Brislington
Community Archaeology Project
We are as keen to identify your finds as you are.
We have built up a useful amount of expertise in identifying the more common finds, and even though we can't recognise every artefact straight away, we probably know somebody who can.
Even fragments of grotty-looking pottery can tell an archaeologist a lot about a site, so don't worry if your finds aren't whole, beautiful or immediately exciting — sometimes the more untinteresting something looks, the more interesting it turns out to be.
Download our garden finds factsheet (this is a .PDF file, you can download free software to read it at Adobe).
By identifying and dating finds from all over Brislington, we will build up a picture of what areas were occupied at different time periods. By plotting finds onto maps, one for the Tudor period, for instance, one for medieval, another for Roman, prehistoric etc, we will be able to see at a glance where clusters of finds indicate the location of settlements.
Guided by these 'distribution maps' we will target the siting and excavation of a series of test pits. One metre square, these sample investigations will provide a detailed insight into what, if anything, remains underground. All test pits will have a thorough report written, describing the finds and historical background of the site. Upon publication, these 'site reports' will provide a valuable permanent resource for future generations.
Clearly, we need to identify an awful lot of finds before these maps can be drawn accurately, so we can tell the whole story of Brislington. Each item found and identified is a part of this giant jigsaw, and every piece is important.
Please contact us to arrange viewing and identification.
Credits
Text — Ken Taylor (updated 26.07.09)