When we arrived, the outline of the trench was neatly delineated by the presence of giant hogweed, which in the last two months had grown up to 3 metres tall. With the help of an 8 tonne digger and a dumper the backfill has been removed, the spoil heap piled high, and yesterday and today the tools, huts, (portaloos), have been brought to site, and our brand new marquee has been put up.
It now looks and feels like an excavation site, and we can't wait to get started on Sunday!
When we arrived, the outline of the trench was neatly delineated by the presence of giant hogweed, which in the last two months had grown up to 3 metres tall. With the help of an 8 tonne digger and a dumper the backfill has been removed, the spoil heap piled high, and yesterday and today the tools, huts, (portaloos), have been brought to site, and our brand new marquee has been put up.
It now looks and feels like an excavation site, and we can't wait to get started on Sunday!
The giant hogweed before we started... up to 3 metres tall!
Vegetation cleared...
Backfill removal begins.
The cloth at the bottom (terram) protects the archaeology, and shows us
how far down to dig to just remove the backfill.
And 3 days later, we're practically done! C. 900 cubic metres of soil has been removed, which works out at something just over 1,000 tonnes...! Glad we don't have to do it all by shovel and wheelbarrow.
