Shovel pit testing at Acton Scott - the volunteer's view

Shovel pit testing at Acton Scott (image) [+]
Shovel pit testing on the site of an Iron Age enclosure in December 2007.

For the volunteers involved, it was an exciting—if muddy and sometimes wet—
exercise. Fortunately, the project provided a tent for shelter from the elements. Julie Brown probably summed up the feelings of everyone who approached the work: “Shovel pit testing? What’s that? I don’t know, but I’ve signed up for it.” By the time the groups arrived, Hugh and Phil had gridded the field, marking locations to be dug with canes. In groups of two or three they dug two holes beside each marker. A later group would dig two more, making four holes to each cane. The holes were to be a shovel’s width, and they were to remove three buckets of soil from each hole and then sieve each bucketful and retrieve anything interesting. Writes Janet Williams, “You think that sounds easy? Well, so did we.” It took a while to develop an eye for discerning artefacts from stones and pebbles. Prospective “finds” went into a tray kept by each team, for later inspection by Hugh. Most of these were tactfully re-deposited. There were, however, some genuine artefacts retrieved. Ann Patterson and Janet Williams, working diligently, found a piece of Roman Samian ware, fulfilling a dream that Ann has been fostering since watching Time Team. Her problem now is that the dream has grown, and she looks forward to finding “a piece of Samian ware large enough to be identified as a recognisable vessel. After that I will perhaps think in terms of mosaics, tiles, coins, hypocausts, bath houses, villas – the dream goes on.” More shovel pit testing will be carried out later, on the Roman Villa site itself. Everyone involved is looking forward to that—though hopefully with drier weather and less mud!