Sunday’s flying visit by John Funnel (head of digging for BHAS) was a very useful one for me. He has been acting as mentor for me, since I have no previous dig experience. I also have ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome – which basically means I get side-tracked very easily and find it difficult to motivate myself to do things which I don’t find very exciting. Luckily, digging, and interpreting what we uncover, I find extremely exciting!
Filling out the context recording sheets is an equally important part of archaeology, and one could say it is the most important aspect of an archaeological dig. “A site hasn’t been found until it has been recorded”! Once a feature has been completely dug it has also been completely destroyed. I am very good at interpretation, but I am also fallible. I make mistakes. The interpretation of a feature requires evidence, and for that interpretation to be verifiable, the evidence needs to be fully available to others. And that is the purpose of a context recording sheet. To record the ‘hard facts’ such that others are enabled to make their own interpretations.
So I need to spend more time doing what doesn’t come naturally to me – filling out forms. And, since I am struggling to keep up, this means spending less time writing exciting blog entries with lots of nice pictures. At least it is something I know is important. I wish to do justice to those who built, lived and worked in, Newmarket Farm. Their lives were not easy. To honour them, I need to prioritise filling in my horrible forms!
Newmarket Hill 