Allotments in the Tower of London moat

[Minnie_the_Minx]

The effort of digging them up when they'd been driven them into the sticky London clay probably made it too difficult so maybe they're still there, unlikely to decay if they're beneath the river. Get your spade out minnie!

Not enough room in my garden, and I have central heating

Are you any good at furniture making?

 

[ringo]

ringo how did you come to be digging holes at the Tower?

I was an archaeologist for about 10 years. Ended up working for the Oxford unit for a couple of years as they were the biggest unit in the country. They had the contract for all the Royal Palaces at the time so I was on the evaluation dig at the Tower. Loads of my mates also worked at Hampton Court Palace but I never did.

I later worked for the Museum Of London for a couple of years, mostly big developments in the square mile - best archaeology in the country.

Gave it up due to terminal poverty; still can't decide if that was the right or wrong thing to do as I later realised it was my only vocation.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I was an archaeologist for about 10 years. Ended up working for the Oxford unit for a couple of years as they were the biggest unit in the country. They had the contract for all the Royal Palaces at the time so I was on the evaluation dig at the Tower. Loads of my mates also worked at Hampton Court Palace but I never did.

I later worked for the Museum Of London for a couple of years, mostly big developments in the square mile - best archaeology in the country.

Gave it up due to terminal poverty; still can't decide if that was the right or wrong thing to do as I later realised it was my only vocation.

Oh, working in the City must have been exciting. What did you find (other than buried Roman walls etc)? (I'm just assuming you excavated Roman buildings)

 

[_pH_]

I was an archaeologist for about 10 years. Ended up working for the Oxford unit for a couple of years as they were the biggest unit in the country. They had the contract for all the Royal Palaces at the time so I was on the evaluation dig at the Tower. Loads of my mates also worked at Hampton Court Palace but I never did.

I later worked for the Museum Of London for a couple of years, mostly big developments in the square mile - best archaeology in the country.

Gave it up due to terminal poverty; still can't decide if that was the right or wrong thing to do as I later realised it was my only vocation.

That is a REAL shame. I would love to do something like that (working for MoLA would be ace), but I know it would be pretty difficult to survive on the sort of salaries being paid. Are you involved with COLAS at all ringo?

 

[mrsfran]

I was an archaeologist for about 10 years. Ended up working for the Oxford unit for a couple of years as they were the biggest unit in the country. They had the contract for all the Royal Palaces at the time so I was on the evaluation dig at the Tower. Loads of my mates also worked at Hampton Court Palace but I never did.

I later worked for the Museum Of London for a couple of years, mostly big developments in the square mile - best archaeology in the country.

Gave it up due to terminal poverty; still can't decide if that was the right or wrong thing to do as I later realised it was my only vocation.

It sounds like an amazing job. Tell us about the things you found! I'd love to hear all about it.

 

[_pH_]

It sounds like an amazing job. Tell us about the things you found! I'd love to hear all about it.

Me too. I am imagining a load of us sitting cross legged on the carpet while Ringo sits in the Story Chair. Ssshh children! Fingers on lips!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Me too. I am imagining a load of us sitting cross legged on the carpet while Ringo sits in the Story Chair. Ssshh children! Fingers on lips!

I reckon he'd exaggerate and say he dug up fire-breathing dragons

 

[twentythreedom]

tell us about unearthing rare medieval jamaican 7"s please ringo

Digging for rare vinyl is archaeology really, I guess

 

[ringo]

Oh, working in the City must have been exciting. What did you find (other than buried Roman walls etc)? (I'm just assuming you excavated Roman buildings)

Yep, the square mile is the same as the limits of the Roman city, so anywhere you dig inside it you can find several metres of stratigraphy, usually revealing 2000 years of continuous habitation. A thin reddish layer can be seen across most of the City - the deposited by the fire which burned many if the buildings as a result of the Boudiccan revolt.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Yep, the square mile is the same as the limits of the Roman city, so anywhere you dig inside it you can find several metres of stratigraphy, usually revealing 2000 years of continuous habitation. A thin reddish layer can be seen across most of the City - the deposited by the fire which burned many if the buildings as a result of the Boudiccan revolt.

Yes, but what did you find besides that?!

Pottery, jewellery, fire-breathing dragons?

 

[mrsfran]

Yep, the square mile is the same as the limits of the Roman city, so anywhere you dig inside it you can find several metres of stratigraphy, usually revealing 2000 years of continuous habitation. A thin reddish layer can be seen across most of the City - the deposited by the fire which burned many if the buildings as a result of the Boudiccan revolt.

SO COOL.

 

[mrsfran]

Now I want to go and dig things.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

and also ringo, did you find anything that's now on display in a museum anywhere?

 

[mrsfran]

I'm going to see the Pompeii exhibition at the BM next week, I might pop to the Museum of London now too

 

[clicker]

any photos of your finds? what do you do if you unearth human remains?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Slightly off topic, but I decided to see if my friend's husband was still a guard there. I found a list of Yeoman Warders and his name's there, but he retired

http://yeomenoftheguard.com/Yeoman Warders List.pdf

 

[ringo]

It sounds like an amazing job. Tell us about the things you found! I'd love to hear all about it.

Best two objects I found:

1. Digging a Viking long house on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. In the collapsed roof I found a comb made from tiny worked bone with an intricate geometric pattern carved into it. Looked just like this one:

2. Teaching students in France we were looking for the site of Gergovie (as in the last stand of Vercingetorix -Asterix, last village in Gaul etc). The Iron Age inhabitants developed a form of Celtic art featuring painted horses on large white vases. At the start of the Iron Age they looked like realistic horses. By the time the Romans invaded they had developed them into Dali style impressions of horses, the limbs and tail swirling around like spirals. I found a vase which filled in a stylistic gap so that from then on we know how they got from one primitive style to a more complex design. Probably the only thing I ever found that went into a museum.

 

[_pH_]

Now I want to go and dig things.

Try joining COLAS - I think they occasionally have opportunities for members to join digs.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Best two objects I found:

1. Digging a Viking long house on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. In the collapsed roof I found a comb made from tiny worked bone with an intricate geometric pattern carved into it. Looked just like this one:

2. Teaching students in France we were looking for the site of Gergovie (as in the last stand of Vercingetorix -Asterix, last village in Gaul etc). The Iron Age inhabitants developed a form of Celtic art featuring painted horses on large white vases. At the start of the Iron Age they looked like realistic horses. By the time the Romans invaded they had developed them into Dali style impressions of horses, the limbs and tail swirling around like spirals. I found a vase which filled in a stylistic gap so that from then on we know how they got from one primitive style to a more complex design. Probably the only thing I ever found that went into a museum.

What museum did it go to? Don't you have a picture of it in the museum?

 

[mrsfran]

Try joining COLAS - I think they occasionally have opportunities for members to join digs.

Cool, thanks.

 

[ringo]

That is a REAL shame. I would love to do something like that (working for MoLA would be ace), but I know it would be pretty difficult to survive on the sort of salaries being paid. Are you involved with COLAS at all ringo?

Yeah, my mates are still skint and moaning, but they also know how lucky they are. I don't do any archaeology at the moment.

clicker - I have some pics at home, I'll have to dig some out. I dug a lot of human skeletons, it was my main interest at Uni. At that French dig we found quite a few Iron Age skeletons - I brought them back to England and did the osteological reports on them for my dissertaion. Nearly didn't get through customs when they found out what I had in the boxes . Six of the skulls were in tiny pieces so I had to glue them back together - like a giant 3D puzzle, took hours and hours.

 

[mrsfran]

2. Teaching students in France we were looking for the site of Gergovie (as in the last stand of Vercingetorix -Asterix, last village in Gaul etc). The Iron Age inhabitants developed a form of Celtic art featuring painted horses on large white vases. At the start of the Iron Age they looked like realistic horses. By the time the Romans invaded they had developed them into Dali style impressions of horses, the limbs and tail swirling around like spirals. I found a vase which filled in a stylistic gap so that from then on we know how they got from one primitive style to a more complex design. Probably the only thing I ever found that went into a museum.

You found the Missing Link

When you go to a museum, what do you look at? I like the more personal finds - notes, graffiti, clothes.

 

[mrsfran]

ringo - where did you study? The archeologists at UCL were a hardcore group. Do you know Big Mike?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Yeah, my mates are still skint and moaning, but they also know how lucky they are. I don't do any archaeology at the moment.

clicker - I have some pics at home, I'll have to dig some out. I dug a lot of human skeletons, it was my main interest at Uni. At that French dig we found quite a few Iron Age skeletons - I brought them back to England and did the osteological reports on them for my dissertaion. Nearly didn't get through customs when they found out what I had in the boxes . Six of the skulls were in tiny pieces so I had to glue them back together - like a giant 3D puzzle, took hours and hours.

Oh, any pictures of the skulls before and after?

 

[_pH_]

Best two objects I found:

1. Digging a Viking long house on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. In the collapsed roof I found a comb made from tiny worked bone with an intricate geometric pattern carved into it. Looked just like this one:

2. Teaching students in France we were looking for the site of Gergovie (as in the last stand of Vercingetorix -Asterix, last village in Gaul etc). The Iron Age inhabitants developed a form of Celtic art featuring painted horses on large white vases. At the start of the Iron Age they looked like realistic horses. By the time the Romans invaded they had developed them into Dali style impressions of horses, the limbs and tail swirling around like spirals. I found a vase which filled in a stylistic gap so that from then on we know how they got from one primitive style to a more complex design. Probably the only thing I ever found that went into a museum.

I very very rarely click on 'like' but I had to for this. That's fantastic ringo!

 

[ringo]

What museum did it go to? Don't you have a picture of it in the museum?

It went to the main museum for the area in Clermont-Ferrand. The head conservator brought it down to the house we were staying at for me to see once they'd finished it, but I never thought to take picture of it. I have some pics at home but can no longer remember if its my one of another similar. I'll do it at some point, would make a good tattoo.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

It went to the main museum for the area in Clermont-Ferrand. The head conservator brought it down to the house we were staying at for me to see once they'd finished it, but I never thought to take picture of it. I have some pics at home but can no longer remember if its my one of another similar. I'll do it at some point, would make a good tattoo.

You should keep an eye on the travel thread and if anyone's going to France for a holiday, get them to pop in and take some pictures for you if they're anywhere near

 

[mrsfran]

Comme ca?

http://a134.idata.over-blog.com/163...Dossier-27/Dossier-28/vase-peint-Gergovie.jpg

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Not enough room in my garden, and I have central heating

it took me a moment to establish whether this was in relation to trees or hippos.



i must pay more attention...

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

it took me a moment to establish whether this was in relation to trees or hippos.



i must pay more attention...

Well I don't have enough room in my garden for a hippo, and whilst a hippo farting might heat up my tiny front room, I'd imagine I'd have to open the windows to air the place