The planning of my first ever archaeological dig has taken me far longer than I – er – planned! The good news is that I am feeling pretty optimistic that by next Friday the last few bits and pieces will all be in place – or will be very shortly. So I thought I would give a quick update of how things stand.
I have just finished my Project Design Document, which, weighing in at a huge 35 pages, I hope is not too big! It is standard archaeological practice to write such a report covering all aspects of the background to the dig, why it was planned, what is hoped to be achieved and – given the resources available – whether it is realistic, and also, whether the proposed methods, etc, follow accepted guidelines and standards. This being the first such document I have written, I followed English Heritage‘s advice that, when in doubt, it is better to write too much than too little. I also added several pictures, which may make it easier to read.
Last week the last of the site clearance work was completed, and vehicle access via a wire gate onto the site is hoped to be completed sometime in April. This is really good news. The not so nice but understandable news is that we can’t dig a compost toilet on site as I hoped.
On Monday I will be meeting with John Funnell of Brighton and Hove Archaeological Society, who has kindly offered us much needed help and support – as described in their Archaeology Report – Spring 2013. No matter how much background reading I have done, it can never replace practical experience.
Newmarket Hill 