Stripping the turf and topsoil off our trench in Insula III
Brian meets Insula III!Now we know the level we need to reach before hitting sensitive archaeology, Brian is brought in with his JCB….We continue to work on the test pits while Jim watches and guides the machine. In addition to the gravel lines of the streets showing up, we are beginning to get a sense that the Victorians did not remove everything in order to get down to the earliest levels. For example, a linear feature of tiles appears, not far beneath the topsoil – and not marked on the Victorian plan. Clearly not excavated, and clearly Roman in date, we speculate as to its purpose – perhaps a hearth, maybe even a wall line…or the cover of a drain?
Nick reveals the enigmatic tiled feature
Hearth or surface?
Machine stripping and working in its wake
The glorious view from Insula III