Urn 3 arrives! – Daily Dig Diary #10

BIG NEWS!

 

Barrow 19 urn

 

The third urn to be found on Barrow 19 came out today!

We already excavated one urn from Barrow 19 last year, and knew there was another one to go back to. This one, however, was only found during this year’s excavation. We didn’t know it was there before, and it was found on the opposite side of the barrow from the others. Archaeologists and volunteers worked on the excavation around it this morning, and lifted it at about 2.30 this afternoon.

There is no set procedure for lifting these sorts of pots as each one is different.

Like the first urn from Barrow 19, it is inverted. However, may not be a collared urn like the others we found, and it is also smaller than either of them. These differences excite project archaeologist Dr Stuart Needham and we can’t wait to find out more!

 

 

Now that this urn has been lifted safely, the team will move on to excavating the pit in the barrow where the urn found last year is still in situ. The finding of the new pot has slowed down progress but is still very exciting.

 

 

Dr Stuart Needham with charred wicker finds.

 

In other news in Barrow 19, in one of the trenches cutting the barrow ditch we have found what looks like the remains of a charred wicker panel. At first it was thought to have been a collection of pot sherds but on examination it was revealed to be these charred withies.
They have been lifted in bulk and will now be allowed to dry out over a long period of time before being excavated around slowly and carefully.

 

The bottom of these trenches are looking quite wet so the chance of organic material surviving is good. You can see the water that seeps up into the bottom of the trenches.

 

We are thrilled with the finds coming out of this Barrow, and can’t wait to learn more.