Site Diary: Trench 2

Second week

The bank job begins

Excavation of the banks either side of the row of pits is underway following planning of the whole trench immediately after deturfing.

The banks are very low features, have subtle variations in height, and spread out over 2-3 metres away from the pits. We are initially digging only the eastern half of each bank so that we create vertical sections through them in the centre of the trench as well as those at the trench edges. Comparison of the sections will aid us to interpret whether the banks were created as single dumps of clay or whether they were built up over time through the successive adding of small amounts of material.

Olaf, Sarah and Mark having to improvise in the absence of a photographic tower.

The banks prior to creation of the vertical sections.

Recording the section in the southern bank.

The same area, from a different angle showing the vertical section in the centre of the trench.

Highlighted: vertical section.

Already we can see that the northern bank comprises relatively clean orange and grey clays while the southern one is comprised of much more mottled, mixed clays. At the present stage of excavation we can tentatively interpret this as representing a difference in how the banks were formed. This may possibly be the result of the northern bank being created in one event such as the initial digging of the pits, while the bank to the south was added to over time as would be the case if the pits were cleaned out during regular maintenance.

Interpretation will become clearer as the banks are fully excavated and we start to look into the pits.

The excavated southern bank quadrant with mottled mixed clay.

The uniform grey/brown clay of the northern bank.