May 19th: Progressing slowly

100.T1: The sloped planks now uncovered, showing excellent preservation.

The end of the week brought warm weather and a slowed-down working pace. We were all pretty excited by our recent finds in 100.T1 (maybe too excited) and we spent more time debating what we found and where to open ground next instead of realizing we had a lot more work to do on this unit before moving on to other ones.

First, the perpendicular overlying boards were cut out with a saw (remember-archaeology is inherently a destrucitve process) in order to get a better look at the sloping planks underneath. They were fairly wide (two were over 35 cm) and all were sanded quite smooth. The sanding was more likely a consequence of their function than due to some intentional, aesthetic decision in their installation.

The trough running east-west just behind the planks was looking more and more like an area where a mortar box was housed. The stamps need a place to do their work, and in the 19th century, the mortar box filled that role. Iron boxes situated inside wood and earth housings received both the copper rock and the blows of the stamp shoe as water passed through it washing out the smallest particles of sand and copper. This material most likely ran down planks like those above, smoothing their surface by abrasion.

There was only one way to prove (or disprove) the mortar box theory. We’d just have to keep digging that trough out. We figured after another 25 cm or so we’d hit bottom. We were wrong.

The other trench (101.T3) was still having its surface levels removed, but we were uncovering more and more charred wood, some of  whom looked to be in situ (sitting in place). One of the problems with working in 4×2 meter trenches is that it can take a long time to take them down far enough to learn the answer to your theories. It would be another day or two before this level revealed itself to be the unit that might change the direction of our original plans.

May 18th: Big pieces of wood

Detail of 100.T1. To the left is the trough. To the right are the sloped north-south planks with a series of east-west boards overlying them.

May 18th saw work progressing in both trenches 100.T1 and 101.T3. 101.T3 continued to be basically a methodical and systematic exercise in removing buckets of dirt with little gain (unless you count dozens and dozens of nails as gain-some would-for my interests-not so much). We knew that since there was a major elevation change between this trench unit and the two above it (100.T1 and 100.T2), that the natural pull of gravity and the trenches sloping profile would mean that a lot of sediment would have been deposited here over the years, meaning that a lot of earth would have to be moved before reaching features like those found in 100.T1. It was frustrating for the students working in this trench at first, but believe me, their diligence would be rewarded in a few days.

100.T1 continued to present itself as a challenging but fruitful excavation. The first feature mentioned in my last post (NE corner of trench) was clearly identified as some sort of working surface constructed of wood planks running north-south. We left a few centimeters of sediment on top of the wood as this helps preserve it. Since we knew what it was, there is no sense in damaging the surface more than you need to. At the end of the field season will may uncover it more for photos and a possible laser imaging scan.

Boards running east-west were also uncovered the day before, and their uneven alignment and size made for a more difficult identification. It was decided to work around them as it might help clarify things. Instead, the students struck another series of planks (at a 10 degree slope no less) running north-south again. These planks were very smooth and traces of copper residue were found lying atop them. The previously mentioned east-west aligned boards were not in contact with these new planks, but were separated by about 10 cm of sediment.

One last thing… between both sets of planks running north-south there was evidence of a long trough bisecting the entire trench. 100.T1 was getting more interesting (and complex) by the minute.

May 17th: A cautious beginning leads to unexpected early results

We began excavations with two large trench units, each 4 x 2 meters in size. The first trench (100.T1) is located at the north end (the highest elevation) of the 40+ meter long area we are setting out to uncover. The second trench (101.T3) is actually the third in the line and therefore 4 meters south of 100.T1.*

Students were instructed to be careful in removing the topsoil and uppermost layers of sediment as we were trying to team them artifact collection and how to recognize an artifact (nail, button, glass, ceramic) versus a twig or rock. It sounds silly that one could confuse a rock for a ceramic fragment or piece of metal, but it happens to everyone. Soil and sediment is then collected into a dustpan and dumped into a bucket. Once the bucket is full it is brought over to a screen and dumped onto it. The screener shakes the screen forcing the loose dirt and soil through it, while catching anything over a 1/4 inch in size. Once the dirt has been sifted, the screener paws through the rocks, wood, and artifacts in the screen, collecting anything we want to keep for further analysis.

For some archaeological excavations, artifact collection is extremely important. A prehistoric camp site may only have a few artifacts and ecofacts useful in determining anything of significance. In this stage of the Cliff Project however, artifacts are secondary to features, those things that have a permanence to them (can’t be moved easily like architecture, wood floors, and ephemeral spaces where a machine may once have sat.

100.T1. Two wood features uncovered just below the surface. One one at upper right, the other in the foreground.

Our desire for features related to stamp milling was quickly satisfied in 100.T1. Within 20 cm of digging with trowels, we struck a feature made of wood planks in the NE corner of the trench. In the SE corner, another wood plank feature was uncovered only a few centimeters further down. The entire crew was very excited at the result. It was initially believed (I’ll admit it-my belief) that we wouldn’t hit something of significance until 50 cm depth at least. The areas immediately to the east and west of the trench were much lower than this so finding these features so early was a welcome shock.

I know you’ve all probably been asking yourself, “When is he going to get to the good stuff?” Well, after this post the goods will be delivered. I promise. We have been blessed with great conditions for excavation, an enthusiastic crew of students and volunteers, and so far some excellent finds.

Excavations at 101.T1 were not as exciting as those to the north. Here 2 students are digitally mapping the trenches corners while 2 others trowel the uppermost level of the trench.

In the other trench, 101.T3, the first couple of days digging revealed little more than nails, broken glass, a lot of fill dirt, and some burnt/charred wood. Why the charred wood? That is for another post.

*The naming of excavation units and trenches generally falls under some sort of predetermined rubric. Sometimes it is related to known coordinates such as GPS points. Other times, like in our work, a specific Area of Interest (AOI) may have a signifying name already assigned and any units therein are given names that correspond to that AOI. In this case, there are two AOIs: one is 100 (the possible stamp room), while the other is 101 (the possible wash house). The T1 and T3 tagged on at the end of the AOI tells us two things: the T stands for trench (a smaller excavation unit would be U, for unit) and the 1 and 3 just mean the order they were laid out from north to south.