Excavating
through layer three. Photo: Sheryl McPherson, Otago
University
The excavating resumed at 8.30
am after a 40 minute tramp into the site. A third area (4 x 2 m) was opened, had
the turf removed and was excavated to the top of the same shell layer as the other
two areas. This layer of crushed shell has been called Layer 3. Because this square
is closer to the terrace and sloping downwards, there was more soil to remove
before the top of the shell layer was uncovered.
Andy
Brown excavates a 1m x 1m square of crushed shell. Photo:
Jean Spinks, Otago University
Once this
was finished, all three areas were excavated through the shell layer using trowels.
The areas were excavated in 1 x 1 m squares. As the squares were excavated, artefacts
or bone were removed and placed into trays. Today animal, bird and fish bones
were recovered in addition to a quantity of artefacts.
When excavating
with trowels the soil is put into buckets and sieved through a 6 mm mesh. When
the shell layer is fully excavated, all the artefacts and bones are bagged and
labelled. In the field, bags are sorted into broad categories such as bone, shell,
midden and stone tools.
Left:
Sieving excavated material through a 6mm mesh. Right: Artefacts and faunal remains
are bagged. Photos: Jean Spinks, Otago University
It is not until all the material is taken back to the laboratory at
the University of Otago for analysis and identification that these categories
become more precise. For example, in the laboratory animal, bird and fish bone
from middens are identified to species, anatomical element and which side of the
body the bone came from.
Towards the end of the day a 50 cm wide trench
was opened across the north end of one of the areas to determine the depth of
the next layer of cultural material. From this trench it became startlingly apparent
that there is approximately 50 cm of a sterile mixed soil and clay layer between
Layer 3 (the crushed shell layer) and the early occupation, which is the focus
of this excavation. The first job for day three is to work out how to remove 12
m3 of fill without heavy machinery.
