Most of today’s finds of interest all appeared during the last hour of the day as the sun finally shone upon the site. However, earlier in the day an animal rib bone was recovered which appears to be worn down by its use in burnishing pots. It has been suggested that it was used by a left-handed individual. It was found in association with a human skeleton, which (based on analysis of the muscle attachment points on the bone) may have been left handed. Was this tool owned and used by the individual in the burial in which it was found? Further analysis of the tool and the human remains may give more evidence to support this theory.
A quern stone has also been lifted from a pit in area C, and an almost complete pot with a hole in the bottom – much like what you would expect of a modern flower pot! Other finds included a very well preserved silver ring with two snakes intertwined on it, and coins, amongst the more frequent finds of animal bone and pot sherds.
A further two skeletons have been uncovered today, each in separate graves but very close to each other, and one also contains the remains of what is still to be identified as either a ‘neonate’ (young baby) or chicken. This will be fully excavated in the following days.
The hard work of the environmental archaeology team has produced finds of small fragments of worked flint, charcoal, and grain, all of which will aid the interpretation of the individual features and the site as a whole.
We are all still hoping that the weather holds up for tomorrow, when more of the ‘banjo’ ditch can be excavated after the completion of section drawings today.
Lauren and Zoe
Day 11: Clockwise from top left - Quernstone, two south Dorset crouched inhumations, crouched pit burial, silver snake design ring, and, centre, pottery burnisher made from an animal rib.