- Bulk FindsAmplitudo invenio
These are the most common types of find and will be placed into either a tray or bag which is labelled with a context number and site code relevant to the area being excavated. The exact location of these finds need not be recorded and can be placed in the same tray or bag as long as they are all from the same context. If several fragments of the same object or any that appear unusual are found then these finds would be reported to the site supervisor.
Typical bulk finds are:
- Pot
- Ceramic building material
- Roof tile
- Animal bone
- Human bone - if human bone was found it must be reported straight away to the site supervisor.
Bulk finds are processed in the following manner: They must be placed in the correct tray marked with the site code and context area. They are then brought inside to await processing in the Finds Department where they are logged in and the context number, tray number, contents of the tray and date is recorded. Once this data is recorded then the tray is taken to the next process and the finds are washed carefully. After washing each piece must be allowed time to dry out thoroughly and is not done in hours but more like days to ensure dry means dry.
When each piece has dried out they are marked in very specific parts again with the context number and site code and are again stored on shelf in context number order. This is important as it makes finding items very easy. The next part of the process is bagging up and individual contexts have different categories of finds recorded and bagged together. Some of the finds may be sent for expert analysis and the results will be used to help construct the Site Report.