Today, the excavation commenced with particular vigour as the urgency of discovering the true nature of the site settled in, with only two weeks remaining. The aim of this week is to investigate the internal space of the circular features within the trenches, in order to confirm that they are indeed roundhouses. Artefacts recovered from those areas would hold particular significance regarding understanding the complexity of activities performed at the site and therefore the functionality of the possibly Late Iron Age settlement.
Throughout the day, the skeletal remains of the sheep/dog deposited with the cranium of a cow, discovered within the lower stratigraphic layers of a pit, were carefully excavated while remaining in situ, in preparation for their diagnostic evaluation and interpretation by the zooarchaeologist, Ellen Hambledon, visiting the site tomorrow. Closer examination of the remains by a specialist could provide further inklings as to whether they were deposited as part of a ritual or perhaps a site-closing ‘rite’ and whether the combination of species holds a particularly recognisable deeper meaning.
The current reflection on the remains can be found on the blog post from Day 12: https://microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk/big-dig/wp-admin/post.php?post=1093&action=edit