Today was our last day on the site for the season. Laurie and I trimmed the walls of the privy, trying to define its limits. As it turns out, it doesn't have any! We're thinking - as Bruce suggested - that what we've found is a dump, which may extend all along the southern wall of the cemetery. As she was trimming the walls, Laurie discovered this:
Here it is reunited with the other pieces.
And here are all the pieces of the Great Universal Stomach Bitters bottle - another gorgeous find.
Right now the artifacts are all packed up, ready to move on to their next destination. I'll tell you more about it when it happens, and hopefully I'll have some pictures of some of the artifacts I haven't shown you yet. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the artifacts spread out in one place - it will be quite a sight.
The appeal of the teapot is growing. Although I still say the finish is rough, it's beginning to look a bit more sophisticated. I like the little retaining nib on the rim and the impressed design on the side. And I'll bet the handle is lying intact somewhere; handles often break off complete because they're stuck on at the end of the process and have quite small joins.
ReplyDeleteYour task now is to rebuild the teapot, filling in the gaps with plaster. It's what they do with amphoras on Time Team, so it seems reasonable to conclude that you can't call yourself an archaeologist until you can rebuild a teapot, filling in the gaps with plaster. Reconstruction of the lid is optional.
Like JJ, I am sure your are going to find the whole teapot now. I am imagining a large homely teapot that was perhaps used after church for teas? The bottles are so awesome, from back in the days when we handed them back to the drinks company to be refilled. We used to be so enlightened!
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