Analysis of the Excavations

Reflecting on the Process

What have you learnt about archaeology by taking part in this excavation?

- I learnt that there is a long process that requires an effective team to be able to efficiently find artefacts.

- That when you dig you need to dig in levels. You can’t see the top of an artefact and then just dig in that area but rather you need to dig evenly down to avoid sediment running in and missing other artefacts. It also can mess up the person responsible for stratigraphy as the layers of the earth are not clear

- That archaeology is painstakingly slow and tedious. Everything has to be done with such care so that nothing gets damaged.

What difficulties were encountered in conducting the excavation and how were they dealt with?

- We struggled with immense rain which lead to a heavy water-filled tarp which took a while to empty as well as dense and moist soil which made it slightly more difficult to dig. We dealt with it by emptying the water bucket by bucket with lots at once, so it was fast.

- The biggest difficulty was with the rain, needing to remove the tarp with extreme care to avoid water spilling into the hole. Water in the hole would make the dirt tougher, making it harder to dig and the water could damage artefacts such as paper

- Another difficulty was mapping as many artefacts were found through sifting and couldn’t be precisely placed on the map

What could be some factors that affect the reliability and value of the artefacts (historical significance as evidence) found in excavations? This could relate to specific artefacts that we uncovered, or artefacts found in any excavation.

- Damage to artefacts

- Not mapping or bagging artefacts correctly- leading to uncertain authenticity of artefacts

- Not measuring how deep the artefact is found as the depth of its discovery can play an important role in determining the time it was from- through relative dating methods in particular