Comment: Romans in Ravenglass video now live!

I’m pleased to say that the Romans in Ravenglass video is now available to view on the Lake District National Park website. Just click here to view.

The 5 minute version is a cut down version of the 13.40 minute one which is well worth watching. It gives a really good impression of the dig and what all your hard work achieved. If you are lucky you might even see yourself in the video!!

Report: 24th September - School visits

Good weather heralded the arrival of groups of children visiting from various local schools.  This meant that the site was very busy!

The children were trying out pot washing ...

 
... using the portable sand pit to excavate ,,,

... and taking the Spoilheap Challenge!

The film company were also on-site making a video of the excavations ...

Meanwhile, the site was still having visitors drop by for a talk and a tour ...

... and fifty-six finds trays were out in the fresh air drying ...

... whilst small finds were being bagged, and the bags were pierced by the Holey Nail of the Finds Hut so that the finds didn't sweat ...

Phew!

Report: 16th September

... and just for a change it's raining again, and windy with it!  This meant that even the compound gazebo stayed in its box.  Strangely, the humans didn't want to stay indoors and went out to paddle around in the mud!


In Trench One they were cleaning up the foundations of a possible building (foreground), and a street (background):

Photography and planning are due to take place.

Meanwhile in Trench 2 there were rumours of something rather interesting, but Supervisor Bryan is literally keeping it under wraps due to the rain, so no pix yet!

Much washing of finds is taking place, though it's likely that the trays will run out before they are are finished!   A quick read of the previous dig on the fort revealed that they too did not find much in the way of (animal) bone, except where it was burnt - just like us!

Report: 13th-14th September - Open Days

Today (16th Sept)  it's rainy, windy and just a bit chilly, but 13th & 14th September were site Open Days.  We were lucky, as both days had fine weather!  The Friday Open Day focussed on local societies, plus the Portable Antiquities Scheme Officer for Cumbria was available to identify finds from the area. He brought some finds from Ribchester Roman Fort with him, including glass beads, a silver ear-ring, coins and finger rings:

Also present were the Lake District Archaeologists, with Holly helping to meet and greet, as well as doing site tours:

Mervyn (background in hi-vis jacket) was the mainstay at the gate, along with Janice and other helpers potwashing and fielding initial questions:

A full range of other site activities were underway including digging in all three trenches, and working on environmental samples:

It was Supervisor Clark's last day on the Ravenglass samples, so time for one last photograph - his nifty wet weather headwear was much admired on previous rainy days:

Saturday was specifically a Family Fun Day, so a Outreach Officer Lisa brought along a sandpit available for kids to dig up their very own finds:

It was also busy at the Lake District tent, and Brian helped out, including doing site tours:

It was a much busier day than Friday, but it was still easy to pick out the diggers in their hi-vis jackets as they returned to their trenches after a well earned tea break:

The Finds Officer was pleased as she was able to let the finds trays out of the confines of the Finds Hut so they could get a bit of sun and (hopefully) get dried out enough to bag up:

 

Also enjoying the sun, were the diggers, especially when they got time to have a break from digging:

During the two Open Days, over 300 people came to visit the site to see what the commmunity had found in the three trenches at Ravenglass. We're recording where our visitors come from and its interesting to see that as well as local people, people are also coming from Lancashire, Yorkshire, Herefordshire, Scotland, Germany, and Australia!

Comment: 6th September

Yes, it's raining today:

Report: 5th September

All trenches are now being dug.  Geophys is still on site surveying.  Pot washing is being done.  Some of the ceramics are still rather water soluable, with the Roman Samian ware and some of the tile being the major culprits. The weather is good, but rain is on the cards, so gazebos were brought the previous evening (which entailed driving to the late night Argos over in Barrow, via the short cut of Corney Fell) and two were erected by Brian and Leo.  One was for the compound to provide extra shelter for the diggers at teabreak, plus shelter for the gallant potwashers.  The other was way up in the field near Trench 3 (Supervisor Rowan's domain) to provide some cover should it get really nasty up there - otherwise it's a long walk back in the rain!  

Director Kurt talks about Trench 1 - note the large blocks in the foreground - so large that they may well be part of a building.  Still a lot to do, though, to expose the trench properly

 Supervisor Bryan explains Trench 2.  There is a large area of stones, with more to uncover yet.  There's also a hint of some sort of industrial activity.  Bryan's also manfully modelling the Romans in Ravenglass t-shirt!

Supervisor Rowan talks about Trench 3.  The most advanced trench in that it has been mattocked and is down to a bit of trowelling in places. Again, stoned surfaces are to the fore ...

Report: 4th September, and pictures

4th September: Another busy day on site, with machining continuing in Trench 1 & 2.  Geophys was on site again.  Trench 3 is now fully operational and the subject of much trowelling!

Here's a quick picutre diary of the Dig so far, up to 4th September:

Brian , Leo,  Kurt and Oscar the dog contemplate the field work ahead

The Welfare Unit/Office.  Complete with the Ladies Loo with the dodgy door knob and generator dependent lighting!

Director Kurt and Supervisor Bryan sort out the generator ...

...

Director Kurt and Supervisor Bryan sort out the Heras Fencing Panel ...

The Compound completed : Store to the left, along with the Portaloos, Finds Hut straight ahead and Welfare Unit, with Ladies Loo to the right!

John the machine driver and Supervisor Bryan take the top soil off Trench 1

Geophys (GSB) was on site undertaking the magnotometer survey and the volunteers helped in the afternoon

 Jimmy from GSB shows the volunteers the data they collected - he was impressed that they had demagnetised themselves pretty well (no metals can be worn whilst undertaking the survey)

The best photo by far ( though I might be biased, signed the Finds Officer!) Simona and Jan wash finds - Roman Samian, tile, and rather more recent glazed pot