Friday, August 29, 2008

Some more links for the Butts Dig

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11507123@N00/2775676467/ is a photo by 'juggzy malone' who had a good day in Worcester to judge from her excellent photos on Flickr.
http://worcestershire.whub.org.uk/home/wcc-arch-community-the-butts is the Official Site on the County Council Web Site.

If you are searching Google, you are advised to put something in the search box in addition to the word 'Butts'. Or prepare to be surprised.

The Butts Dig Open Day

You can come and see the dig anytime you like. It's open between 10am and 4pm seven days a week until 12 Oct. But be sure to come to our special Open Day on 20 September 2008, where you can
  • Meet Roman soldiers
  • Dig for buried treasure
  • Get hands-on with history by washing ancient pots
  • Meet an archaeological artist
  • Find out more about the fascinating archaeology of Worcester



Friday Job

Friday jobs done by enthusiastic volunteers are as good as weekday jobs. Weekend jobs are pretty effective too.



Saturday, August 23, 2008

Library and History Centre Site has dig pics


We're spreading all over the web! The official site of the new Library and History Centre (that's what comes next after we have dug the hole for the basement with our trowels) has pictures and a webcam on
http://www.rjcmedia.co.uk/worcester_library/
Try the pan and tilt webcam, which enables you to control a live camera on the top of Russell and Dorrell. Oh the power!

BBC Web Site Digs In

http://www.bbc.co.uk/herefordandworcester/content/image_galleries/wri_dig_gallery.shtml?1 is a long way of saying get to the BBC Web Site and see photos of the Butts Dig and some of the Castle Street site, called here the Castle Road Dig.



The picture here (not on the BBC feature) is of the state of the dig before the volunteers arrived, with a water main burst providing a foretaste of the rainy conditions to come in the first weeks!

Friday, August 15, 2008

Team Time

There was a presentation to the whole team, and everyone else who wanted to come, on Friday, after almost two weeks of work on the site. Darren gave us a rundown on what we have found so far, what we think it is, and what to look for as a result. The problem is that we are working backwards: we have to dig away the Council refuse lorry base, the Victorian builder's yard, the (possibly) 17th century defensive ditch (possibly one of those), the undatable stretching racks for fine Worcester Cloth (which almost certainly aren't) and some agricultural land to get to the Roman remains we know are there. At one end of the site this is so. At the other, we are straight into digging out nice though common Roman pots, all the later stuff having been in the three feet that was cut away by the JCB, or possibly by the people building the builders' yard. We have plenty of time, because this dig is going on until October, but it seems to move quite slowly. The information we get from carefully drawing, measuring, photographing and recording is what we are achieving, but digging things up is what we like doing best.





Saturday, August 09, 2008

Buttkickers

The Butts Dig, uncovering thousands of years beneath the site of the new Worcester Library and History Centre, is under way. I had two days of kneeling and scraping the surface free of debris, and a day of kneeling to read off measurements, then woke on the fourth day with a very stiff back. Once all the finds were washed, there was nothing left but photography. Not the archaeological sort of photography, recording information about cuts - the holes, and fills - the stuff that was put into them or fell into them. It was blog photography, trying to get pictures of the volunteers and the work they were doing. I took about a hundred, including a video that you have to watch lying sideways because I held the camera sideways - sorry, Ann. There are four pics below, with more to come when I've Gimped them. Julian, our poet, is going to write some poetry of the trenches for me to publish - in return for a link to his book.




Saturday, August 02, 2008

New Archaeological Dig open to everyone!

My friend Laura has sent a comment on a page far down this blog, so I'm repeating it here. I'm starting on Monday, Day One, unless my dentist can fit me in to fix a broken filling, in which case it will be Tuesday!

The Dig at the Butts
Okie dokie - just read my last message about how we should do a community excavation again. With all our best intentions it's been a while - but with a great deal of hard work from everyone across the County's Heritage Services we're off again! On Monday the 4th August 2008 the first volunteers arrive to work on the 10 week community excavation.
Let me tell you how unusual it is to have this happen. Most excavations called 'training excavations' expect people to turn up and dig - for a fee. This dig in Worcester gives everyone the chance to dig for no charge - to find out what an archaeological excavation is really about - work along side professional archaeologists - get the chance to ask the questions you've wanted to ask when watching Time Team - and get real answers - not just the ones that suit the producer's requirements. We're not making TV we're building a library and the archaeology is all a part of that process. The Library will be for the residents of worcester and the dig is for the same people. (end of rant - sorry).
Please come down to The butts Dig - the old City Council depot up from the Cattle Market car Park - if you can't or don't want to join in the excavation - the Dig is open for 10 weeks from 4th August 10am - 4pm for 7 days a week.
There's an exhibition and guided tours at the weekends.
Sorry but the dig volunteers must be over 18 and fit enough not to hurt themselves in physical work, but as a personal comment I'd like to make it clear that if you have a disability or a slightly fragile state and really want to get involved, have a word with the organisers - they can make things possible. There will also be events for under 18s and groups - for more info phone 01905 855455 between 9:30 and 12:30.
hope to see everyone there.
Laura