Welcome back to day 3 of the tour of Salisbury Plain. I have been an archaeologist on Salisbury Plain for over 15 years now. We’ll see some highlights but please tweet your own photos, drawings, films, links and objects that this prompts gov.uk/government/pub…
#SPTAarchaeology
#SPTAarchaeology
Today we are on the East of the Plain – perhaps with the most access and certainly some of the richest Archaeology so (as you voted!) it’s over 2 days!!. Many of the projects are Op Nightingale works – so check out their open Facebook page #SPTAarchaeology
As usual we start from Westdown Camp and will use the modern military map to guide us round. When you see a Number in brackets such as [1] this refers to a stop marked on the map. So, archaeologists, put on your helmet and body armour (celebs not exempt) Lets go! #SPTAarchaeology 
[1] Right at the top of the Plain-Upavon the oldest military airbase in the world. But it holds even older stories When we examined the airfield for potential use by the Watchkeeper UAV – an unknown Iron Age & Romano Brit village was found. Thus no runway here! #SPTAarchaeology
The survey, it has to be said, was quite a surprise but perhaps shouldn’t have been as it is in a location with commanding views and finds had been made nearby #SPTAarchaeolgy
2] East Chisenbury Midden – a Late Bronze/Early Iron Age site with a large enclosure (you can just see in photo above woods) , housing, and a midden of up to 3m depth. We started Op Nightingale here and have done several seasons to discover more. #SPTAarchaeology
Finds included a little bronze object – we still have no idea what it is – see the model sketchfab.com/3d-models/copp… #SPTAarchaeology
Lots of feasting debris – sheep and pig bones (there was also a wolf jaw from site) studies by Rich Madgwick who could tell that sheep were reared locally. Spindle whorls & bone combs & buttons spoke of secondary use of animals & decorated pottery was abundant. #SPTAarchaeology
A high percentage of the lottery was decors and included short necked furrowed bowls and even some scratch cordoned wear. The white inlay is gorgeous and not easy to make. Is it chalk or bone (perhaps human!) we shall see! #SPTAarchaeology
Other finds were classically Iron Age like this bone comb but we now think the use of this site was for longer than thought before from Late Bronze Age to a few centuries into the Iron Age. Dave McOmish & Dave Norcott your experts. #SPTAarchaeology
Interestingly there were also several human bones – a number of which were Carbon dated to the Later Bronze Age – some centuries before the occupation of the roundhouses. These seem to have been deliberately kept within the structures. #SPTAarchaeology
There is so much to learn about middens – so its worth reading up on the whole project – hosted by @wessexarch wessexarch.co.uk/our-work/east-… and visiting @WiltshireMuseum when you can #SPTAarchaeology
Driving along the tracks now to Lidbury Camp [3] – the Age Enclosure is safe from military training as it is enclosed in a penning and also included in the SPTA playing cards as a note to troops to be aware. #SPTAarchaeology
In fact it is not the Camp we are looking at here – it is a site just south of Baillon Wood. For this name refers to the surname of the Pilot, Paul Baillon, whose Spitifre crashed here in the Battle of Britain in 1940. #SPTAarchaeology
Paul managed to bail out of his stricken aircraft and our team excavated the location some years ago. The hand-dug work resulted in the almost perfect front-on silhouette of a Spitfire as it nosed into the chalk. #SPTAarchaeology
Several finds of wreckage were made with dials and data plates and ammunition. Luckily there is a Haynes Manual for this machine – so lacking for much of our prehistoric work! #SPTAarchaeology
This is one of the many dials and parts of the aircraft that were recovered by the project - it’s impossible not to think of the terror in Paul’s mind when he looked at this last. #SPTAarchaeology
We were fortunate enough to dig alongside the pilot’s daughter, Rosemary, here she is on site with a photo of her Father. All the artefacts were donated to the pilot’s school who are rebuilding the aircraft for a 1:1 display using original parts where available #SPTAarchaeology
Paul never made it through the war – he was killed just over a month later and is buried at Bayeux. The report on the excavation is hosted by Historic England historicengland.org.uk/images-books/p…
#SPTAarchaeology
#SPTAarchaeology
There is also film of the work online: itv.com/news/meridian/… #SPTAarchaeology
Moving on to the Roman village of Chisenbury Warren [4]. Excavated and published by Mike Fulford this site is unusual for having 1st-4th Century occupation & elements into the Early Medieval period too. #SPTAarchaeology
Small houses with ‘allotment areas’ behind them ran alongside a small street with pottery finds throughout. #SPTAarchaeology
Moving on in the tour #SPTAarchaeology
Driving along to ‘V’ Crossing[5]& an unexpected find. We were putting in a car park area & found an unknown Bronze Age barrow complete with cremations & crouched burials. The site was sampled then re-covered & palisaded. The most historic roundabout on the plain! #SPTAarchaeology
The report on this discovery is hosted by @wessexarch and just goes to show discoveries still can be made. drive.google.com/file/d/1JCuGnG… #SPTAarchaeology
over to Sidbury Hillfort [8]. This Mid Iron Age monument has interesting geology – with pebbles of the Reading Beds. You find similar in Aubrey holes at Stonehenge and the fort is one of the things you can see in the centre of henge. Is there a deliberate link? #SPTAarchaeology
From Sidbury – gaze over to Snail Down barrow Cemetery – excavated and published by Thomas [6]. Tank damage pre-WW2 is visible but the site is very impressive. No palisades here as it is in a parachute landing area….#SPTAarchaeology
The book picked out interesting details – early phases of the barrows had a circle of postholesmuch like our palisades and one barrow became known as the ‘Hunter’s Barrow’ as it was that of a man with arrowheads and a dog skeleton. #SPTAarchaeology
[7] Linears of the Late Bronze Age also focus on Sidbury. This one is actually a double linear with part of a skull in its terminal and runs up to Z crossing. Bradley examined some and found distinct pot styles could be determined on different areas of ditches. #SPTAarchaeology
Richard Bradley’s book is definitely a starting point to research these linear ditches and their role. Hoping to add more to the story at Dunch Hill this year .... at some point #SPTAarchaeology
Let’s move along to something completely different. Tidworth Military Cemetery [9] #SPTAarchaeology
Over the years there have been many military personnel that died on the Plain – either in training during the World Wars or of illness. All are tragic stories & very poignant indeed. There are a number of New Zealanders in this cemetery. Including Several Maori. #SPTAarchaeology
As they are so far from home, one can often finds special additional memorials added to Maori graves. This is one such memorial stone – a Whakapapa stone telling of the family tree of this man and bringing some part of New Zealand back to him. #SPTAarchaeology
The training for WW1 was extensive on this part of the Plain and [10] we excavated a set of Trenches used in 1915 by the Rifle Brigade, Essex and Middlesex Regiments in readiness for the battle of Somme. #SPTAarchaeology
The site at Perham Down represented German trenches that they would be facing. Lots of finds again – from milk tins, to bullets to screw pickets and a block of chalk carved by a Liverpudlian. The report is here wessexarch.co.uk/news/perham-do…. #SPTAarchaeology
Much of the work was carried out by soldiers of modern conflicts. And we put up posters of the men who trained here who were subsequently killed in 1916. Some of them are even seen attacking the Hawthorn Crater in the Malins Somme film. #SPTAarchaeology
The fieldwork on the site was covered on #DiggingforBritain and you can see it here: #SPTAarchaeology
As we drive on you can look over on your right into the Bulford Rifle Ranges (Red Flags are up so we can’t go in) and by D Range can see a vast Late Bronze Age ditch [11] running across the range. As it bends it makes the site look most unmilitary! #SPTAarchaeology
If you then look up on Beacon Hill to your left and at position [12] there are other ditches crossing the crest of the hill, these however are Great War trenches, we have done geophysics up her, and plotting and even laser scans #SPTAarchaeology
Along the line of the hill and we see more evidence for the presence of New Zealanders with the newest (and youngest) Scheduled Monument on the Plain; The Bulford Kiwi [13]. Carved after they had survived the pandemic of 1919. #SPTAarchaeology
Just like the more ancient carvings at Uffington, Cerne Abbas and Westbury, we have a regular clearance event & ceremony at the kiwi along with the Signals Regt and the NZ High Commission. We can call upon some pretty cool kit to add chalk #SPTAarchaeology
Red Flags are now down so we can drive into the Bulford Danger Area to look at one of the best Bronze Age barrow sites– Silk Hill [14]. This site has bowl, disc, bell and pond barrows & a double banked barrow which had lots of deer bones when excavated! #SPTAarchaeology
This has been a major conservation focus for us to stop rabbit damage and we’ve meshed over many of the barrows here to stop the animals – it has been pretty effective too – the site is a glorious place to see orchids in late May….if we can….#SPTAarchaeology
And it works! This shows all the meshed barrows - no rabbits - plenty of chalk grassland and conservation inaction (geophysics done before mesh btw!) #SPTAarchaeology
Back down the hill and along to [15] BARROW CLUMP. wessexarch.co.uk/our-work/prehi…. #SPTAarchaeology
Do you know what? I think it’s time for a break. Tomorrow will have them most wondrous archaeology - brooches and spears, chisels and crystals and tales of recovery through archaeology. Our taxi is here, I’ll drop us back at base and see you all tomorrow #SPTAarchaeology
We have also been able to draw on the @HaynesManuals for our excavations of the Mark ii Tank in Bullecourt. This tank was destroyed today, 11 April, in 1917. Fortunately Lt Skinner MC and his crew all survived. 52 of the 103 tank crew in this battle (Bullecourt) died
