Higher Education Field Academy

Now that winter is gone and frozen ground is no longer a concern, Access Cambridge Archaeology, a not-for-profit organization run from the Archaeology Department here at Cambridge, has begun the spring season of its Higher Education Field Academy (HEFA). HEFA organizes for high school students from around southeast England to take part in archaeological excavations. I have signed up to be a volunteer test-pit excavator.

The first dig of the year happened at Little Hallingsbury, about an hour's drive from Cambridge. I had three students in my group. Even though the usual excavation crew on HEFA dig is 4 students, our group was very motivated and got down to 80 cm below surface in our 1 meter by 1 meter test pit in two days. The top 20 or so centimeters contained artifacts from a variety of time periods, including a pull-tab coca cola can. This mixing indicates that the top layer of soil may be soil moved during the construction of a building, such as the near-by cricket pavilion.

Our test pit after the turf has been removed. Had too much fun the rest of the day to remember to take any more pictures...

In lowers layers we found small portions of Medieval and Roman pottery, which ceramics expert Paul Blinkhorn identified for us. One piece of pottery however needed no identification; broken into 3 sherds, we found a small gray dished labeled "HAMPSTER," with the makers insignia stamped on the bottom. The perfect archaeological object: the dish told us both its maker and its function!

The first HEFA dig of the season was a great success with many teams coming back with interesting finds. After two days excavating test pits, HEFA participants spent a third day in Cambridge compiling data from their finds with information from previous years and touring the colleges. For more pictures from HEFA digs, see their website!