Site Diary: Trench 1

We've made good progress on trench one in the last week. The last few days have seen the removal of a 10cm spit from the northern half of the trench, exposing the yellow sandy subsoils, in which it is relatively easy to spot cut features. So far, this exercise has revealed little in the way of artefacts, suggesting that we are now well below the levels which saw occupation. However, we can now see more of the arc of stake holes defining the line of the large circular timber building.

The six enormous stake holes forming part of the house entrance:

Further work on the central feature has demonstrated a complex sequence. It seems we are dealing with pits that were cut and recut, the first episode being the one that contains much of the burnt or cremated bone. Burnt stones are also packed into the later cuts in this feature, the whole being surrounded by arcs of stake holes (in last week's diary). It remains to be determined whether this material is the residue of cooking or of a burial, but the associations point strongly towards the latter.