Day 30 - 6th August
Although the core of research this year has concentrated on investigating
the development of House 1, excavation is also continuing in other parts of
the trench.
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In the south east corner of the excavated area, work has progressed
on the make-up for the late Roman buildings which is in the process of being
removed. As this make-up and other layers and deposits are gradually peeled away,
they are revealing the flint foundations
and clay floors of another building which appears to be on a similar alignment
to House 1. This building is unlikely to be fully revealed this year
and may have to await excavation in 2002.
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Day 31: 7th August
The scaffolding has now been erected in the well which is located
just to the north of the southern end of House 1 and excavation is underway.
This is the third of at least three wells in the area north and north west of
House 1 to be excavated and we believe it may be a first century AD well
untouched by the Victorians as it is not shown on their plans of the insula
as a well. This well may provide information about the early phases of House 1.
Day 32 - 8th August
Over the course of the last week the sequence within House 1 has gradually
become clearer. Not only have the trenches across the walls revealed information
about the structure of those walls but excavation has continued both inside and
outside the house. We can now suggest that in it’s earliest form House 1 began
life as a wooden building located in the area of Room 3 within House 1. Excavation
has revealed beam slots and post-holes to support this theory. We can identify
the clay floors which go with this earliest building in the sides of the pits cut
through the latest foundations and which do not correspond to any of the stone walls.
The assumption is that this building is Iron Age in date.
Day 33 – 9th August
Today, after a week of intermittent rain, and for only the second
time this season, rain stopped play and we were unable to continue excavating.
The rain began in earnest just before lunch and showed no sign of abating as the
day progressed.
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Day 35 – 11th August
We had a very busy open day with olver 400 people visiting the site, making it a very
successful day for the excavation. Likewise on Sunday we played host to a large number
of local archaeological societies.
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Day 36 – 12th August
Work on the mysterious south-eastern façade of House 1 (not resolved by the Victorians)
has begun to reveal an interesting sequence. Two more late Roman rubbish pits have been
revealed which continue the east-west line of the boundary which extends westwards from
the northern wall of Building 1. Earlier than the pits and probably relating to the
south-east frontage of House 1 were several post-holes which may suggest that this part
of the House was open at some stage in its development. Two more robbed out wall trenches
in this area fill in more detail as to the look of the second century building.
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