Unit 1

Week 2 Unit 1 Summary

This week we started work on our first excavation unit, Unit 1. Unit 1 is a 1m x 1m square plot located on the northwest side of the property. The site is placed over a very interesting geophysical anomaly, a depression in the ground that is surrounded by a loose ring of stones that appear to have been placed by man. Today's work consisted mainly of laying out a string perimeter for the site and measuring the elevations of each corner from our datum point (the corner at greatest elevation--the southeaster corner in our case). Calculating the changes in elevation was achieved by using a level on a taut string to find the point in the air above the other three corners of the unit, then measuring the distance of the ground below from that point.

Next week we will commence digging at the unit, first uncovering the topsoil and then digging a level plane downwards in 10cm segments. Every 10cm, we will declare a new context. A new context will also be assigned upon changes in soil quality. Due to the very uneven nature of this excavation unit, digging will necessitate much attention to detail when it comes to maintaining a level plane.