Field School Wrap-up - Block 1

Going back now to week 5 to see what had been happening at Block 1. Still much work being done there. At this stage physical artifacts are becoming rarer. The focus is primarily on soil signatures; mapping the stratigraphy (soil layers) and investigated possible post holes on the embankment. This is how the block looked early in week 5. Seen in this photo are two of our staff members; Craig (standing) and Scott.

Things that have changed since the last time we took a look at Block 1…

The trench at the left side of the image above has been added. This was done to get a better look at the soil layering of the embankment. We need to see things like this. Differences in soil coloring, texture and composition point to different episodes of construction. The layers we found show us that the embankment wasn’t built all at once but, rather, in multiple stages.

The angled wall behind Craig is where possible post holes are being evaluated. Each potential post hole has to be profiled to confirm its existence. Many suspected post holes didn’t pan out but enough did to support the conclusion that a log wall did, indeed, once stand at the top of the embankment.

Moving on to the final week…

As was done at Block 3, the ditch here was excavated to determine its original depth.

Soil stratigraphy in the ditch represents much the opposite of what it does on the embankment. Whereas layering on the embankment represents intentional construction episodes, layering in the ditch is the product of natural erosion. Noting how much soil has eroded into the ditch may be one way of estimating how much time has passed since the site was been abandoned.

Probably the most intriguing find of the whole field school is shown below.

What you see here is a second row of post holes found below the ones I talked about earlier. These show us that a wall of a different sort had been erected here during an earlier construction episode. Here is the same image again with the post holes highlighted in case they are difficult to see.

Two things stand out about these older post holes. First, they are smaller and spaced slightly further apart than the ones found in the younger layer. This suggests a different purpose for the older wall. It may have been what we would call a ‘screen wall,’ or a wall erected simply to obstruct the view of things happening within the enclosure. Sturdier logs placed closer together, as was the case in the later wall found in the upper layer, is more reminiscent of a fortified structure erected for defensive purposes. Overall, this suggests that the inhabitants of the enclosure may have come to experience a higher degree of conflict with neighboring groups as time passed.

Secondly, the posts for the screen wall were erected at an angle. We have no explanation for why this is. By all accounts this is the first time such a thing has been observed. This unique construction feature may be a mystery for a long time to come.

Here is a final shot of a portion of Block 1.

Excavation is now complete. All potential post holes have been evaluated and the walls exposed down to the layer of sterile soil. All that remains to be done here is to draw up the profile of the soil layers that are present. Work on Block 1 was completely wrapped up mid-way through the final week.