23.04.10

We arrived out on site first thing again. Dave and Aaron had survived the night in their tent and had disappeared to find breakfast.

When the protective wrapping was removed from the pot we were relieved to see that it looked exactly as we had left it the day before and We couldn’t wait to begin excavating it in earnest! However, first we had to take pictures of the pot in situ. Our intention was to photograph the excavation at every stage, allowing us to build up a sequence of images that would document our work and the evidence we were uncovering.

We took a number of shots of the pot exactly as we had found it and then removed the dish from the top, exposing a small mound of coins. Those around the edges had settled on to their side over time, whilst those in the centre were lying on their faces. We realised that it would be interesting to record features like this as they may prove to be important pieces of the puzzle when further analysis of the hoard begins following the excavation. 

Interestingly, we had noticed on the first day that some organic material was emerging; packed closely against the edges of the vessel. We were unsure about what this was. Maybe grass or straw of some kind? We began to carefully

clean the vessel, so that this material and the fine condition of the pottery would be visible in the photographs. Once we were happy that we had taken enough photographs of the complete pot – an iconic hoard image – we then had to brace ourselves to begin the delicate process of removing the shards of the vessel piece by piece, exposing the coins inside.

In the meantime some visitors had arrived; Stephen Minnitt, who I had spoken to yesterday, and Naomi Payne, Somerset Historic Environment Officer, with her husband Simon Hughes (also an archaeologist). Having other archaeologists on site to offer advice was really useful, as this was the first time that anyone had been able to fully excavate a hoard of this size, so it really was a learning experience for us all. Seeing the shocked expressions of those arriving was fantastic – despite our best efforts we hadn’t really been able to convey the sheer size of what we were dealing with over the phone! All stayed into the afternoon before reluctantly heading off.

News had also been spreading throughout the nearby village via the local pub and people began to tentatively appear at the entrance to the field hoping to catch a glimpse of the amazing discovery. We were more than happy for them to come and have a better look as everyone seemed really interested in the history of the surrounding area. Dave did an amazing job of keeping local visitors entertained, recounting the story of how he found it and explaining what we were doing. We also received periodic visits from the landowners, Mr and Mrs Sheppard, and several members of their family,  amazed at what had remained hidden for so long in their field.

Meanwhile, Alan had begun to remove one side of the loose rim of the vessel. Half of the coins from the top layer, level with the rim, were then removed from the side that had been exposed and more photos were taken to show a cross-section through the mass of coins.

We were surprised at the fine condition of the coins we had removed. They were covered with thick, gooey mud formed as water had washed the surrounding clay into the pot over time. The majority had a green-brown patina and some were stuck together in clumps. However, we quickly rinsed and examined some of the loose coins and were pleased to see that once cleaned enough detail was surviving to identify most.

We then proceeded to remove the remaining section of rim and the rest of the coins from the top layer, followed by shards from one side of the body of the vessel. This final stage had us all holding our breath as it would be the first time anyone had seen the full extent of the hoard for over 1,700 years. As the pieces of pottery were peeled away like the shell of an egg, we were rewarded with the breathtaking sight of literally thousands of coins still moulded into the rounded shape of the vessel.

Continuing to take photos at every stage we began the laborious task of removing the coins in layers from one half of the vessel at a time. The sensation of removing handfuls of coins can be best described as ‘unique’! The mud surrounding the coins had taken on a greenish tint over time as the copper content of the coins had leached out, causing our hands and clothes to undergo an interesting colour change. The combination of gritty, slimy, green mud with cold, damp, corroded and often sharp coins, made the process of excavation fairly difficult and uncomfortable. We were also conscious of the need to excavate the hoard as quickly as possible, whilst at the same time taking care not to damage the coins, particularly those that were corroded together and could easily break. However, this was of course balanced with the excitement of working out ways of dealing with a fairly unique excavation.

As the coins were being removed Katie had devised a bagging system, which Dave was helping with. Naomi had kindly obtained a museum accession number for us (given to all objects/collections of objects to identify them as they are entered into a museum’s collection) from the County Museum and this, together with the layer number from which the coins were taken, was written on the plastic bags. Alan, with a little help from myself, was removing the coins, placing them in trays and then passing them to Katie to put in these bags. The bags were then quickly sealed and placed in the shade to prevent the coins drying out. It was hoped that they could then be sent to a conservator as soon as possible to be stabilised.

We were pleased with the amount we had achieved on the second day, but the sun was setting and eventually we had to down tools and secure the trench for the night. Alan had very kindly offered to camp out on this second night and we all had fingers crossed that we would be finished by the end of the following day.