Lebende Geschichte Thursday, August 2nd, 2007
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Aufgrund der Funde am Montag verblieb das Team auch am Dienstag nahe der Factory Farm. Weitere Vermessungen wurden vorgenommen, um das Suchgebiet zu spezifizieren. Nachdem nochmals wenige Funde gemacht wurden, konnte die Suche ausgeweitet werden. Mithilfe der Geophysik wurde das nächste Gebiet bestimmt: ein Granattrichter. Im Anschluss an den arbeitsreichen Dienstag bestand die Möglichkeit an einer Zeremonie in Ypern teilzunehmen, zum Gedenken an die gefallenen Soldaten. Eine sehr bewegende Zeremonie.
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Auch am Mittwoch konnten wieder vielversprechende Funde gemacht werden. Die Arbeit ging gut voran und die ersten Kleidungsstücke wurden gefunden (z.B. Beinbandagen). In der Mitte des Tages wurde die Ausgrabungsstelle von Soldaten in verschiedenen Uniformen (britische, australische und deutsche) besucht, um dem Team einen Eindruck über die damalige Kleidung zu vermitteln. Dabei konnte das Basiswissen erweitert werden, so dass in Zukunft weitere Fundstücke besser identifiziert und zugeordnet werden können. Durch die lokale Presse wird auch das Interesse der ansässigen Bevölkerung erweckt; so gibt es immer mal wieder Zaungäste, die auch ihr Wissen durch Überlieferungen mit ins Team einbringen. Dadurch entsteht ein kultureller Austausch, den man auch in den umliegenden Museen miterleben kann.
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Die Woche neigt sich leider bereits dem Ende. Die Zeit verfliegt bei den vielen verschiedenen Eindrücken, so dass es einem vorkommt als habe man gerade erst begonnen. Nur die Schwielen an den Händen erinnern an die arbeitsreichen Tage – doch diese sind aufgrund der interessanten Funde schnell wieder vergessen.
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Digging the civilian stuff Thursday, August 2nd, 2007
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What I have found most exciting in this excavation is stuff we have excavated that speaks of the civilian experience of the Great War in this area, before and after the war. In one of the trenches we have remains of a farm blown up by a mine during the war, part of the battlefield but with soil full of brick, tiles, china, curtain cloth, parts of a cattle byre, a horse harness and so on – very ordinary remains, that really speak of what the war did to very ordinary places and people.
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These are losses not often commemorate or remembered (I was struck by the comment of a local woman visiting the trench, who said that while in her household they collect military stuff they come across in fields, tiles, bricks etc… ‘mean nothing at all for us’). The other thing we have found is evidence of post-war recuperation, when local people and possibly some enterprises smashed up bunkers to retrieve metals that they could resell and perhaps hardcore for repairing local roads. I think it’s great to have documented civilian activities archaeologically – and tomorrow I am going to meet some elderly locals to see if I can add some stories to flesh out the civilian picture of the wartime (no of course they are not THAT old – but I hope they will have stories from their parents and grandparents). To be continued tomorrow…
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Paola (the dig’s social anthropologist)
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Ghosts of the past Wednesday, August 1st, 2007
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The final one today from the team. God; who invented European keyboards?
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As an amateur in the trench I’m still trying to get my head around what we can possibly learn from excavation that accounts of the time don’t already document. One other interesting element is the way that (as a geochemist by training) I have found the scientific method to be used. I thought that, in archaeology as elsewhere, the evidence would dictate the hypothesis; however so much of the evidence has to be liberally interpreted (such as vague colour change within a clay horizon) as to make the whole discipline appear to have more than a passing element of ‘black art.’ Certainly, the temptation to fit the evidence to the theory must be incredibly strong. As a result, I am in awe of those that can detect seemingly tiny changes in the profile of our trenches and can assess thier significance. I know I am still in bewilderment at it all… give me a stratigraphic sequence any time!
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Bring it on tomorrow… more rusty metal (great war archaeology in a nutshell)
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…By the way, I’d just like to say that was stumped after ball number 3 and didn’t show any vicious tendencies!
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Sue.
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Finds! Wednesday, August 1st, 2007
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Luke, I’m really missing your experience in this job! They keep bringing back bagfuls of rusty stuff and it’s getting out of hand. Never mind, though, we learn by doing…
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Some of the best stuff so far, at least in my book: a piece of domestic china from the Factory Farm crater lip with molten glass fused to it, the result of the incredible heat of the mine explosion; a bone-handled pocket knife in lovely condition; some black cloth almost certainly civilian and probably the farmer’s wife’s best Sunday dress!; a toothbrush; the bowl of a delicate liqueur glass, a large leather-covered horse collar (removal of which seemed to take away most of the section; bits of a gas mask; and finally, whatever they decide to bring me tomorrow!
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I’m receiving vital assistance from Androuma, who can decipher stuff that’s way beyond my eyesight and who brings me coffee on a regular basis. When I’m not glued to a comfortable table qnd chair in the sun, I’m acting as Adjutant, Commissary, Transport Corps and general dogsbody. The checkout girl at the local Carrefour is becoming a close personal friend.
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Forgot to mention, some of us were mad enough to get up at 3am yesterday 31st July to fire the flares that started the Wipers March. A moving, if cold, experience.
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Shirley
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Day Four, Trench Three! Wednesday, August 1st, 2007
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Hi all,
Another fantastic day of finds. Our trench on the edge of Ultimo has been really productive, we’ve found some celluloid which may be from the front of a gasmask as well as a number of bullets, both german and allied, some of which we can date, and lots of stuff which looks rather like a modern art installation at the moment.
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It was all put into perspective after our visit to the Menin gate yesterday evening and the WWI re-enactment guys came to site this afternoon!
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This is my first dig and an amazing experience which I hope I’ll be able to repeat!!!
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Jo
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Day four in the big brother trench Wednesday, August 1st, 2007
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Well, Tuesday is over, sun still out and we have nearly finished the bunker site; great archaeology and super-human digging; find today include lots of wriggly tin and bits of gasmask, lots of rounds, shrapnel and an intact beer bottle. Also visited by those that did the Passchendaele march – both German and British. Dan has opened the site that will reveal the Australian Lewis gun position at the edge of the crater.
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Hello to Rod if reading – only a stick grenade to entertain so far. Cranfield MSC have doubled the local demand for pink and yellow drinks.
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Rob Janaway has arrived and is assisting Shirley and Androulla with finds conservation.
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The Messines Test Match has taken place with Sue and Jo displaying hitherto unseen vicious streaks and Ant being shown up by the old-timer, his dad. Hello to Ruth and Katherine too.
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Jacky Plateuw from the Menin Gate last post committee came over too, which was good and we had a visit from local TV so we will be all over the local news. We are also in the local paper, heaven help us!
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We are both still on the anxiety dreams.
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Johnny, hi! Still no Anzora…
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