Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dredged Ufrp
o m the past
Spring 2010 Archaeology Finds Reporting Service Newsletter
Protocol Update
Welcome to Issue Six of Dredged Up, Since the last issue, dedicated industry
the popular newsletter of the marine staff have continued to report a wide range
aggregates reporting Protocol. of unusual and interesting finds. In fact
a further 18 reports have been received
detailing 38 new finds and new reports are
being received every week. A selection of
these are shown on page 6.
Team News
1
Vis or Radom pistol found by staff at Tarmac's Greenwich Wharf
discovery of a late 19th century relish pot currently being studied by the
in March 2009. The pot was found in several Belfast Geologists' Society. Recognising
pieces by Michael Pettitt and Andy Roberts. these finds amongst aggregate on a vessel
Not only had wharf staff found several must have been very difficult and their
pieces of the pot, they had devoted their reporting shows real dedication to the
own time to searching the heaps for further Protocol.
pieces of the vessel. This dedication
allowed archaeologists to identify that Finally, the award for Best Find goes to
the picture printed onto the find depicted Tarmac Greenwich (formerly UMD) for
the Napoleonic battle of La Albuera. their discovery of a Vis or Radom pistol.
The discovery of this WW2 pistol, thought
by some to be the finest handgun of
its time, is quite unusual. This type of
gun was manufactured in Poland from the
early 1930s, first for Polish troops and then
for German forces after the invasion of
Poland in 1939 during WW2. It is a mystery
as to how it ended up submerged off the
east coast of Britain, as German forces only
regularly issued this weapon to their police
and paratroopers. One theory is that a
Polish serviceman owned it and continued
to use it when serving with the British Army
0 5 cm
or the Royal Air Force after the German
19th century relish pot found at CEMEX's Portslade Wharf invasion.
2
Sample of peat clearly showing the plant remains within it
An archaeologist processes peat samples before studying the plant remains within them
Peat forms when plant remains rot in What to do if you find peat
anaerobic conditions – those where oxygen If you find peat amongst a dredged load
is absent. This prevents the organic report it in the usual fashion. Fill in all
material from completely decomposing details on the reporting form including
so peat usually contains the recognisable the licence area and the date that it was
remains of many different plant and tree dredged. If it is found on board a vessel
species. Archaeologists are especially please provide your Nominated Contact
interested in peat that has come from with the trackplot as well – your Wessex
offshore, where the location of peat Archaeology team will be requesting it! If
deposits are often known by staff in the safe to do so, please keep a sample of the
aggregate industry long before we become peat in a clear plastic sack (no more than
aware of them. half a bag). Label it with a description, the
date it was dredged and the name of the
The plant remains within peat found at finder or Site Champion. When it is
sea date to a time when the areas dredged reported we will give you a unique number
today would have been dry land. Despite to add to the labels on the bag. You will not
intensive studies, the seabed is still a very need to store this sample for long – if we
mysterious place and archaeologists are think we might be able to study it we will
currently trying to piece together the arrange to collect it.
sequences of events that led to the
formation of our seabed geology. Peat can Don't forget that if you need any advice
help us to do this as plant remains within on how to report finds or which finds
peat may be suitable for carbon 14 dating. should be reported, get in touch with
We may also be able to identify the plant your Nominated Contact or with
species within peat and these can reveal Wessex Archaeology via
what the climate and conditions were like
in the past. protocol@wessexarch.co.uk
3
Wooly mammoth tusk discovered at Purfleet Wharf
4
Fossilised mammoth teeth and bones, SBV Flushing Wharf Hanson
13
10
11
12
5
Stone fishing weight found at a wharf in Antwerp
0 5 cm
6
Cannonball encased in lead
The clue to the identity of this find may be Collection of metal items found by Tarmac staff
in its weight – this was clearly an item Most of these finds appear to be of a
designed to be very heavy. Could it have domestic nature, having come from houses
been designed to sink something to the or offices. Portsmouth Records Office holds
seabed - perhaps something sinister that no reports of material having been dumped
needed to be hidden? The dredging area offshore in this way, however the continued
and region are not known, but further discovery of finds from this area tells us
discoveries that are dredged up in the that this practice was
future may shed light on this strange taking place – whether
object. it was above board
A cannonball encased in lead
or not!
which was discovered at Ridham Wharf
0 10 cm
7
Wessex Archaeology