After a particularly soggy morning setting-up at the Iron Age feasting site of East Chisenbury (Salisbury Plain), Wessex Archaeology’s Phil Harding and Kirsten Egging Dinwiddy, Breaking Ground Heritage’s Dickie Bennett and Richard Osgood (also of Operation Nightingale and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation) and a group of marvellous volunteers connected with these organisations, welcomed the Jon Egging Trust’s Blue Skies participants for their second archaeology-themed Inspiration Day.
One of their tasks was to investigate the soil mounds created by badgers, who had been very busy ‘reorganising’ the underlying deposits which contain a remarkable quantity of 2700 year old artefacts. In small teams, including archaeologists, they made sure their work was carried out as methodically as possible amongst the damp vegetation and uneven terrain. Finding various decorated pottery sherds, numerous animal bones and even some coprolites (fossilised dung) certainly initiated some interesting discussions!
The volunteers helped the teams to carefully wash the pottery and animal bone, making sure that they didn’t mix up the finds from the different spoil heaps whilst discussing why this task is so important.
Richard, Dickie and volunteers from the Southampton University Air Squadron led an entertaining communication exercise, where a blindfolded student was led a short distance away by a partner. They then had to assemble a simple Lego model according to the instructions given via radio sets by another student.
Images © Jon Egging Trust
Many thanks to all those involved, much fun was had by all – even by those who had to endure several hours in squelchy socks.
We are looking forward to the graduation ceremony in a few weeks and to next year’s exploits!
By Kirsten Egging Dinwiddy, Senior Osteoarchaeologist
Thanks to the Jon Egging Trust for providing the images used in this blog.