Wessex Recording Manual Goes Down Under!

‘Mid-brown with an orange hue, silty sand with moderate sub-angular small pebbles’ as I look down at my context sheet beneath the blazing Australian sun I am eternally grateful that soil is soil the world over. Since starting work in Australia I have discovered a lot of things are very different: coins stamped in 1838 are venerated with awe, light rain means ‘stop working’ and the term ‘Post-medieval’ suddenly makes very little sense. But soil is, thankfully, still soil. 

 

Another thing that does not change is the necessity of creating consistent detailed records of archaeology as it is excavated. Which ideally requires a company standard recording manual to provide guidance to field staff.  Accordingly, TerraCulture Heritage Consultants (one of the most established archaeology companies in Victoria) has decided to create their own recording manual as part of a drive to improve company standards. The first stage in this process was to find an existing recording guide to base their guide on. After consultation, it was decided that the best available guide is the Wessex Archaeology Field Guide which was kindly provided by Wessex. 

 

The next stage will be to adapt the guide in line with Australian standards and TerraCulture’s existing recording system, with the existing Wessex Field Guide standing in as a temporary manual for new recruits until the Australian version can be circulated. But until such a time, in a corner of a foreign field there will be a site that shall forever be recorded like Wessex!