It is a new crew, I'm the only digger continuing on from last session. So the pre dig site orientation was pretty much the same as the post session wrap up on Friday.
It is as usual a mix of veterans and first timers. And, as is also usual, they've given me three newbies to break in. They are a good crew, able to move a bit of dirt and at the same time suitably cautious with big boy tools such as the mattock. So we had leisure to discuss how to tell a bit of stone from a bit of pottery and how you recognize metal objects. The latter involves looking for color, shape and weight that are not quite natural. Like this guy who turned up just as the supervising archaeologists turned up to check on our progress.
It is a lead weight. Note the yellowish white lead oxide, the shape not quite natural and of course when you heft this thing you know exactly what it is. What it was used for is another question. I've seen similar things used as plumb bobs but their shape differs. Lead weights for fishing nets have turned up. But this seems likely to be something used in the weights and measures process. Note the marking.
Always nice to start out a session with an interesting find, and better still one that is not metal detectable so I am at liberty to show it. Moving on from our day one task that was mostly debris clearing we could get into more interesting material - weather permitting - in the days ahead.
Nice update on site. Love the lead find. Weight and measures seems logical. Very cool
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