As our time in the field starts to wind down, we have many tasks to finish. In several of the units where we have finished excavations and recorded all of the information we need, we have "backfilled" them with sifted dirt and replaced the sod.
The excitement continues as we continue to uncover new clues to the town that occupied this site around A.D. 1200. Below Ellen-Craig, Matt and Nikki continue to try to figure out the outline of one of the pits in our west side excavations.
We continue to find exciting pieces and parts of the pottery used, broken, and discarded here almost a millenium ago. Below, a handle from a small pot offers some clues to the age of the site -- this style of handle is most common around A.D. 1200.
And from the midden,another large part of a wide-rimmed plate.
The midden also continues to yield exceptionally well preserved animal bones -- including the two bone tools shown below. These are both probably awls or punches.
Because one of our goals of the project is to discover the smallest items, we are also excavating some column samples -- all the soil from these smaller excavation units is saved in bags and will be sorted and examined in the laboratory. This will allow us to recover the tiniest fragments of animal bone, seeds, and other small objects that would drop through our 1/4 inch screens undiscovered. Below, Dr. Peres and Lacey work on excavating one of our column samples.
