Today was probably the most challenging day in the field so far. We have been cursed with bad weather this semester. Approaching the site, we had to stop because the road had become flooded due to persistent rain overnight. Dr. White used his handy map skills to scout out a detour. Just like Bilbo, we were going on an adventure. The detour took about 25 minutes on foot, but we were able to reach the site. Just as expected, the main block was flooded with a good amount of water. Most of the class stayed at the site and started to bail out the water. Robert, Laura, and I went on a special mission with Dr. White to retrieve some equipment from the trucks. Among the items brought back was our good luck charm. (Maybe one day it’ll actually bring us luck). Back at the site, we set up a pump and helped bail out the remaining water. We then wrestled the tarp through windy conditions to unveil our units.
Almost two hours into our day, we were finally able to start the real fun. Cate and I continued work on our 1 x 1 meter unit (Unit 16). I shoveled while Cate screened. The first level of Unit 16 needed to end at 50 centimeters below datum (cmbd). When I got close to 47 cmbd, I switched from shovel to trowel and Cate came over to help me level out the floor of the unit. It proved to be harder than we first anticipated. We were being cautious and taking measurements with the laser level constantly, but we kept going 51 cmbd in some areas. After a few helpful tips from our fearless leader, Dr. White, the troweling became much easier. Cate and I couldn’t finish the plow zone level completely before it was time to pack up, but I was pretty pleased with how much we accomplished and learned.
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Student Blog (2020)Blog posts written by the students of the 2020 Broad River Archaeological Field School Archives
April 2020
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