Today was an exciting day at the dig, although it began in a less than exciting manner. We arrived at 9:00, per usual, and the sky was still gray with clouds. As we made our way up to the site, it was obvious that a weekend of rest had replenished our energies, as people were moving with a speed and pep that we had lacked towards the end of the previous week. Upon reaching the trench, however, our spirits were a little dampened, as we stood before a tarp that was flooded with water. Thankfully much of the site itself had been spared from the water, but that left us with the arduous task of removing the water from the tarps and dumping it further away. Fortunately, we had just the right tools, and we filled our soil buckets with water and began to slowly drain the tarps zones could begin the real work. After a good fifteen minutes or so, we had removed all the water and laid out the tarps to dry. Then it was time to dig.

Preparing the next layer

Before we jumped into the trench, Noel and Rory gave us a recap as to what we were looking for. We were finally coming towards the end of the current layer we were working through, which was context 23. Context 23 was mostly large to medium sized rocks, and the next layer would be context 25 (context 24 had been assigned to a specific segment of the wall, hence the jump in number). Context 25 was composed primarily of small gravel and stones, and it was this change in consistency of the soil and rocks that tipped us off that we had finally breach the previous layer. Finishing off context 23 proved to be challenging, as distinguishing between it and context 25 below it wasn’t the easiest task. We pushed through, though, trowling down and doing our best not to break through context 25 and scrape it all away. By the end of lunch, we had succeeded in clearing away context 23, and finally gotten down to the next layer!

After lunch, we took some level measurements again, taking down six different heights of context 25 within the trench.  Noel and Rory also took some photographs, then we collected the couple of artifacts we found and took down their positions as well.  Most of what was found in the bottom of context 23 was just more worked chert, with two notable exceptions: there was a small, lead artifact and a little rod of iron found within the south-western region of the trench. These finds were pretty far from the majority of the iron pieces we had found earlier, but were a nice ending to a particularly dense layer.

We began to trowel through context 25, gathering up the gravel and stones much in the same manner as before. As we made our way through the layer, more and more bone was being found. This in itself wasn’t that unusual, since bone was a pretty common find in context 23. However, the bones we were finding in context 25 were noticeably larger. Two large chunks of jawbone and the core of a cow horn were some of the more notable samples we uncovered, but there were plenty of other large chunks unearthed. Rory explained that the size of the bone samples we were uncovering could be an indication of the manner in which the layer was formed. The larger bones could be a sign that this layer was actually built up rather quickly; if they were smaller, like in context 23 above, the layer was probably slower to form. This is because the smaller samples would have been broken down by humans and other animals walking on top of them. Larger bones would have been spared such a fate by a quicker buildup of earth above them, shielding them from being destroyed.

Polishing Stone Found at Caherconnell June 2011

Aside from bone, there were two other very exciting finds uncovered right at the end of the day. The first was apolishing stone found at the northwest corner of the trench. This stone was extremely round, but slightly flattened at two opposing ends. It was probably used to polish leather, being run back and forth along the material, creating the flatter appearance over time. The next find was interesting, as it was less an artifact and more a feature found within the ground. It appears to be a potential hearth of some sort, with multiple clues surrounding it that would suggest its nature. First, there was a very different soil consistency, which Rory explained was likely compacted ash. Second, the limestone surrounding the area was quite fragile, and crumbled easily. This, explained Rory, could be the result of exposure to extreme heat, such as that found within a hearth. Third, the bone found within the area was white. While white bone may not seem all that special, it’s important to remember that the bones we have been uncovering have been an orangish, red color. White bone would only result from being placed within extreme heat, much like that which could have damaged the limestone. This potential hearth will be further excavated tomorrow, and only time will tell whether it will turn out to be a significant feature or not!