Hurray! the sky is blue and a shiny ball is warming the earth, rain hats stay in the bag as sun lotion is applied. Now. once again the eyes are on the bath house trench and everyone squeezes in the get a taste of the amazing painted wall plaster feast.
Rob, Fay and Allan trying to dig down but held up by numerous lumps of painted wall plaster and loose tesserae
What’s in the tray? Painted plaster they cry
A small sample of painted wall plaster
New possible scenes and designs are being dug up with each scrape, many different colours including greens that maybe trees and bushes. Then Fay finds a piece with a nail hole, it still has the rusty stain of the nail! Was it for a laying out line for a new painting or for building work of some kind? Or ……..?
The possible rural scene
The nail hole!
close-up of the nail hole
After filling three large finds bags with single loose tesserae, Rob uncovered a large piece of mosaic in the last half hour of the day.
Rob’s Mosaic
We must not forget Pat who has helped with post excavation work on the finds today, everyone is getting joy from the painted plaster and the warmth of the sun.
Lovely Pat cleaning the plaster
Archaeology National Trust SW 