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Cleaning the soil surface (12 seconds)

Deep excavations (57 seconds)

Site Excavation Map -Jury's

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Omata, Jurys - Day 12

19 December 2007

Areas B, C and B extension (see sitemap) joined into one area covering the house area. Photo: Janice Adamson, University of Auckland

Yesterday all deep excavations finished. Today only a few postholes were cut down and the whole Area B, C and B extension, that now form a continuous area, was cleaned and checked for missed features.

The front posthole row of the house (to the right of the ranging pole) and the posthole row of the verandah cut by the palisade from the gunfighter trench. Photo: Janice Adamson, University of Auckland

Mrs. Jury's house - the reason we came to excavate - is now clearly visible and we hope that we have found the entire building. The posthole pattern is consistent with the historical information that we have and added information from the archaeology suggests it was a small two room cottage with a large fireplace at the back of one of the rooms.

A lean to at the back of the building formed a third room, which had a side entrance to the west towards the cow shed. A narrow verandah was placed at the front of the building and wrapped around the eastern corner for about a metre or so.

These results are encouraging but they are only preliminary working hypotheses formed during the fieldwork and will have to be confirmed (or negated) during the analysis of the excavation data.

Possibly a piece of furniture from the house in the fill of the trench. Photo: Janice Adamson, University of Auckland

The deep 'bunkers' of the gun fighter trench preserved some wood and metal that would have otherwise disappeared during the last 150 years.

Some of the furniture of the house ended up in the fill of the trench system and it will be interesting to compare these remains with the compensation claim.

The complex system of the gun fighter trench in the area of the Jury house is quite intriguing. It seems comparable to a trench system at Kaitake but somewhat different to the system used at Oropuriri - the gunfighter pa at Bell Block.

In the end, the site allowed us to gather a substantial amount of information but with every question that is answered two new questions appeared. The excavation plan still needs updating. All interpretations on this weblog are preliminary working hypotheses and should be read as such.

Thanks for visiting the site. We all hope you enjoyed it. Come back in early February when we'll be returning to excavate the Autridge's place. We'd like to thank Len and heather Jury for their support and interest in the project, and Te Kotahitanga O Nga Mahanga A Tairi Society Incorporated for their continued encouragement and support for the project.

Sarah (BA Hons Anthropology)		Tom (BA Hons)
Hi, I have just completed my Honours year at the University of Otago, going into my Masters thesis next year. This is my second excavation and the chance to be involved in a historic site, especially one as interesting as Mrs Jury's is a fantastic opportunity that I could not refuse. I would like to thank Janice and Hans, the rest of the excavation team, and the Jury family.		Hey everyone, I'm Tom, I am about to start my Masters year after completing my honours degree at Auckland University. The site has proved to be an awesome learning experience, with ts various occupation levels. It has thrown up many challenges that have added to my experience hugely. Thanks to Janice and Hans for offering me this experience and making it a thoroughly enjoyable time.

GLOSSARY   Archaeological terminology Like any profession, archaeology comes with its own "language". This glossary helps with less familiar terms, particularly those used on this site. >> Read more

For questions about the Omata excavation, contact archaeology@historic.org.nz

Janice (PhD candidate, University of Auckland)
(photo: Sarah Mann, Univeristy of Otago)

"We are at the end of the first excavation for my Doctoral research and it has been a wonderful experience. The site has been fantastic, with the archaeology giving me more stories to tell than we would have known from the written history. I would like to thank all the team that have contributed to this dig with so much enthusiasm, fun, willingness to learn and also hard work.

Thanks also to Len (pictured here with me, holding a piece of furniture from the house) and Heather Jury for their continued support and encouragement for my work.

Hans (PhD, Marburg)

"I am one of the principals of Geometria, an archaeological consultancy based in Auckland. I have about 22 years of archaeological field experience both in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. It is a most enjoyable experience to be part of a research project as relevant as Janice's one. Not only the enthusiasm of the Jury family towards their homestead but also the strong relationship of Nga Mahanga Tairi with the gun fighter element of the archaeological site make the hard work worthwhile!"

Natasha

"Hey I'm Tasha, the youngest on the team with the least experience and having an awesome time! This excavation has given me an incredible opportunity to learn a huge amount and meet some great people. I'm still an undergraduate at the University of Auckland and haven't done my field school yet, so this dig has been a great learning curve. The historical focus of this excavation and its contemporary and past connection with the Jury family has added a real punch of the past to the whole experience. Thank you Janice and Hans for including me in this experience."