Work has continued on site excavating the rubble foundations of walls in our main excavation area. Like the ditches and pits we looked at in week 2, the foundations are given context numbers, and once they have been excavated and cleaned, we can begin to record them. Each feature is recorded in (at least!) four ways: written, drawn, surveyed, and photographed. Each member of our team can carry out every step of the recording process! Along with any artefacts found, this record of these structures and features will help us understand how the site looked over time, and what it was used for.
For each feature or structure, we create a detailed written record, including hand-drawn plans. We also have developed our digital recording system. This is useful, as it means we can access information about the site more easily and makes long-term archiving and storage much simpler.
To build up our understanding of the site's layout, we use equipment to gather very accurate spatial data. This spatial data is processed by our digital team, who use it to create maps, plans, and site models.
Archaeologists take a lot of photographs! Including a ranging rod or scale bar is really important as it means we can understand the size of the feature in the photograph.
All photographs are carefully recorded on the photo register. We take multiple photographs of each feature from different angles, as well as general site photos. This allows us to correctly orientate the features on site plans and in reports after we have finished on site.
