Vindolanda 2022 - Day Eight....Rain

Weather is always a gamble on an archaeological dig.  A certain amount of mist and gentle rain is actually helpful.  But, as happened today, when it rains all night the exposed surfaces turn into soup and the wheel barrow run to the spoil heap becomes precarious.  So it was all hands on deck for pot washing in the morning.  Tolerable fun, and we had a bonus trip to the storage facility where lots of stuff is awaiting identification and possible incorporation into museum displays.

There are always a few "shiny. pretty" things in the wash up trays.

Nicer than the fragment I showed yesterday.  Here's another interesting bit.

This is a bit of box flue, a hollow ceramic channel that conveyed warm air from heating furnaces.  Think underfloor heating, Roman style.  Although they may have also been used to heat walls.  The XXX cross hatch pattern would make a nice decorative touch but probably was for adhering these duct systems with mortar.

Group pot washing in the new excavator's shed.  It has a rather monastic air to it.

We did get back on site for a short while in the afternoon before the clouds opened up and we were rained off entirely.  Naturally warm sunny skies followed.  Forecast tomorrow is favorable.

In lieu of more good stuff from the digs I present random images from the UK equivalent of a flea market, the Hexham Car Boot sale.  In addition to some actually useful items I picked up I observed these things.

A basket of angry wrestler figurines.

Peculiar deer hunting trophies, apparently French.

Who knew?  Big Mouth Billy Bass was popular over here in the UK for a short while.  I showed this to several people who recognized it immediately.

Don't know, don't wanna know, don't need to know.