Bristol Dig Berkeley

Last week, the excavation received a visit from the Lansdown poetry workshop, an informal network of Bristol-based poets who meet once a month in The Lansdown, Clifton. The tour was organised by recent Bristol graduate, Robert Beavis, to provide an educational and inspiring experience, in the hope of stimulating creative responses to the academic environment. Although the processes of archaeology and poetry may seem worlds apart, they share many similarities.  Archaeology makes the past present; poetry makes the past as experienced by somebody else present for the reader. Poetry can be  can be used to reflect on the past, much in the same way that archaeology provides us with a physical interpretation of history. There is also a romanticism to archaeology, in the ruins of buildings or holding an artefact for the first time in hundreds of years, that can be seen in many poetic styles. Robert wished to highlight this and inspire the visiting poets to create their own artis...

Our visiting scholars shared their views of the archaeological dig! We really loved welcoming them on site and were impressed with their hard work and dedication. Bridgette 1) How has the Berkeley dig surprised you? The variety of things that can be found has surprised me — yesterday we found animal bone fragments, joints and horse teeth! 2) Have you made any new friends? Mia and Shauna! We’ll definitely stay in contact and we’re going to friend each other on Facebook. 3) Do you think about archaeology differently now? Yeah I do - it’s way more tangible now (pun intended). 4) Describe your dig experience in 3 words Intriguing, useful and teamwork — it’s all about working together. Amber 1) How has the Berkeley dig surprised you? I didn’t think I would find bones, so it surprised me that we found pre-Roman animal bones on our first day! And it’s a lot more work than I thought   2) Have you made any new friends? Yeah I...

After the success of the first Humans of the Trench , we thought you’d like to meet a few more of the many students we have here at the Berkeley dig and what they have enjoyed about their time with the project. Abi Abi is a first year student who enjoys mattocking and how effective it can be to get to the archaeology underneath. She loves how it can break through layers of the past. Abi particularly likes the discovery that comes with working outside in the field. She has found a number of shiny animal teeth and has been impressed how something so old still looks so new. The best bit of archaeology and working at Berkeley has been applying that knowledge from lectures. Mark Mark is a first year student who found a nearly complete sheep jaw and the butchery evidence gave him a real feeling of connection with people of the past. Mark loves the whole process of archaeology. He loves being able to take part in everything from surveying and digging to processing fi...