Half Time

It is the end of Week 3…..and we began the day with a Site Tour by Mike. There was so much to say that this took appreciably longer than the allotted 45 minutes…..Mike got a little anxious at valuable digging time lost, but as he was the one doing the talking….!

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Eyes right…..Matt’s area: excavating below the East-West Roman street

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And…eyes’ left…ditto Matt’s area

Very exciting…..all of Tony and Tom’s hard work beneath the East-West Roman street is reaping its reward: a perfectly preserved clay floored Iron Age round house, mounded up beneath the street gravels.

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First glimpses of the clay floor of an Iron Age round house

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Looking east: quite possibly the most beautiful cross-section of a Roman street you will ever see! Congratulations Edoardo and team!

And look! The gravel underfloor pinning of Natalie’s glorious early Roman building revealed in all its beauty:

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It’s below you Mike!

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Team Talk at Insula III

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Same view…with the Professor in shot!

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Insula III – the Victorian area excavation clearly visible in the foreground!

Yet more visitors! Sunday is always a very sociable day – and today was no exception when the Silchester Friends were treated to a professorial guided tour.

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Silchester Friends

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Shenley and Hen’s areas under scrutiny!

Sunday is also the day when the Supervisors give their teams a tour of their areas.

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Looking south: Sarah Lucas and team

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Nick and Matt toe-tapping on the gravel surface

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Trowelling Team Shenley! Left to right: Luna, Natalie and Alex

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Caption Competition anyone?

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Removing the gravel hardcore of an early Roman building

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Visitors at Day’s End

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Rosie excavating her Iron Age pit

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Hard at work below the East-West Roman street

And….some of the best news of all! We have our first sign of a flint Roman wall foundation in Insula III. First sign of our Bath House?

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Clear as mud! Roman wall footings

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What does it all mean? Time for a drink….

And…well…what every well-equipped Field School needs…..a golf buggy!

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Tea time at Silchester with Dan and Nick

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Just when it couldn’t get any better!

As the sun went down on our golf buggy, the new arrivals for week 4 began to tentatively arrive….12 newcomers to add to the mix! A cooler week forecast as we head into the second half of the dig….

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