...not the clay ones
This week I was on site with Emilia and Charlotte on one of the London & South East excavations learning how to use the new tablet recording system.
When I first arrived at Wessex many years ago site recording was carried out on paper with different sheets for different artefacts and material such as soils, masonry timber etc.
Now everything is recorded on a tablet, all different types of material can be recorded on one device, no longer hearing those panic inducing words ‘so where is the site file?’. This also allow regular uploads to a server and means that specialist can look at the data including photographs sketch plans and locations almost immediately and give advice.
It also means that additional data can be sent to the archaeologists on site from information on artefacts they weren’t expecting, health and safety information and more importantly the locations of the nearest café.
After a week on site I can say they are very useful but they will never be able to dig a hole!
Next week I will be working with our new geophysicist Patricia Voke and finding out how it isn’t like dowsing . . . apparently.