Tag Archives: archives

From Volunteer to Project Archaeologist

My passion for history started with palaeontology. The very idea of uncovering the history of life before us, of being the one to help piece together the story of life in the UK, was always something that appealed to me greatly.

This then evolved into a healthy interest in general history, and I enjoyed history in school immensely because it allowed me to further understand just how we have gotten to where we are, how technology and culture has changed our lives and the way that our understanding of history has progressed from how it was before. Things are always changing—and Archaeology hopes to piece that together to form a comprehensive understanding; from how things were before, as opposed to now.

On site during my traineeship

My first venture into archaeology, however, was a week of Work Experience during my first year of 6th Form. I was lost, I had no idea what I wanted to do, I wasn’t allowed to go back to where I’d done my GCSE level Work Experience, and I raised my concerns with the School’s careers advisor. Allen Archaeology was, at that time, based in Branston and close to me, so it made sense for me to apply. So, for my work experience I was at Lindum Hill getting in people’s way and marvelling at how these people were, as a career, uncovering the history of the local area and piecing together the story of Lincoln—and I think after that week, there was no questioning what I wanted to do.

I wanted to be an Archaeologist.

I started with volunteering, in 6th Form I had Fridays with no lessons, and during that time I was in the office—cleaning the finds and getting to know the people there. It was an isolated job, while everyone else was finding fantastic things on site for me to later clean, it gave me an understanding of Archaeology and increased my knowledge of what was what— I started with almost no experience so I was unable to identify anything unless it was obvious. However, I caught on fairly quickly. CBM generally looks like this, Pottery looks like this, That’s not Archaeology… that’s a fossil.

I volunteered until I finished school, and I applied for a Traineeship which was swiftly answered with a ‘Yes’. Thinking back, I wonder if there was a reason I was thrown into work at the Transport Hub for my first official site; I thought I knew what I would be doing because I had been on sites beforehand and had done research on what to expect when asked to dig, record and draw what we were excavating… but everything was thrown out of the window with Single Context recording. It wasn’t like anything I’d done before, and I was once again getting in the way of those who actually did know what they were doing… it felt very familiar.

But the staff of Allen Archaeology are nothing if not patient, and have given me a comprehensive understanding of what Commercial Archaeology is like and I think I can safely say that I’m not just getting in peoples’ way anymore, i’m actively working on site.

Now, months later and beginning a new year with a job that I love as a Project Archaeologist, I know that I’ll have a bright future focusing on the past. Hopefully, I can continue my development and use the skills I have garnered over my traineeship and time volunteering to combine my passion for the past and personal interest in art.

Surveying with Fee (i’m in the undergrowth off to the right!)

12 drummers drumming

I have been given the song line twelve Drummers, drumming or as I prefer to call them, twelve Membranophonists membranophoning. I was given the task of finding something from our finds department that related to drums and drumming; not an easy task I add. I had to ask the wonderful Yvonne for help, to no avail (when I hadn’t given her any guidance other than drum please!).

I however managed to rouse myself from the torpor of defeat, I rallied and armed with a mug of tea I embarked upon something that I have often considered to be my last resort; I turned to research.

It turns out, according to the History of Drums and Drum making, (No good research should go uncredited, and this research was an epic four minutes) That drums in prehistory were made of fish or lizard skin stretched over logs or pits in the ground, later domesticated animal skins were used with the first Frame Drum appearing in the Middle East some five thousand years ago,
The use of the drum in Britain was introduced by the Romans and largely fell out of use again when they left.

Drums were once again re introduced into the country when the Crusaders brought them back from the Middle East and they have been here ever since.

So armed with this information, I would dearly like to show you a picture of some lizard bone, but I refuse to ask for help twice in a day, so here is a picture of a piece of long dead fish.

A slightly unrelated fish….

Feature image recreated from Xavier Romero-Frias https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:XRF_12days.jpg under CC license

11 Piper’s Piping

Why we may not have musical pipes, or the esteemed piper’s giving a rendition of whichever Christmas carol might be your favourite…the Archive team have managed to find a type which appears frequently on archaeological sites, the clay pipe.

A clay pipe from our archives

Tobacco arrived in Britain following the 16th century European expeditions to the Americas that witnessed the ritualistic use amongst the native tribes of the continent, and soon became a mainstay within the British lifestyle. Despite being initially disapproved and persecuted against by religious leaders, and even King James I, discontent amongst the people saw that it would be imported with a levy applied.

Although initially only affordable for the rich, the habit of tobacco smoking spread quickly across the country and by the late 17th century almost every town and city had a clay pipe makers. The size of the bowl and length of stem were all altered over time in keeping with the fashion, to allow for more tobacco or a cooler smoke. This often saw long-stemmed pipes thrown away on the spot after use as they broke so easily!

At the beginning of the 18th century the clay pipe industry declined dramatically due to the conflict between Europe and America, but became popular again in the 19th century, with intricate and artistic pipe designs commonplace.

In the modern (cigarette-loving) setting, pipe smoking is considered a novelty for those nostalgic fellows amongst us.

Feature image recreated from Xavier Romero-Frias https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:XRF_12days.jpg under CC license

10 Lord’s a-Leaping

Our lordly offering is this crest found on a piece of ceramic. Heraldry is a broad term encompassing the design, display, and study of armoury. The right to bear arms, or be allowed to display a coat of arms was a recognition of rank or status. Only those with ancestral rights or a grant made by the crown. Therefore the display of a crest like this could be seen as a display of power and authority.

A heraldic crest on a piece of ceramic

Feature image recreated from Xavier Romero-Frias https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:XRF_12days.jpg under CC license

9 Ladies dancing

From the simplest of leather sandal to the highly elaborate heeled boot of the 18th century, shoes are an artefact archaeologists seem to enjoy finding. Somehow they bring the human element of the past back to the forefront. The earliest examples of shoes in the UK are from the Bronze Age when broad strips of leather were laced together; few have been found so styles and fashions are uncertain but they appear to be mostly functional. The sandal developed into the well-recognised Roman hobnailed caligae and eventually the closed shoe came into fashion. In the medieval period (and the Discworlds Unseen University) shoes were a sign of status with the pointier the toe the higher the status. Most people had leather shoes, they were functional and mass produced.

This example is from Grimsby and is early-mid Medieval it appears unused as there is no sign of wear on the base and all the stitching holes are complete. It is quite clearly a right shoe and about a size 5 ½ .

Medieval shoe from Grimsby

Eight Maids a-Milking

Eight Maids a-Milking is fairly self-explanatory in this case, we have a cows skull!

A cow skull!

Feature image recreated from Xavier Romero-Frias https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:XRF_12days.jpg under CC license

Seven Swans are swimming

Swans have represented beauty, romance and elegance for a very long time. Earlier representations of river birds, (such as this Romano-British Nene Valley colour coated ware) may not have captured them in their regal integrity but it does indicate a common fascination with putting them on pots. Whether it’s Emma Bridgewater or Roman pottery imported from Peterborough to Lincolnshire in the 3rd to 4th centuries.

Swan’s a-Swimming across this pot

Feature image recreated from Xavier Romero-Frias https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:XRF_12days.jpg under CC license

Six Geese a-Laying

Images of human remains feature in this post

Six Geece a_Laying stand for the six days of creation in Genesis. On the sixth day he made all the creatures on dry land including Adam, the first man. From Adam’s rib he crafted Eve and therefore our sixth day is represented by a human rib.

A human rib

Feature image recreated from Xavier Romero-Frias https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:XRF_12days.jpg under CC license

Five gold rings

Gold jewellery has been present in the archaeological record since about 4000 BC, but we are unfortunately short of golden rings in our stores. I did find a carved glass bead once inset into a ring and who knows it could have been gold.

Instead we have gone for an Intaglios; an engraving carved onto a flat surface, often mounted onto a ring. Intaglios start in the 7th century BC in the near east but our example is Romano British and depicts a female figure raising a spear in the air. Originally they were a sign of status and made of semi-precious stones such as jasper or amber. They were both decorative and functional being used to impress a seal into liquid wax. Like many prestige items the general population caught onto the fashion and began to reproduce them in more affordable materials. This style eventually developed into the cameo so popular with the Victorians, where a portrait was carved in relief instead of inset showing the change in use from functional to decorative.

Romano-British Intaglio

Feature image recreated from Xavier Romero-Frias https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:XRF_12days.jpg under CC license