Wessex Archaeology has been commissioned by Pan Neighbourhood Partnership to run a summer holiday archaeological dig on a small area of land behind Garden Way, Pan on the Isle of Wight.
The site was chosen on the advice of Cheryl Snudden from Pan Neighbourhood partnership, because people can remember finding nineteenth century objects including bottles there in the past. Over the next five days, children from Pan and further afield have volunteered to come and dig on the site and to wash and label any finds that they discover. The aim of this project is to teach children about archaeology, and to help them understand more about the history of where they live.
The project started on Monday afternoon with eight volunteers. We began digging on the south of the 14m by 11m site and spread out in a line to start excavating. Armed with trowels, kneeling mats and finds trays we began to dig. Within a short time our volunteers had found bits of different coloured glass, pottery, china and animal bone. We even found some complete glass bottles and one young lad found the handle of a polished bone toothbrush with the words ‘The Economic’ stamped onto it!
After a short break we changed activities and had a go at washing some of the things we’d discovered. We began to see the details and decoration on them. Then they dried in the sun while we finished the afternoon admiring the results of our hard work.
Tomorrow we hope to continue excavating the site, and especially the large animal jaw bone that was discovered by two of our volunteers towards the end of the day. Watch this space!