Monday, June 21, 2010

Have you found anything?

We find things all the time. I'd estimate about 4 items per bucket in my current unit, and that's pretty low for Jamestown. If you just stand by and wait, you'll probably see one of the archaeologists pluck out an artifact. It might not be anything astounding, but more likely a nail (we have found so many nails it's become a joke) or a bit of unremarkable pottery.

So far, my favorite finds have been a piece of decorated pipe stem, a bit of delft pottery with a bird painted on it, the broken blade of a sword (found near the hilt), and the beard from a Bartmann (also called Bellarmine) jug. We might start features this week, which maybe hopefully could include a modern-looking grave, and we've just started an off-site dig at Smith's Fort in Surry, so there will be more to come.

Delft ceramics are Dutch in origin. They can be identified by the blue and white paintings in the style of Chinese porcelain. (Source)

Bartmann ceramics are stoneware from Germany. They can be easily identified by the image of the bearded man and the medallion. (Source: Preservation Virginia)

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