Site Diary: Trench 5

Earthen field bank

The south side of the large rectangular field is defined by what appears to be a predominantly earthen bank. A section is being excavated across the bank under the supervision of Ann-Marie to investigate its character.

We have not dug an earthen bank in previous years and we hope to identify through soil micromorphology whether it was deliberately built or formed as a result of soil erosion. Further to the west along this bank there is a cairn which is another of the cairns in the grid pattern (see Trench 3). We also plan to excavate this later in the season to investigate the stratigraphic relationship between the bank and cairn.