Comments on: 2009 Field Report 2

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:19:57 +0000

I have been checking the entire article over and over because of the interesting topic that can bring us fresh ideas. I would like to give credit to the people behind this article. Hope to read more innovative ideas.

By: Marcia George

Marcia George — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:52:33 +0000

Juli, thanks for the descriptive update! As you proceed in the lower depths of the latrine, more and more materials and features will be uncovered and it does get quite exciting to observe and interpret as you peel back the layers. Try to stay cool and keep us posted!

By: Juli Six

Juli Six — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:28:03 +0000

Wednesday, Company A (Tim, Phil P., and myself), assisted by Dr. George, moved to the latrine around 10:30am. The latrine, being provenience oriented, requires more meticulous troweling than plowzone units. There I discovered mostly shards of glass including an amber bottle finish (the entire top rim) and a piece of an aqua blue medicine bottle base. Quite exciting! Tyler came across the neck of a bottle (possibly green-we can’t tell yet) which as of quitting time Thursday is still below depth and in situ. Wed. evening our Company worked on refitting the kaolin pipe we uncovered in one of our hospital units. To answer Dr. George’s query, it appears to be smooth all over. Tyler observed that it was a common mass-produced item. There are no distinct markings from what we can see, however the stem (not included in vessel cluster) may have been decorative.

Personally I very much enjoy the wildlife we encounter on site as well as en route. The most peculiar being an ostrich, a peacock and a tree-climbing groundhog.

Today it reached 100 degrees inside the tent. Tim found the only field specimen which was a rim shard, which I believe was clear.

More soon…

By: Marcia George

Marcia George — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:41:57 +0000

As a volunteer, it’s exciting to be immursed in the discovery process with the field school students. This site allows me to see what’s been going on when I can’t be out at the site as well as what is happening in the labs, so it is extremely interesting to see what is revealed as the process continues. Tyler mentioned the refitting of a kaolin pipe bowl. I was curious if there were any markings on the pipe and if so, what kind? Also, I was wondering what the field students are finding most interesting as they become more familiar with the processes and artifacts. Thanks and keep up the great work!

By: Tyler Putman

Tyler Putman — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:43:06 +0000

Today was a warm one on Johnson’s Island! We uncovered several particularly interesting artifacts, including part of a glass umbrella-type inkwell and a bottle base with a glass pontil mark in the hospital units, and embossed glass and decorated ceramics from Feature 40, the hospital latrine we’ve begun to excavate. Tommorow promises to be just as good as we continue to expose the subsoil in the hospital and work into a deeper zone of the latrine. Tonight the students are in the lab working on processing the hundreds of smaller artifacts we find on a daily basis – glass and ceramics, nails, brick, and much more. One of the dig teams is also working on refitting a kaolin pipe bowl uncovered last week. Stay tuned for another field report soon!