Michael Jones (2008)

During my work experience week at Wessex Archaeology, as well as working in the Finds and Environmental departments, I had the opportunity go out with the Coastal and Marine Department, and survey a field in Tisbury for the television programme Time Team. The survey consisted of using a Bartington 601-2 Magnetic Gradiometer to see if there were any traces of archaeology in the field. Once the expensive equipment had arrived we loaded it up and Paul, Cristina and myself took the forty minute car journey to Tisbury.

To begin with we scanned the field, marking any positions where something was underground. This lead us to decide where we would position the grids we were to use in our survey. Then a very detailed scan took place, where every two metre strip was scanned.

We then went to upload our findings onto the computer, and after a very long time for the computer to load up we discovered we had found..... absolutely nothing! Obviously this was disappointing, but we did see something that looked promising in the corner of our scanned area, so decided to scan around that place.

When we completed this, we packed up our gear and headed off home.

By Michael Jones

Rhiannon Bianchi (2007)

I’m Rhiannon Bianchi from St Edmunds girl’s school and for my work experience I chose Wessex Archaeology. Before my first day I had to arrange an interview so I could be shown round and know what I would be doing when I came for my week.

The Monday arrived and I was very nervous! But everyone was welcoming and showed me what to do. My first day was in the Environmental Department. I was with Sarah, Laura and Chris. I did some Environmental sampling. I had a tray with chalk, burnt flint, burnt bone, charcoal and even bits of pot. If I found anything different I had to put it away in a little bag and number it. After sorting it all out I had to weigh the left over chalk and write it down on a piece of paper.

Tuesday I was in the Finds Department with Tara, Darren and Angie. I started to wash some prehistoric finds from a Southampton site.

About an hour into doing that, Tara and Angie drew me away to look at an Anglo Saxon sword. It was about 3 feet long! You could still see some markings that were on the end of it. I had gone back to washing, when Laura came in and showed a big pot that was whole but it was cracked. I touched it and she said ‘now you have touched something that is going to be on Time Team!’.

On Wednesday I went to a meeting at Salisbury Museum and then to an Anglo-Saxon site. I spent all my day with Margret who is the Education Manager. We arrived at the museum and went up to the library to have the meeting. It took about half an hour and was quite interesting. We came back to Wessex and before setting off to the Anglo-Saxon site I watched a CD and had my lunch.

The CD was produced by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Margaret asked me to see whether I thought it would be interesting for my age group. The CD was about a troopship in World War I, called SS Mendi. It was carrying black recruits from The South African Native Labour Corps, across the English Channel to serve in France, when it was struck by another ship. Within 25 minutes more than 600 of the 800 on board had drowned.

 

After I had watched that, we set off to the site. When we got there we had to wear a fluorescent jacket and a helmet. A man called Kevin was in charge. He showed us round and explained what was happening and how many skeletons and other things were found. Then a man called Neil who was dowsing, showed us how it worked. He had 2 metal rods and he held them in his hands without his thumbs touching them and when he walked over a place where there was some disturbance to the soil, the copper rods would go inwards. I had a go at this. It was amazing - it felt really weird! After that we went over to a girl called Alice who was digging. Margaret asked if I could help dig the skeleton and Kev said yes! So I started to go round where there were already bones showing and I found another bone! It was really exciting! Alice told me all about archaeology and it was really interesting. Margret took lots of pictures and then we had to go!

 

Thursday I went to the Finds Department where I had to mark the finds I had washed two days before. You have to do this quite small and clearly so I had a go on a practice rock. After my practice I was allowed to start. A while after that, my tutor came in and I showed her lots of things that had been found and then I showed her to the Environmental Department and showed her what I did on Monday. After I had marked all the finds, I had to record them on a yellow sheet. I had to record the context number, site number, number of things found, material and the weight. I then wrote them all on excel.

Friday was my last day and I was very sad to be going because it had been an amazing experience! I started out in Environmental Department where I had lots of buckets full of samples that had to be separated. You had to use sieves of different sizes and then put two of them in a warming oven and one on top. After all of that I went back to Finds to do some more marking and, recording. Then I had to box them all up!

I said goodbye to everyone in all the departments and then made my way home. I found Wessex Archaeology an amazing experience and really enjoyed working with everyone, all the staff were lovely! So thanks to everyone who helped me!

By Rhiannon Bianchi

Tom Copestake (2006)

On the 7th of June 2006 I went to an archaeological dig in Hedge End where I was to dig out a feature in a small spring to look for Roman pottery. When we got there we had a look around the site with the Project Officer.

When we arrived at the excavation it looked baron and dry and had lots of markings on the ground where there was different changes in colour. My feature was to be a small gulley near the spring, as the sun was bearing down on us it was hard work to dig on the rock hard ground, but when the hole got started it was an easier job digging in softer soil.

Eventually the soil colour changed from black/grey to green/grey so this was my second fill of the gulley. When I got closer to the bottom of the hole it got a lot soggier and I started to hit a layer of gravel where I stopped digging and then had the tedious job of cleaning up the hole which Cat helped me out with. Unfortunately I only found burnt flint no pottery.

Then on to the paperwork and photography we had to take three pictures of the feature each one on a colour camera and one on a black and white camera then I took about 4/5 pictures on the digital for later uses. The paperwork was the hardest part and most confusing we had to note what we dug and what we found inside the feature. Then we measured the feature, placed markers and drew the way the sides formed. This was called a section. The top down view or plan of the feature was also drawn. After that we then had to write more paperwork on the fills and the cut of the feature and after all this complex work we then lay in the shade and ate ice lollies!