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Chester Amphitheatre Project Blog

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Welcome to the official Blog of the Chester Amphitheatre Project.

Saturday, July 17

Roman Sword!

The most exciting find yet has been posted into the finds section: a part of a bone handle from a Roman sword. The sword is the first of it's type to be found in Chester, and was the kind Roman Soldiers carried. The fact that it was found in the Amphitheatre is very interesting, and offers up some interesting possibilities as to how it came to rest there. 
 
Also there are updates with some more photographs from the site, taken from a new viewing platform the archaeologists are using.
 
And there is a lot of information regarding tomorrows exciting National Archaeology Day event at the Amphitheatre and Chester Visitor Centre.

posted by Anthony at 03:07

Comments?

17 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'll be there - especially if the gladiators are going to be authentically dressed in linen loin cloths and not much else!!!

10:11 PM, July 16, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What an excellent day! The early rain was disappointing, but thankfully it cleared up nicely by the afternoon. The gladiators were great, but I particularly enjoyed looking at the excavations and some of the wonderful finds.

The large number of visitors proved how popular our archaeological heritage is with the public. The master of the gladiators summed it up perfectly when he said we would know nothing without the archaeologists - so they were and are the real stars of the show.

6:00 PM, July 17, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Having walked past the site so many times it is completly intriqing to see the ongoing excavation being carried out in full view. Incredible find of the sword handle - quite well preserved too.

Has the camera been moved also? I seem to be looking at a pan left?

I will look forward to seeing more and more in the coming years.

11:41 PM, July 17, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, the camera was moved to show some of the gladiator action in the arena and the events and activities going on on the grass on National Archaeology Day on Saturday 17th July.

12:00 AM, July 18, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's very interesting to watch your project develop from my California vantage point.

Would you please readjust your webcam, so it once again focuses on the excavation area?

11:29 PM, July 18, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi there, my name's Dave - I'm hoping to join to volunteer team in mid August, it should give me a good run up to starting my degree in September. I check the webcam a couple of times a day and I've only just found the page about the finds! It all looks very exciting, I can't wait to start working there!

3:00 PM, July 19, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Where will you be studying Dave? And doing what - archaeology?

You've chosen a great place to learn about excavating, you will get excellent tuition and experience, and it's a wonderful feeling when you find something. And best of all it's great fun!

3:17 PM, July 19, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi there! :) I'm going to UCL down in London, and yes I'm going to be studying Archaeology. Really looking forward to it, apparently the first thing we do on the course is go camping somewhere down in Sussex where we have to make flints and skin rabbits! Experimental archaeology... sounds like a typical university bonding exercise to me! :)

Yeah, I am really looking forward to starting on the amphitheatre – I’ve not heard anything back from Jane H though, so I am crossing my fingers and hoping that I’ve not been forgotten about.

12:32 PM, July 20, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Give her a ring or email - there's plenty of room and work for everyone! I was there the past 2 summers and had a great time. Just graduated myself and off to dig in Turkey for a month, thanks to my Chester training.

2:39 PM, July 20, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cool, I have emailed her so yeah I’ll probably give her a ring if I don’t hear anything back by the end of the week. Woah! Turkey sounds exciting, what are you going to be doing out there?? :)

2:50 PM, July 20, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Excavating on a multi-period Hoyuk or Tell (an ancient city mound) and surveying and recording a previously unrecorded Roman aqueduct for my Masters dissertation. Exciting isn't it?

Another member of our team has just spent 4 weeks excavating at the amphitheatre too - can't get better training anywhere you see!

6:10 PM, July 20, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ah that sounds really good, I would love to work abroad after graduating. I’ve got to do a dissertation for mine as well, the whole concept of it terrifies me at the moment. I can’t even imagine how to go about it! But yeah, its kind of lucky I’ve been living in Chester then I guess – its going to be a really good opportunity for me.

10:09 PM, July 20, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nothing to it, easy peasy! They won't expect you to know anything when you start the course, because most people haven't studied archaeology at school or college. If you've watched Time Team and done a bit of digging you'll be off to a flying start.

The dissertation will be fine too - I loved doing my BA one. You probably won't even have to think about it till the end of your second year, but you've already got a great subject - the amphitheatre, or amphitheatres in general. But you'll probably have loads more ideas and interests by then.

11:21 PM, July 20, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah, I see what you mean... at the moment I am not 100% sure what I want to end up doing as the scope of archaeology is so massive – but by the time I get to the third year I reckon I will have a much better idea! Funny you should say that! I watch Time Team every night on the Discovery channel, I find it really addictive! I’m also reading a book called Archaeology field techniques, methods and practise – which is pretty interesting. Have you seen that Extreme Archaeology one on channel four? I quite like that one too.

10:24 AM, July 21, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, I watch the lot! Have you discovered the Time Team forum? I chat to a lot of other archaeology fans on there, and last year I posted a diary of what happened on the amphitheatre dig.

8:05 PM, July 21, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh I didn't know there was one... let me know the address of it please mate!

12:36 PM, July 22, 2004  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Time Team programme website is
http://www.channel4.com/history/timeteam/
and click on the 5th box down on the left. You have to register to post messages but can read everything without registering. My forum name is ooban!

6:30 PM, July 22, 2004  

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