6th June 2013, 12:59 PM
Lesson 3 Cleaning
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Archaeological cleaning is a vital part the practitioners toolkit of skills, and it is not as easy as it seems. The purpose of cleaning is to make archaeological deposits and hence the edges and intersections of features more visible, whilst usually (but not always) preparing the area for a photograph fit for publication. The best tool for this depends on a) the type of cleaning (either area clean, pre-ex feature clean or post-ex/ mid-ex clean for a photo); b) the geology; and c) the weather/ ground conditions. The available tools include the mattock, shovel, spade, the fabled Krafse, hoe, yard broom, hand brush, trowel, paintbrush, leaf trowel, lolly-pop stick.
'How many times hav ay telt ya. The right tool fur the right job!'
- scotty
During an area clean, patches of overlying deposits may need to be removed including subsoil, furrow fills, patches of topsoil, the previous years backfill, or even an archaeological layer. Sometimes it takes an amount of experience to know what should come off and what should be left in. Take heed of the supervisors direction, but also follow the example of the more experience staff around you. If you don't know or aren't sure. Ask.
Cleaning is not an excuse to lean on a shovel and chat up the latest new recruit. Nor is cleaning a 'rest' where the lazy can tickle the ground with a hoe while the rest of the team pick up the slack.
If your area doesn't look clean after your efforts, clean it again.
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Archaeological cleaning is a vital part the practitioners toolkit of skills, and it is not as easy as it seems. The purpose of cleaning is to make archaeological deposits and hence the edges and intersections of features more visible, whilst usually (but not always) preparing the area for a photograph fit for publication. The best tool for this depends on a) the type of cleaning (either area clean, pre-ex feature clean or post-ex/ mid-ex clean for a photo); b) the geology; and c) the weather/ ground conditions. The available tools include the mattock, shovel, spade, the fabled Krafse, hoe, yard broom, hand brush, trowel, paintbrush, leaf trowel, lolly-pop stick.
'How many times hav ay telt ya. The right tool fur the right job!'
- scotty
During an area clean, patches of overlying deposits may need to be removed including subsoil, furrow fills, patches of topsoil, the previous years backfill, or even an archaeological layer. Sometimes it takes an amount of experience to know what should come off and what should be left in. Take heed of the supervisors direction, but also follow the example of the more experience staff around you. If you don't know or aren't sure. Ask.
Cleaning is not an excuse to lean on a shovel and chat up the latest new recruit. Nor is cleaning a 'rest' where the lazy can tickle the ground with a hoe while the rest of the team pick up the slack.
If your area doesn't look clean after your efforts, clean it again.
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