Martin, in the quiet of the morning testing out how hard the concrete kerb is to remove.
After testing how hard it would be to remove the kerb that edge’s the concrete, we decided a new course of action. We found that the kerb was not just set into a layer of concrete they were sat on top of more concrete slabs! The only way to tackle them would be to excavate the areas in between and around them, then we can see what they are sat on and how deep they go. So we worked the diggers hard in the cooler morning, shifting the remaining concrete scree left in between the kerb.
The kerb stones set in concrete with the possible roman layer at the very bottom, a darker layer
In the picture you can see the different levels of concrete and packed stone underneath, then at last what looks like a possible roman surface, (the darker layer)
Hannah on the right cleaning around the drain pipe, and Harriet on the left removing the topsoil down to another probable roman layer
Hannah has clean of the concrete scree and has defined the edge of the trench that was cut through the probable roman surface when the drain was laid, its clear to see the packed stone they used to secure the pipe in place.
The view of the drain pipe trench edged with stones and the probable roman level on the left.
In the afternoon we were all able to get the trowels out and get cleaning of the top soil down onto possible Roman layers, and reveal what sits under the kerb. We soon came across mortar, charcoal, pottery and tile mixed into the layers and then nails and tesserae (the small stone and tile cubes that were used to make mosaic floors) started to pop out!
Tesserae and nails popping out of the ground
It looks like we may have undisturbed roman layers in between the concrete areas, the next couple of days will be exciting as hopefully we enter the realms of the romans.
A rain dampened site, Martin doing some recording of what we have found so far.
Archaeology National Trust SW 