Post for 7/3/06

Started the archaeology course. It was me and a bunch of people dressed like Indiana Jones (no joke). I felt way out of my element. I'm not sure this is for me......I spent the morning clearing out loose gravel, and the afternoon calculating distances above sea level, and mapping the site on context sheets. There were plenty of finds; we just didn't get to do anything with them but tag them and send them off to the British Museum. They had recently uncovered a skeleton, which would've been cool if we could've learned how to interpret findings, but instead the focus was on recording the location, and measuring the depth of the hole it left in the ground. Then the osteologist from the British Museum came and took it away. Well, now I know. Maybe I just need to admit that I want a Master's in history (no, I don't know what I'd do with it). Anyway, this is Syon House, where the dig took place. It was built by Henry VIII in 1539 after his dissolution of the abbeys, and is currently the home of the Duke of Northumberland. Our job is to uncover the abbey that he built it over. Another interesting fact is that it was here that Lady Jane Grey was formally offered the crown in 1553. I thought that was cool because I've always been fascinated by her story.