Lashing rain and brilliant sunshine, but the diggers battled on, undaunted even when they were deprived of their afternoon hot drink by a power cut at the manse
Here are some of the pieces of clay mould used by the metal workers. A rare finding of a fragment of glass suggests that these fine moulds may have been used in conjunction with the crucibles to manufacture jewellery.
Pieces of Clay mould May 2022
The team, now including Meg, has nearly worked through the metal working layer, but the finds keep coming: concrete evidence not only of metal working but also fine carving of wood and bone. At the end of the day, something different: a beautiful flint arrowhead from prehistory, which probably found its way into later layers as part of turf used in building work.
Flint arrowhead
There is still some work to do to clarify any structures at the east end of the trench:
Structures at east end of trench May 2022
we hope to use Duncan Drysdale’s trusty pump to clear the accumulated water in time for a possible filming during the day tomorrow. It is becoming clear that we may not be able to refill the trench on this visit because the surrounding ground is so wet. We are grateful to Andy Hough who stands ready to use his mini digger whenever the ground is dry enough for access.
Pumping out water May 2022